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SALT LAKE CITY — Utah and BYU are on a bye week, but that doesn't mean Pick'em takes one, too. We've got Utah State vs. Colorado State and four other major matchups to make predictions for this week.
Make your picks here.
No. 12 Oklahoma (5-0) vs. No. 3 Texas (5-0)
Saturday, Oct. 7 at 10 a.m. MDT (ABC)
A Red River Rivalry between two 5-0 teams looking to prove their undefeated starts are no fluke.
Why Oklahoma will win: The 15 touchdowns from Dillion Gabriel and 510 yards of offense per game will get the spotlight, but it might be the Sooners' defense that represents their biggest advantage.
Oklahoma has held all of its opponents to 20 points or less, and three of those scored 11 or less. The strength of schedule disparity between the Sooners and Longhorns so far is real, but any ability to hold Texas under its 36-point average will prove useful.
Why Texas will win: You'd be hard-pressed to find a more consistently impressive team in college football through five weeks than the Longhorns.
After taking down Alabama in Week 2, Texas has outscored its last three opponents 109-30, including a dominant 40-14 win over No. 24 Kansas last week.
Line: Texas -6.5
Over/under: 60.5
No. 13 Washington State (4-0) at UCLA (3-1)
Saturday, Oct. 7 at 1 p.m. MDT (Pac-12 Network)
The Cougars' breakout campaign continues with a trip to Pasadena.
Why Washington State will win: The Cougars got a bye week after the de facto Pac-2 championship win over Oregon State and now looks to start a revenge tour against those abandoning the Pac-12 Conference.
Quarterback Cam Ward has 1,390 passing yards, 13 touchdowns and no interceptions so far, and the Cougars are blazing through teams with 533 yards of offense on average.
Why UCLA will win: The Bruins are also coming off a bye week after losing to Utah 14-7 two weeks ago.
The offense could use a jumpstart after managing just one score against the Utes, but the defense might be able to slow down the cardiac Cougars with no more than 14 points allowed to an opponent so far this season.
Line: UCLA -3.5
Over/under: 59
No. 10 Notre Dame (5-1) at No. 25 Louisville (5-0)
Saturday, Oct. 7 at 5:30 p.m. MDT (ABC)
The Irish are looking to hand the Cardinals their first loss of the season.
Why Notre Dame will win: The Irish met their match against the Ohio State Buckeyes two weeks ago but got back into rhythm with a 21-14 win at Duke last week.
Sam Hartman has yet to throw an interception with 1,458 yards and 14 touchdowns on the season and Audric Estime remains a powerhouse on the ground with 672 rushing yards and seven scores.
Why Louisville will win: Quarterback Jack Plummer will have to make sure he doesn't turn the ball over with six interceptions already this season, but he has plenty of help.
Running back Jawhar Jordan has 510 yards and six touchdowns, and wide receiver Jamari Thrash has 444 yards in the air with five scores already.
Line: Notre Dame -6.5
Over/under: 54
Colorado State (2-2) at Utah State (2-3)
Saturday, Oct. 7 at 6 p.m. MDT
The Aggies return home after narrowly escaping with a win in Connecticut last week.
Why Colorado State will win: The Rams got back to .500 last week with a 41-20 win over Utah Tech after starting the season with a pair of losses to Pac-12 teams — one of which was a 43-35 overtime loss to Coach Prime and the Colorado Buffaloes.
Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi has been slinging it liberally early in the season, with 1,360 passing yards, 11 touchdowns and seven interceptions. His favorite target, Tory Horton, has 540 receiving yards and six touchdowns already.
Why Utah State will win: The quarterback position remains a point of instability with new starter and true freshman McCae Hillstead questionable after leaving last week's game with an injury.
Former starter Cooper Legas was able to get the 34-33 win at UConn that saw Jalen Royals emerge as another formidable receiver opposite Terrell Vaughn. The two have combined for 11 touchdowns in five games.
Line: Colorado State -1.5
Over/under: 64
No. 24 Fresno State (5-0) at Wyoming (4-1)
Saturday, Oct. 7 at 6 p.m. MDT (FOX)
Fresno's undefeated season meets a major test in Laramie.
Why Fresno State will win: The strength of schedule does not help the Bulldogs' case. They needed double overtime to beat Eastern Washington in Week 2, but you don't get to 5-0 on sheer luck.
Quarterback Mikey Keene has thrown 14 touchdowns on 1,474 yards with four interceptions, and the Bulldog defense has held its last three opponents to 10 points or less, including a 29-0 shutout of Arizona State.
Why Wyoming will win: The Cowboys have played a somewhat favorable schedule, as well, with four out of five games at home. The one road game was a 31-10 loss at then fourth-ranked Texas.
Wyoming has its work cut out for it to get an upset win in front of the home fans: limit turnovers, win the line of scrimmage and make some plays on special teams and defense.
Line: Fresno State -6.0
Over/under: 46
Don't forget to make your picks here.
