Important Games to watch: Week 5

This weekend’s games are not as stacked as last week’s, but there are still some important games to keep your eye on this weekend.

Mississippi State will host Alabama at 11 a.m. in Starkville, and that place will be rocking. This will be a very important matchup for the Bulldogs, as they will be looking to showcase that they actually are a true threat in the SEC. Kamario Taylor has proven that he is one of the best QBs in the country, but a major performance against a solid Bama defense will put him in a new light and have conversations tilting toward him earning some awards. This matchup is also important because if State can pull off this upset, then it will show exactly what kind of team LSU will have to contend with in two weeks in Tiger Stadium.

This game means a lot for the Tide as well. Lose this game, and it will be hard to shake the public perception of Bama losing to Mississippi State. Win this game, and it shows that this team has learned some lessons from last season and is able to battle against tough opponents on the road. This game will be on ABC at 11 a.m.

Following that game on the same network will be Florida vs. Missouri. Missouri has been impressive through the air with Austin Simmons, but the Tigers are still having issues pulling away from lower-quality opponents, and this Florida team is not that. Florida is coming in off a signature win against a quality opponent, but will the Gators be able to handle the success this early into the tenure of head coach Jon Sumrall?

Florida’s running game is dominant, especially with Jadan Baugh leading the charge. Baugh currently has over 600 rushing yards and more than 10 TDs in four games. Can Missouri stop the run and keep its offense ahead of the chains to take advantage of what can be a vulnerable Florida secondary at times? Florida is a team that can get in LSU’s way if the Tigers truly have their sights set on making the playoffs. Since the Tigers do not play the Gators this year, they will need some help from the Tigers in Mizzou.

Another game to keep an eye on at the same time as Florida and Mizzou will be Ohio State traveling to Iowa to take on the Hawkeyes. Iowa is known for having a great defense and a terrible offense. But can that defense rise to the occasion and make the game just ugly enough for its offense to have a chance? That’s easier said than done.

Ohio State has one of the best QB/WR duos in the nation, and it’s hard to hold down Jeremiah Smith. If Smith gets rolling early, the game could get out of hand quickly in Iowa City. This game will kick off at 2:30 p.m. on CBS.

Finally, Tennessee will host Auburn, also at 2:30 p.m., on ESPN. The Volunteers will look to rebound after giving up 10 sacks to Texas and losing a home game to the Longhorns. Each team has one loss so far this season. Auburn lost a tough home game to Florida by only one score, and then the Tigers bounced back last week with another one-score victory over Vanderbilt.

This will be Auburn’s first road test of the season, but it will be on familiar territory for head coach Alex Golesh. Golesh will return to the place where he served as the OC for two seasons under current Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel.

Which matchup from this weekend are you looking forward to? Share your thoughts in the comments below.