
David Pollack's WEEK 5 CFB Picks: Alabama-Georgia, LSU-Ole Miss, Oregon-Penn State and More 0:00 LSU-Ole Miss 7:15 Alabama-Georgia 14:02 Oregon-Penn State 19:20 USC-Illinois 22:20 Ohio State-Washington 27:41 TCU-Arizona State 31:11 Florida State-Virginia 33:57 Notre Dame-Arkansas 37:04 Auburn-Texas A&M 40:08 Tennessee-Mississippi State 43:41 Indiana-Iowa
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Brent
How about that Pollock Interception in the end zone.
Football Analyst
Well, it's David Pollock. He's got a heart of a lion.
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Brent
This is C Ball. Get Ball. College football's top show for football analysis, predictions and coach interviews. Now here's your host, three time All American, seven time Emmy award winner.
Football Analyst
Week five man, here we go with the picks. And, and I think this is, this is always fun. You can, you can do what you want with our picks. That is your prerogative. The but so far it's been pretty solid. This week is as hard as it gets. Like there is so many good football games this week and so many games that are going to affect the playoffs and I would imagine there's going to be a Lot of differences too Brent, because I mean a lot of them are, are going to be very tough. A lot of them are going to be flip a coin, you know, who do you trust? And a lot of times for me it's and just there's a reason why there's a three point home advantage. Right. Like that matters. The quarterback plays in some of these I think are really going to matter. The, the nature of not playing some teams for some folks are going to matter. The nature of playing a team and then bouncing back and after a big loss or after a big win, all of that will come into play for, for our picks. So where you want to start big fella?
Brent
Well, just like we do every week we have the nugget platter games brought to you by a future sponsor to come. But there's three big ones and it's as big as it gets this week. It's probably in terms of you know the how much this means. This week is kind of like week one. So we've got LSU at Ole Miss, Bama, Georgia, Oregon at Penn State. But we're going to start with hottie Toddy. Go to them, Bam. Go to Oxford.
Football Analyst
That's where they're red shirts the other day. That's what they do there. They red shirt.
Brent
We, we talked a lot about this game and just some things that we didn't mention. One is that I think trade as green is going to be back from what I've seen.
Football Analyst
Maybe I mean that's the 6 foot 19 tight end that that they went and against Clemson like they went four by one and literally put him on the other side like all right, like if you don't want to match up numbers over here we're going to throw a jump ball every time. And he drew multiple penalties and caught a touchdown like so he weapon back for lsu. Big weapon that can dictate to LS they can dictate coverage. And listen, let's be honest. Ole Miss has not been elite on the defensive side of the football. Wait, Arkansas just scored again? Yes, they did. Like they put up points in bunches. So that that is that the weakness of the teams is fun is the most fun part to me. Like which team can step up because LSU's defense has been lights out. Their offense has been what the heck is this? They averaged four yards of carry last year. Four point. They average four yards in attempt this season. An attempt in the passing game like it is dink and dunk r us like it is. And so Green I think absolutely helps in that capacity because you're going to throw them the deep ball, you're going to throw the jump ball. But there's so many, like, interesting stats, like The D for LSU has not allowed more than 10 points. Guarantee you LSU does that in the first half. Like, that's how confident I feel in Ole Miss's offense. But, like, they haven't seen, you know, an offense like Ole misses, I think, with the weapon, with the timing passing game with a running quarterback, because I'm 100% sure. And it's going to be Trinidad because that dude's been balling. And so, you know, maybe the backup quarterback is something that put Ole Miss in a position now to be in a better spot to make a playoff, to be in a better spot to go tick for tack and score a bunch of points. No matter who they play against, in.
Brent
What world to you, the Simmons start the game.
Football Analyst
He's got to be fully healthy first. He's got to be fully healthy. Like, he's got to be. He's got to be the Simmons we saw last year. And out there, that can move, that can spin the bean, that can make big plays down the field. Um, but, like, listen, we're going to learn about Trinidad more this week. But, but, but I would argue, too, this is probably the toughest challenge in all of college football to play against. Like, this is not a. If he balls out against lsu, it's a wrap, it's over. It's a ball game over. Like, Trinidad your guy the rest of the way. Because. Because here's the thing, you don't fool the locker room. Like, you can't lie to the guys in the locker room. They want to win. And whoever gives us the best chance to win. Listen, I got to eat too. Like, as a receiver, I got to eat. Like, if you feed me, I like you. I put up big numbers. I like you. You're my guy. Like, Trinidad, Ferris State daddy up, bro. I don't care what you're making in, I. I'm all in. And so, you know, that's. That's some things that are. It's just so interesting because Lane and company. 500 plus yards. Brent in 32 of his 66 games. Like, it's just insane how good he is and at developing offense and how good Ole Miss is at scoring and putting points on the board. And then LSU on the other side, like, they've been just shutting people out, like 300 yards or less. And so something has to give in this game and we got to pick it and this is a tough one to pick.
Brent
I thought of one reason to me if, if Simmons starts and plays, I think that's Lane saying, I need this guy to make tight window throws against this one, against this defense, that the windows are going to be much smaller and he can hit, hit those windows. But I just, I think you're right in terms of you have to play Trinidad because he's played so well, and if he doesn't play well early, you can then bring in Austin Simmons and it's just versus if you play Simmons and he struggles that it's the way that timing and the way it moves forward, I think it just creates problems. So I do think Trinidad starts, but.
Football Analyst
High ankle sucks too, man. Like, that's not. It's just not a quick bounce back one. It's just. That's a. Not a Fun injury.
Brent
Trinidad, 8 of 10, number two in the FBS on throws over 20 yards in terms of completion percentage, 333 yards.
Football Analyst
And he's allowed Lacy to throw to flourish and thrive. Because Lacy, dude, that leads the SEC in touchdown runs and second the nation was seven TDs. And like in 23 and 24 he had zero.
Brent
Like, which question?
Football Analyst
Which is crazy.
Brent
So which question mark are you ignoring the most? Because, well, it's good on good Ole Miss offense, LSU defense, and then it's question mark versus question mark.
Football Analyst
Yeah, I think that defenses play better at home. Like, that's a proven fact. You play better at home. The crowd noise helps. Nuss. Meyer is really good, man. Like, really good. But what I've seen from him so far doesn't tell me that they're going to go light up the scoreboard. It tells me they're going to make mistakes. It tells me they're going to dink and dunk. I think with Trinidad and the run game and the tempo, man, I lead Ole Miss, I lean Ole Miss, and I think it's 27, 24. I think Ole Miss kind of wears them out. Where's that good defense out? Puts up enough points with Hottie Toddy and the stupid. One of the best atmospheres the Grove and all of college football. Trinidad, the unsung hero of college football, puts up great numbers and comes up with a clutch win for Hottie toddy.
Brent
I went 26, 23 ole miss. So one point off, but same difference. So we were exact in line there. Next up, you're going to have to watch on two different TVs because you got Georgia and Bama, Penn State, Oregon at the same time. So we'll go Alabama at Georgia first. I obviously have numbers ad nauseam for this but to me it, if it comes down to one thing, it's which play big time playmaker makes the biggest impact. Zachariah Branch on one side, Ryan Williams on the other side.
Football Analyst
Well, you might want to throw Bernard in there because he's pretty freaking good and he might be the number one. He is. He's the number one guy for Alabama's wide receiving core. I would argue who protects their quarterback the best. Like because both of these dudes, both these squads have really struggled to protect their quarterback. Now listen, Alabama, I'm talking about fsu, that was on the road, like that was in a, in a hostile environment. You coming into one of the best environments in all of college football. Like and you playing them at night like They've got a 33 game win streak. But there's some interesting nuggets I got on Alabama. Alabama's 2 and 4 in true road games under DeBoer. That's a little bit of an issue.
Brent
And they've looked bad and haven't looked.
Football Analyst
Haven'T looked their best. They're eight. No. When scoring more than 35 points. And so they've, they've struggled defensively since Nick Saban's left. Like so they've struggled away from home and they've struggled defensively. Usually your defenses don't get better on the road. Your defense is better at home. They're. They're 3 and 5 when scoring less than 35 points. And so can Georgia get to that 35 point number? You know, I think it's interesting for Alabama. Can some of the banged up guys play a role because they average 123 yards on the ground a game. That's the lowest since before Nick Saban took over. Like they have to run the football. They have to create balance. When you talked about Ryan Grubb and why he left Seattle, it was because he was a pass happy guy. Like he can't come into Sanford Stadium and consistently pass the football over and over again. It's what they do best. But I think they have to have balance. Ty Simpson's as hot as anybody in the country. So when you're talking about the Alabama side like there's some cool numbers. You know, he had five, five, five incompletions the last two games. He had 20 in week one against FSU and I think that was more of a perfect storm that there was a couple things that happened in fsu. One, you thought FSU was going to suck no doubt about it.
Brent
You didn't think they were good big time.
Football Analyst
Now you go into that atmosphere, you jump, you get down and then guess what happens. The rain starts falling. So like you can, you can tell me you're making excuses for Alabama. I don't. I disagree. I think those are reasons why that happened. This is going to tell me all I need to know about Alabama. Can they come to a place in a team where they've had a lot of success? And the freakiest stat of all, Brent, is Kirby's got 19 losses at Georgia and six at Alabama and that is absolutely nuts. So basically a third of their losses under Kirby Smart has been to the Crimson Tide.
Brent
Which team can pressure the quarterback? We've talked about, you know how now that Alabama. But Alabama's pressure rate, their pressure percentage is one of the higher ones in the power four. But it all happens after three seconds because their secondary is good. So it takes a long time to get there. So I, I think each quarterback, if you're sort of worst case scenario, who has the better second because each quarterback has all day who has the better secondary. I'd lean Alabama. And with Alabama and the way they play Zone Gunner Stockton versus Man in the first, you know his. These first three games, 90.7 pass grade, 70% completion against Man. 14.7 yards an attempt against zone, 68.9 passing grade. It's like six yards an attempt. It's check down, check down, check down. And I. And Alabama's an 80% zone team.
Football Analyst
So how do you, how do you take care of that? You make them, you make them play, man. You run the freaking football. And that's where I said. And that's where I think that, I think that Georgia's man, they've got just a variety of backs. And here's another thing that's crazy only and Brent, you, I guarantee you wouldn't even know this. A Georgia quarterback has 10 or more attempts running the football three times under Kirby Smart, three times. They're all gunner Stockton, every single one of them. Like it's part of it. It's part of the reason you play him. It's part of the reason to be successful. You want to play zone, you want to play with zone eyes, that's fine. I'm going to take care of you with the RPO game. I'm going to take care of you with perimeter spit outs, right? Because you're going to out branch becomes a big factor in the pass game, the dink and duck game, the running the football. So the supporting cast will have to be really, really good for Georgia. The tight ends in a zone situation have to come up big and right now they got eight catches all season.
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Football Analyst
To you by gofundme and like eight catches. So and the Georgia offensive line healthier now than they've been after the bye week. So does that help them also run the football? But it's picks time, bro. Put it on the line. What you got?
Brent
I struggled with this one mightily because I think, I tend to always think worst case scenario. I think that's my dad in me as the coach, he was always thinking worst case scenario as it relates to the game. And worst case scenario is that Ty Simpson has all day and their receivers have all day to get open and he's very accurate with football and they just throw all over the Georgia team. But I think the whole I can't go against the home environment.
Football Analyst
Yeah.
Brent
At the night home environment and the ability to run the football. I think Georgia will be able to run it better than Alabama. Keenan coming back but a limited Keenan still. He's not like he's going to be.
Football Analyst
He won't be in shape enough. And I say that just because he's a big guy. Like when you haven't practiced as much as you want to and you haven't played in games, it's just, it's, it's, it's hard. You just can't push your jam. Miller is the other guy like can jam Miller provide a spark with the run game. So you got Georgia.
Brent
I got, I got 30, 27.
Football Analyst
I got Georgia 31, 28. I think it's going to be, I think it's going to be close. I think it's really, I think it really is a pick them game. But the pass rush for Georgia is going to have to play better and when they get there they're going to have to get Simpson on the ground. Both of them. When they get to the quarterbacks, they better get them on the ground because they're both really good athletes that can scramble and make plays.
Brent
I really thought we'd have some differentiation here, but two games in, in the nugget platter and we are exact. Almost good one.
Football Analyst
I know good and well we won't have an agreement on this one. I'm 100% certain.
Brent
Okay, we'll see.
Football Analyst
You hate James Franklin. You have a zero percent chance of picking James Franklin. He's, he's a big game Franklin. Yeah, but you, you, you, you're not, you're not a fan of his coaching. Like you got. Don't, don't deny this. You don't think he's a good big game coach. This is a big game. Don't, don't, don't, don't turn your head to me like that either. By the way. You don't think he's a good big game coach?
Brent
I mean. Yeah, he hasn't been good.
Football Analyst
Okay, there you go.
Brent
But my issue in this game, looking at these two teams and watching, and watching Drew Aller. I went and watched every drop back that he's had all season before we looked at this because last Friday I went and watched him. He just looks off to me mechanically, lower body with the upper body. He looks to me much like Michael Penix looks right now with the Falcons where you've just got an absolute howitzer of an arm and you trust the arm too much versus the, all of the other pieces of the mechanical spots with, with playing quarterback. Feet with eyes, shoulder, all that direction.
Football Analyst
All that shoulder, toes, knees and toes.
Brent
And to back up those numbers or to back up that sort of visual, his accurate plus ball placement 5%. So that's like the perfect throw. You know exactly where it needs to be. Bullseye on the, on the chart. He's 74th out of 75 Power4Court quarterbacks in that number. Just general accuracy. Hey, within the strike zone. Basically he's 59 of those 75. He's just been off. And they've tried to force feed the receivers. 50% of their targets through three games are to the receivers. Hudson from USC, Pena from Syracuse and Ross from Detroit. 47 targets between those guys. So they're trying to do that now. Have they? We talked a week or so ago. By design or is there issues with the offense?
Football Analyst
It's a hundred percent by design. It's just like Georgia in the first couple of weeks of the season and then they go to Tennessee and it's like oh, that looks different. Penn State ain't had to show nothing yet. And they haven't showed nothing yet. And I listen Colton Ecki with a Preseason tune up. He knows exactly who he is. He knows what he is. Like, they're going to score some points. And I think when I look at Penn State's defense, I've already told you how I felt about Oregon and if they. And what it means if they walk in here and they. And they knock out Penn State, like it's a big deal. But the run game beat up Oregon a year ago. The run game, I think, can be exactly the same as it was, if not better. The receiving core cannot be worse. And I just think with. With. With all of that, like, I'm betting on Penn State and I'm betting on their. Who they have, their experience. I think Jim Knowles will have something for Dante Moore that he's absolutely never seen before in an atmosphere that's going to be absolutely ballistic. And I think it will be. I think Dante Moore is going to look more human than he's looked by any stretch of the imagination. And I think because of that, they could struggle a little bit. They're not going to get to 30 or 45 like they did a year ago in the Big Ten championship games. And I got the Nittany lines, man. I got 30, 24. Penn State, they take care of business. All of their guys that they have on the front that can. That can make plays, that can get to the quarterback, that can get TFLs. I think they rattled Dante more, and I think they take care of business.
Brent
I went Oregon 31, Penn State 27.
Football Analyst
Yeah, I knew you'd go Oregon. Penn State.
Brent
Is going to be the hater. The difference. I'm not a hater.
Football Analyst
You're absolutely.
Brent
You.
Football Analyst
You don't pick Penn State ever. I don't know that you've ever picked Penn State. Yes. Think about that. No, in a. In a. Yeah. Maybe against, like, Alcorn Street. Sure.
Brent
Against Notre Dame.
Football Analyst
Now you pick Notre Dame.
Brent
I need to go back and look.
Football Analyst
Yes, you picked Notre Dame. Yeah, you picked Notre Dame. You never picked Penn State. You have no respect for Penn State and James Franklin. And guess what? A lot of the world doesn't. And you. Awesome opportunity, Penn State in Beaver Stadium, in the white out with all the guys coming back, the best one, two punch in the country with offensive coordinator, defensive coordinator, Big game. James, A big opportunity to say, shove it like, stick it where the sun. Sun don't shine. Like, awesome opportunity, Penn State. Maximize it. Go kill it and take advantage of it.
Brent
I shut me. I did pick him to win Big Ten championship, but.
Football Analyst
Yeah, preseason next.
Brent
All right, so the rest of the games, that's three games. We're looking at eight other games because they're so good. And to me those are all chips and dips game because they aren't the marquee because the big three are the big three games this weekend. But we are going like all of these games are great and they're all, I'm quite certain, single digit spreads. So first one, USC who's now in the top 25. And we're going to look at in a separate video something because something's brewing with us with the Trojans going to Illinois. And this is numero uno question. How do you bounce back from that beat down?
Football Analyst
Yeah, well, it's, it'd be nice to bounce back with a team that doesn't have a similar recipe and a team that just beat the absolute tar out of you. Like yes, they could run the football, have balance. They have a big strong quarterback that can make plays with his feet. Also push the ball down the field to elite weapons. Like the recipe is very similar. Now you're at home. So that helps protect your quarterback, which was the biggest reason why you got donkey stomped last week. It's the reason why you got curb stomp. It's the reason why you got boat raced like it was a bad taste in your mouth. And I think Illinois has a good opportunity against a really good team to bounce back. And I listen if you protect Altmeyer, he's a great player. We know that they've got to do that. That's where it starts and that's where it finishes. To me. Do they have enough firepower? The weakness of USC so far has been the passing game, defending the passing game. So keep your man upright, make some plays to Beatty and company out wide defense, find a way to, to slow down the juggernaut that's been the USC offense because it has been an absolute juggernaut. And it's, I mean, one of the better one two punches in all of college football. Receiver running the football at a higher clip than any. They're running the football better right now than they have since Reggie Bush and Lindell White was a combination. So that's what they're doing now with the Weapons out wide leading the nation in passing attempts or yards per attempt. Like it's, it's ground and pound and bombs away. And the biggest thing with Jordan Maiva is he's taking care of the football this year. Last year he had a little Texas gambler and he had, he was at UNLV before that, wasn't he? So he was, he was doing too much playing the, playing too much roulette around, too much gambling and taking too many chances. Dialed that in. They've got a run game. The only question I have with USC is can they be great in the back end? Do they have to be great against Illinois? I, I don't think they have to be elite of elite. I got USC 3427.
Brent
It's exact score I wrote down.
Football Analyst
You suck.
Brent
USC 34, Illinois 27. Now look at Kobe Lane. Missed like undisclosed industry or injury. I don't know that he's going to play, but kind of took care of business from the other side. So we have the exact score there and the pass block grade. They're 17th of 18th, 18 big ten teams and they are 64th out of 68 power four teams. Illinois. That is, that's really bad. That's really bad. All right, next Big Ten game, which to me is maybe the second most intriguing game to me outside of Penn State, Oregon, Ohio State at Washington because Washington can score and at least three dudes at Washington haven't lost a home game since 21. I think I saw.
Football Analyst
Yeah, the second longest in the country. Second longest win streak in the country. I'm telling you, Brent, I've been to every stadium, every major power four stadium and I was probably most surprised by them and outs and like it's not enormous, but it's mother flipping loud. Like it is loud. And they love their team. They're, they're jacked up. They're excited. Like they, and obviously you know, Ohio State coming to town, they will be exponentially more cranked up hopefully. You know, you get some, you get some liquid in you, some liquid courage. But yeah, no Washington, their scoring has been really stupid so far. 56 points a game. Like only FSU is higher in the fbs. I mean they've been lighting it up and demond Williams like he was, he was, he showed. And you talked about him coming in the season. We talked about the trio with Boston and Coleman. But like protecting him was a big time deal because they didn't protect him a year ago. He got hit a lot and they've done such a better job with that. Now they have balance running and throwing the football. Like I think they had. I think like it was 8, 8 of 9 possessions. They scored touchdowns and they've done that a couple of times this season. Like they're, they're, they're really, really good. I'm going to make a statement that I 100%, I think you'll agree with if you look at Ohio State under 10 points a game in all three games. They've given up 16 points in three games. I feel very confident in saying they're going to give up over 16 in this game to Washington because I think they're really, really hard to stop. Way harder to stop than Texas. Jed Fish, Year two elite coach brought a bunch of his guys with him. Man, I think Washington has a chance to make this a game. If y' all don't when you're at home like I would be surprised if this not is not a fourth quarter game. That's how much I think about Washington and their squad.
Brent
The thing I was surprised watch watching their offense because you think about Williams, he's not a, he's not a 64 guy. He's a what, 5, 11, 6 foot type kid. If I, if I'm think I got that right. But yeah, and heels they go they're number four in the power four in terms of percentage under center. He's not in the gun all the time and the way you do that and they run the stretch and run the outside zone play gets Coleman rolling. Boston number one in the power in all power four in run block grade among receivers. So he's doing it as a receiver, doing it as a blocker. Ohio State side I I I've watched Ohio State and kind of watching the other players for their defense. Kaden Curry's playing better at the edge, the McDonald kid on the interior, Reese is a dude at linebacker.
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Football Analyst
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Brent
They've got a running back by the way of name of Bo Jackson.
Football Analyst
Jackson. What a great name.
Brent
That's a pretty good name to have as a running back. Who's.
Football Analyst
He sucks though. He's only averaging, he's only averaging 12 yards of carry. I feel like he could be a little bit better than. If I'm handing it to you and you're only getting a first down every time you touch it, I feel like you could be a little bit better. What you said though, is important. Like with Ohio State, they got 17 tackles for a loss to tackle for losses in three games. But five players have two plus like it comes from different guys from different spots. Matt Patricia will be to watch because this will be a different challenge for him. I'm interested to see obviously you're going to go on the road and now you got a quarterback that can present some problems in the run game that are, that are a little bit different and so that's a That's a fun thing to watch too. I got Ohio State 31. I got Washington 24. I think this is a under seven point game. That's how good I think Washington is.
Brent
Okay. I actually have this being an absolute shootout. I got Ohio State 45, Washington 30. Oh, I think this is just going to be. And one Takario Davis. I don't know. I, he didn't play a week ago or the last game they had. Does he play this week? I think he might but he's a 64 corner. That's really, really good. Was a Thorpe semifinals last year. If he plays. Maybe they got a little bit more of a chance to slow down Jeremiah Smith. But I was going to ask you if we just went out in the, you know, over here at the church field and had you throw like 30 yard passes, could you go 100% on those throws to Jeremiah Smith?
Football Analyst
Yeah.
Brent
To just, just air. Just don't air because Julian saying 100 completion on 20 plus yard throws. 9 of 9 for 394, 6 TDs. I think there's going to be a lot of.
Football Analyst
He leads the nation in completion percentage.
Brent
Yeah. So I got Buckeyes two scores. Maybe, maybe not.
Football Analyst
I don't think so.
Brent
Next one Friday night game. There's two good games on Friday night. This is the next two games we're gonna look at. First one, TCU at Arizona State. Arizona State's a last. I look two and a half point.
Football Analyst
Favorite, which means I think TCU is better.
Brent
Who's going to play defense?
Football Analyst
Nobody. I, I, I'm. What is Arizona State, man? I mean, what are they right now like?
Brent
I don't, they're good in chaos. Like Sam Levitt is good in chaos, but he's not good in structure right now, number one thing watching him, I.
Football Analyst
Think I, I've been, I've been frustrated watching him. I just, you know, again we kind of, we kind of do this with Club Nick too. You naturally go like, okay, the, the, the, the next step comes and I'm believing they're going to get to the next step. But this, this offense is struggled now the kicking game is better, which is really fun for Arizona State. They needed a big time kick late in the game and they got one to beat Baylor. But I just, it's, it's been frustrating. I think if I'm Kenny Dillingham. I think I've probably been more frustrated than I was last year just because the, they haven't found a way to put up big numbers. They haven't found A way to continue to just stomp people. Like last year, they just really had it rolling. And listen, you see Scatter Boo starting to get it going too in the NFL. And he's just. The way he ran. He just ran like an angry monster. He ran like he just ate a whole box of crayons. Like he's just. Something's wrong with him. Like he just, he embraced physicality, right? Like he was their heart and soul and they're looking for their heart and soul. And I think Sam Levitt, it tries to do too much. The combination with Tyson is still really, really good, but I think they're still finding out who they are. I don't think that's the case for, for Hoover & Co. On the other side. Like they, they can play pitch and catch, bro. They can spread it out, they can throw it. Obviously McAllister last week, you know, we talked about him in the, in the, in the recap. He had over 250. Like everything they threw to him was, was a long play, was a big time play. Even when they, he was hit as he was throwing the ball was still there like, and it still got to him, which is, which is absolutely stupid. So it's, I don't, I don't know what to expect from, from Arizona State. I know they find a way to win and I know Dillingham's a good coach. They've already lost their Mulligan, you know, which is a big deal. They need to continue to win. And now obviously, you know, in Big 12 play as you go along, this is, this is what really matters because the Mississippi State game means absolutely nothing.
Brent
I got a lot of points in this game. The over unders 55 and a half. I got Arizona State 38, TCU 34. Arizona State's DBs and corners playing better. Kendrick Prelove starting now.
Football Analyst
They gotta play really well.
Brent
Against Baylor they struggle starting to get a little better. Their TCU's defense I don't think is going to give much of resistance.
Football Analyst
Well, they haven't, they haven't given a lot of resistance all year and that's, that's, that's their only problem. But they're going to score with them. So I'm with you on that high scoring, but I'll take Arizona State. But I will say this about the Sun Devils love the Sun Devils love Dillingham. They're playing with fire too much, man. Like they've got to, they've got to get it clicking and they've got to put a game together. Where it's a full game, it's, it's a first half, it's a second half, it's an offense, it's a defense, it's special teams. Listen, Dillingham knows that that's what he's harping on. But I think they have the potential to still win the Big 12. I have no doubt about it because they've got a trump card in Levitt that can change any game at any moment with his ability. So like I just haven't seen it yet where I'm going. That's it. That, that's it. Like that's the team that, that I'm going to buy into and believe in.
Brent
The other Friday night game, the ultimate, I put in all caps ultimate trap game, Florida State at Virginia. Last I saw, Florida State's a 6 1/2 point favorite. Virginia is actually putting up points, playing.
Football Analyst
Yeah, I want you, I want you to tell me why it's the ultimate trap game.
Brent
Because what comes next week? The Hurricanes coming to Tallahassee next week and it's a Friday night, it's a 7 o' clock start on a Friday night. I think I saw where Virginia's wearing the uniforms maybe that they wore when they beat work done back in the day. The first time that Florida State lost in the ACC. Long time ago, mid-90s maybe. So yeah, big time trap game. How does that you looking at?
Football Analyst
I don't see it. I don't see the trap game.
Brent
I don't.
Football Analyst
I understand what you're saying. I just don't. I trust FSU and maybe I shouldn't because of last year, but I like there hasn't been any hiccup. Like there hasn't been a. Like there's not, there's not any. I'm not like Arizona State. We just talked about like I see a lot of yellow signs that I'm like caution, caution before I buy in. Florida State beat down Bama. Okay. You know, maybe the next two opponents that aren't as good, they'll struggle 143 to 413, 143 to 13. Like they haven't been competitive. You watch the defense. They got guys that can change the game. They can be in the backfield making life hard on you. You watch offensively, they know who they are. They know how to attack you rushing the football. They don't have to throw. Like someone's going to have to be able to force them to throw the football on a consistent level. And then when you throw the ball now you got to Stop Tommy from improving and doing Tommy things, which is an absolute pain in the arse. Like, absolute pain in the ass. So, like, I just, I don't think Virginia's got the personnel that can beat Florida State. I think the speed is too one sided. I know Virginia can score more points than they have, but I don't see.
Brent
The trap stopping them.
Football Analyst
I don't see. Sure. Maybe Virginia put some drives together and score some points. Can you get 40? Like, because Tommy and company are going to get 30. They're going to get five touchdowns.
Brent
I like FSU 41, Virginia 24.
Football Analyst
Yeah, I just, I don't think, I think Virginia's better. I don't think they're ready to get a shootout with FSU because FSU's got too many shooters.
Brent
That's a, that's a very good way of putting it. Like, like the. They aren't warriors with kd.
Football Analyst
Yes. Space them out.
Brent
That's too many shooters, too many guys. Another a noon game on Saturday. Next one, Notre Dame at Arkansas. Did you see Marcus Freeman? You know, I know we do podium kings on Wednesdays. Did you see Marcus. Marcus Freeman talking about his defense and the questions about his coordinator and freaking love comments.
Football Analyst
I freaking loved it. He, he is a dude, man. And that's why, that's why you believe in, in, in Notre Dame. And it's going to be different is because he just, what he. Basically what he said was like, listen, we ain't playing that game. Like, we're all on the same page. We're all in this together. I'm letting the players know that because I know how the media works. They're going to try to divide. They're going to try to do this. Here's the thing with Notre Dame, whether you like it or not, Notre Dame fans, I still see flashes of greatness. I still see, I still see flashes of really, really good defensively. There's too many problems, man. Like, there's just too many problems. And I think. Brent, I was worried about it in the. All I said last year, the number one offense and defensive coordinator was Ohio State in the country. The number two was playing on the other side. It was Notre Dame. And now Al Golden's not here anymore. He's in the NFL. And their past. Yeah, but their past defense should be good regardless. Like, and it isn't. Their defense is not. The pass rush is not good enough considering the secondary is. It's. They're not good enough across the board to, to shut people out, to lock people down, to play man to man, every snap like they could a year ago. Like they're not good enough to do that right now. But here's what I want to see. I still think Notre Dame's winning the football game. You do too, I guarantee you. But I want to see their defense, I want to see their defense play better. Their defense has been called out for a reason because I'm not used to seeing this either. Like, but, but I do think they're starting. Carr has shown me enough flashes where I think he can score. Love still got enough plays in the, in the, in the, in the. Love and Price are still. I don't care. They're still the best one, two punch in the country. Now they're not as much space as there used to be. Without Riley Leonard there's not. But I think Carr is going to start creating more space with the down the field passing attack to get some field people out of the box because I, from what I've seen from him, I think he's going to be really good. So I have Notre Dame now. You did look at me a little bit crazy when I said that. So please pull the trigger and pull the upset.
Brent
I got Arkansas 38, Notre Dame 34. I just, I think Pittman gets one one of these games against a bigger team at home that he has.
Football Analyst
Well, and you know he can Notre.
Brent
Dame's defense and you know they're going to score.
Football Analyst
They're going to score like he's Taylor Green. We, we talked about him before the season. Like this dude is a freak.
Brent
Elite take care of the football and they will score bunch of points.
Football Analyst
They will score, but they're not going to stop anybody. Yeah. Where are they playing this game?
Brent
Arkansas at Arkansas.
Football Analyst
That's, and that's, that's why you can, that's why you can feel good about it. But I would disagree. I'll take Notre Dame. They're going to find a way to get the dub.
Brent
Next one. Auburn coming off a tough loss at Texas A and M. These games are all, these games are so good. Coin flip. Just great football games.
Football Analyst
Home teams won the last four in this series last year. Auburn sprinted like, like, like Michael Phelps out the blocks last year, got up 21 to nothing and then pulled a. Find a way, found a way to lose like they did a lot last year. Like, like they did a lot. And so I think Auburn bouncing back now, like what's, what's, what's, what's the answer? I still like this team. I still think this team is really, really good. This is a good Texas A and M team. It's not a great defense yet. So Jackson Arnold has to be great because the other side, Brett, is there a better transfer in all of college football than Mario Craver?
Brent
Like, all right. Now leads all powerful receivers in yards despite playing one less game.
Football Analyst
He's played one less game and he already has more catches, yards and touchdowns than he had last season with Mississippi State. So there's a reason why the transfer portal and people want to go in it because it can change your career and your trajectory. You get great quarterback play and a great system that fits you. Bam. You take off and you leap and you take seven steps and he has absolutely done that. And so they've scored a bunch of points. This is at A and M. So I'll take A and M because I mean just the 12th man, the atmosphere. A and M had a bi week to get rested, rejuvenated. Like I think A and M is. Is in a position to do some damage, to take care of some business. I still think it's close. I think Auburn is. Is really, really good, but I don't think they can keep up on the scoreboard. I think the past defense was really good a week ago. They got to bring that this week. But I've got. I've got A and M. I do as well.
Brent
And look, watching rewatching Oklahoma, Auburn, I thought it in the moment, I sort of noted it, but then I rewatched it and then looked at the numbers. Do you mean design runs, design rushing yards that Jackson Arnold had against Oklahoma? 00.
Football Analyst
Yeah, I didn't, I didn't. I'm not surprised by that.
Brent
Why?
Football Analyst
Why?
Brent
I mean, Hugh Freeze. That's your offense. Run the QB, get back to run the quarterback.
Football Analyst
35 guys in the box every play. Did you watch that?
Brent
Yeah.
Football Analyst
Still do it read. Still do it. Yeah.
Brent
I mean, I just think it's part of them. It's part of their offense. It helps them.
Football Analyst
No, it helps them. But he's already going to get hit enough. Like you're trying to take hits off of somebody's body and help them last the season. But in a game like that, 4th and 11, he made the play with his feet. That goes down the field and takes the. And takes the takes, you know, take over the. They took the lead back and then they gave it right back to material with a broken thumb, but. Which is freaking amazing.
Brent
But I got A and M30, Auburn 24.
Football Analyst
Yeah, same boat, same exact score.
Brent
Next SEC game and then one more Big Ten game and then we're done. Tennessee at Miss State. Sneaky game. Now Mississippi State in terms of their past defense, which was one of the worst in the country a season ago, coverage limiting, explosives, getting interceptions, all massively improved in the top half of the power four. And they've got fluff. Is it both. Well, so great South Alabama transfer that is getting just more and more productive each week. They got Anthony Evans, that transfer from Georgia that's making plays for him. This is Tennessee's first road game, first true game.
Football Analyst
Yeah, they played Atlanta week one. I. I trust Tennessee. Tennessee is going to get healthier, which I think is a good thing. But I will say this like, the good thing for Tennessee is Mississippi State started good. So the likelihood of overlooking is not there. That, that. I know that sounds really stupid, but they do like you over. You watch teams and you watch the records and you're like, okay, 18 to 20, like, all right, they suck. They're owing to their own three. Like, maybe it was one possession games and they should have won. It doesn't matter. They're like, they suck. They're not going to have a chance to beat us. So I think that's a good thing. I don't think Mississippi State's offense has found greatness by any stretch. But can their defense keep a minute? Tennessee's so explosive, so explosive. And that's where you know they can make the big plays. But the cowbells are annoying as piss. They're in your ear the whole time. Like, you hear it on the broadcast the whole time. It makes a difference. It can swing a game. Can they get a few breaks? Can they get a tip? Can they get a fumble? Can they make something like that happen? You know, Mississippi State against Arizona State, they made enough plays, right? They stopped him inside the goal line on that last drive to force a field goal. Like, they're going to have to come up big, that defense, because this Tennessee offense, I think they're going to drop bombs on everybody. They play like you play, man to man. Brazil, bam. He's huge. He's 6 foot 4, 6 5. I think Williams is really good at receiver, too. Like, I think they got some dudes out wide that can win now.
Brent
I got Tennessee by three. I think this is a just grind it out a little bit back and forth, find a way in some make one more play, make one kick kind of game. And Tennessee escapes.
Football Analyst
Think Joey plays good too, and continues it.
Brent
I do because of how Hype was evolved and I think he's Joey's okay. Taking the short stuff. I don't think they're going to force the. Because Mississippi State plays very top down. Keep everything in top down.
Football Analyst
They play back. Yeah. They don't want to give up. They don't have great enough players. And they're not going to sit there and say like I'm going to get on an aisle and let you kick the piss out of me. That's why Arizona State ran the ball like 80,000 times in that football game. You're like, arizona State fans are like, why are we not throwing the football? It's because Mississippi State's going to take those two safeties deep and they're going to make you go the length of the field and bet. You know why they do that? Because they bet you're going to get a penalty. Their bet you're going to get a tfl get you off schedule and somehow get you off the field. It's smart, man. It's a smart way to play football, especially when you're not the most explosive team. Ride the home field advantage. Keep the game as close as possible. Mississippi State fans should be jacked with what they. What they've started with this season. They should be jacked out of their mind. And another big opportunity on Saturday.
Brent
I don't. I still think Tennessee. I'm going with the Volunteers.
Football Analyst
I got volunteers too.
Brent
Last one. Coach Sig trying not to allow complacency.
Football Analyst
Google me business.
Brent
And he. And he's at Iowa and he's said, oh, this is going to be a lot tougher game. So straightforward about that. And.
Football Analyst
And he's right.
Brent
Not wrong. He's not wrong. He's 100. Right. Because I was very physical. Their offensive line is as good as it gets.
Football Analyst
Their defense is facts.
Brent
That that's the part.
Football Analyst
Their defense has been a little bit Caliac.
Brent
Manus was not rolling in that Rutgers game last week and then finally they made a play here and there to get things on their side. But I was offensive line. You know, we talked about how much Indiana just completely obliterated Illinois's offensive line. I They're not going to do that to Iowa's offensive line but might help them. Is Gronowski. One of the things that PFF tracks is when the quarterback allows the pressure basically by holding onto the ball too long.
Football Analyst
You know, Jackson Arnold, I. E. Jackson Arnold versus Oklahoma.
Brent
He's I think 12th in the power board.
Football Analyst
Oh yeah. He's up there.
Brent
Number one. 50 of his pressures are on him. Almost Gronowski. Where it's just hanging them all Too long, you know, leaving the pocket when he doesn't have to. Things like that. That won't work well against Indiana. I got the Hoosiers by 10 at Iowa.
Football Analyst
Yeah. I think the one thing I'll say about Iowa that. That I like is I think they can do what they did against Iowa State. They can pound you. They can shorten the game. And Granowski might hold on to the football too long, but he's a big sucker. He ain't no little bitty dude. I mean, he's 6, 3, 6, 4, like, 225, 230, and they'll snap it to him and it's straight Wildcat. And I think this is one of those games where you're just like, all right, we're going to have to pound it. Because they're not good at receiver. They're not like, but. No, but Molten at running back is a really good player. Like, a really good player. He's a freshman. He's a young cat. But, like, he looks good, man. Like the 28. Like, watch 28, man. He. He's low to the ground. Typical back five, nine, like, 220. But, like, he just looks. He looks the part, man. He's just. He's going to. He's going to fall forward. He looks really, really good. And I think that's the. That's the one that can. Can that be the. Can that be the way you control the game? Can you control it with your offensive line, with your running back, with your QB running the football where you don't have to. You only have to make a couple of big plays. And I think Iowa with the pink locker room, if you don't know what that means, by the way, the visiting locker room is solid pink. I think it's fantastic. I love it. It's psychological war.
Brent
Middle school locker room, basically, I'm here for it.
Football Analyst
It's awful. It's a terrible locker room, and it's all pink. But I think the problem in this game is the speed of the Indiana receivers. Just like last week, they just got so many guys, and Mendoza's playing so freaking well. Like, they can beat you two ways now. Iowa's crowd is going to keep them in it, but their defense is just not what they were. But if they could find a way. They forced their first turnover. Turnover last week. That's not good enough, man. And a lot of times that will come in bunches. But the ball's coming out quickly. And you play zone coverage, which is good. Can you have eyeballs on there? And can you make plays. But I think the speed out wide is too big of a difference and I think they do keep it close. But Indiana scores too many points. And when I say too many points, like if you get over 24, Iowa, a lot of games are mathematically eliminated, so. And I think Indiana can get 30.
Brent
Yeah. All right. That's it. That's the picks for the week. That's a lot of games. So many great games.
Football Analyst
A lot of games.
Brent
Many great games.
Football Analyst
Be glued to your television like, like we are. But here's the good thing. If you're not, it's all good because all you got to do is come back Saturday night and watch us on YouTube and we'll recap every single game, all the observations. Because we literally sit on the couch and we multi box and if people talk to us in our family, we tell them to go away immediately or go make me a sandwich.
Brent
One of the.
Football Analyst
One of the two. But yeah, if you don't, guys just, just come back Saturday night, YouTube Sunday morning. We'll release it on the Apple podcast and all those other things. But appreciate you all joining us. Appreciate you all helping us grow. The like subscribe rate. You can give us a five star rating. That would be fantastic. That would be awesome. If you like the service, if you don't subscribe button. It's all good too. You can hit that one star if you want to pound away. But we appreciate you dudes and we will see you next time.
Episode: David Pollack's WEEK 5 CFB Picks: Alabama-Georgia, LSU-Ole Miss, Oregon-Penn State and More
Date: September 24, 2025
Host: David Pollack (with analyst Brent)
In this packed Week 5 episode, David Pollack and Brent break down the college football weekend’s marquee matchups, including LSU at Ole Miss, Alabama at Georgia, and Oregon at Penn State, plus rapid-fire analysis and predictions on eight other pivotal games. With classic Pollack energy and deep football insight, the two analyze teams’ strengths and weaknesses, make score predictions, debate coaching decisions, and provide a fan’s guide to one of the most competitive weekends of the season. This is must-listen material for fans who want actionable knowledge, storylines, and Pollack’s signature candor.
| Segment | Timestamp | |------------------------------------------------------ |------------| | Episode Football Preview & Philosophy | 02:10 | | LSU at Ole Miss Analysis & Picks | 03:04–09:19| | Alabama at Georgia Analysis & Picks | 09:19–19:06| | Oregon at Penn State Analysis & Picks | 19:36–23:40| | Rapid-fire “Chips and Dips” Games Start | 24:24 | | USC at Illinois | 25:01–27:19| | Ohio State at Washington | 28:04–35:39| | TCU at Arizona State | 35:39–39:19| | Florida State at Virginia | 39:19–41:39| | Notre Dame at Arkansas | 41:56–44:59| | Auburn at Texas A&M | 45:09–48:09| | Tennessee at Mississippi State | 48:11–51:46| | Indiana at Iowa | 51:47–55:29| | Final words, episode wrap-up | 55:29–end |
David and Brent deliver witty, passionate, and data-driven analysis, while keeping the tone loose and authentic. Their disagreements, especially over Penn State/Oregon and Notre Dame/Arkansas, make for entertaining and insightful listening, guided by their in-the-trenches football experience and honest opinions.
For fans wanting detailed breakdowns, confident picks, and inside-the-locker-room knowledge—all delivered with playful banter—this episode is a can’t-miss primer on Week 5’s college football showdowns.
Memorable Sign-Off:
"We literally sit on the couch and we multi-box and if people talk to us in our family, we tell them to go away immediately or go make me a sandwich." – David (55:57)