Michigan vs. Iowa D, a key Big 12 showdown, more we're watching in Week 5

By RJ Young and Laken Litman
FOX Sports College Football Writers

Will No. 4 Michigan be ready to take on perhaps its biggest challenge yet in Week 5?

That's one of the questions we'll be eager to see answered when the Wolverines take on Iowa (3-1) on "Big Noon Kickoff" on FOX.

But that's not all that's going on this weekend. Here's what we're looking forward to watching in some of the biggest matchups on Saturday.

What are you watching in Michigan at Iowa (noon ET; FOX and the FOX Sports app)?

Young: Start with this: Iowa gave up 42 points to Michigan in last year’s Big Ten Championship Game. Through four games this season, Iowa has given up just 23 points — a 66-year low.

And this time the game isn't at a stadium with the acoustics of a tin can (Lucas Oil Stadium) but in the rocking confines of Kinnick, where the fans are rowdy and unapologetically pro-Hawkeyes.

While much will be made of the battle between the nation’s No. 1 scoring defense (Iowa) and the nation’s No. 1 scoring offense (Michigan), this game will come down to quarterback play. If J.J. McCarthy can outplay Spencer Petras, the Wolverines ought to get the win.

But if Petras can prove to be someone he hasn’t all season — a threat to beat the defense with his arm — the Hawkeyes have more than enough talent on defense and special teams to record their sixth win against a top-five program at Kinnick since 2008.

As my favorite pro wrestling announcer says, this ought to be a good ol’ fashioned slobber knocker.

Litman: As RJ noted, this is a battle between the nation’s No. 1 scoring offense (Michigan) and No. 1 scoring defense (Iowa). Ever since Jim Harbaugh named McCarthy his starting quarterback, the Wolverines have been clicking and averaging 50 points per game — they’ve scored 200 through four games. Meanwhile, the Hawkeyes’ defense is allowing just 5.8 PPG — just 23 in four games. Over the weekend, Iowa beat Rutgers 27-10 and scored two defensive touchdowns, which was more points than either offense scored in that game.

Iowa had a pretty stingy defense last year, too, and Michigan beat the Hawkeyes 42-3 in the Big Ten Championship. While McCarthy and running back Blake Corum have been bright spots for an explosive offense, this is Michigan’s first road test of the year, and anything can happen at Kinnick Stadium.

What storylines are you watching in Kentucky at Ole Miss (noon ET)?

Young: This game features a ranked Kentucky and a ranked Ole Miss for the first time since 1958. It also features an Ole Miss squad that hasn’t lost at home in its last 12 games — its longest streak of that kind since 1964.

It’s no secret that Mark Stoops’ Wildcats want to run the ball and play stifling defense to secure a win. However, quarterback Will Levis has thrown for 300 yards or more in three of the Wildcats’ first four games, and he should benefit from the return of Chris Rodriguez, the SEC’s leading rusher last season.

After an uncomfortably close win against Tulsa last week, Ole Miss can’t afford to start slow against UK.

Litman: The last time Kentucky beat Ole Miss in Oxford was 1978. While that stat sounds a little wild for a pair of SEC rivals, it’s only because these two programs don’t meet that often. The Wildcats have only played the Rebels in their home stadium 10 times. This year, they meet as undefeated top-15 teams, and we’re about to find out which program is worthy of their ranking.

Rodriguez returns for Kentucky after being suspended. The SEC’s leading rusher last year will bolster a rushing attack that only mustered 103 yards in a win over Northern Illinois last week. This will be a good challenge for an Ole Miss defense that hasn’t been tested yet this season.

How about Oklahoma State at Baylor (3:30 p.m. ET; FOX and the FOX Sports app)?

Litman: Really looking forward to this Big 12 Championship rematch. No. 9 Oklahoma State is kind of this sneaky, silent top-10 team that nobody is talking about, and No. 16 Baylor quickly bounced back after being upset by BYU on the road in Week 2.

The Cowboys beat the Bears last year in Stillwater before losing a heartbreaker in the conference title rematch. OSU is coming off a bye week, while Baylor is coming off a solid road win over Iowa State in which quarterback Blake Shapen went 19-for-26 for 238 yards and three touchdowns on the road. 

This matchup will show us who’s the current top dog in the Big 12.

Young: The last time these two teams played, Spencer Sanders threw the ball to Baylor four times, and the Cowboys still came just six inches short of their first Big 12 Championship since 2011. If he plays clean football, I can see the Pokes pulling out a win against Dave Aranda’s Bears.

However, the Bears have been tested in ways the Pokes have not. Perhaps with scars from their two-overtime thriller of a defeat at Brigham Young, they’ll be better prepared to play a game that might be for first place in the Big 12 Championship this year. If the Bears can put together a win, chances are running back Richard Reese will have something to do with it.

Reese leads BU in rushing — 55 rushes, 315 yards (5.7 YPC) — and was ranked No. 710 overall in the country, No. 58 at running back, when he came out of Belleville, Texas. Whoever predicted he would be the guy to replace 1,600-yard rusher Abram Smith on their Bingo card, please tell me the winning numbers for the PowerBall this week.

What interests you most in Michigan State at Maryland (3:30 p.m. ET; FS1 and the FOX Sports app) 

Young: No one needs a win in the Big Ten East more than Mel Tucker’s Spartans. In their last two games, they were embarrassed on the road (Washington) and at home (Minnesota). Perhaps they can catch a Terps team that is still licking its wounds after losing by one possession to No. 4 Michigan last week. 

Litman: After starting the season as the No. 15 team in the country, Michigan State has struggled. The last two weeks, the Spartans have been crushed by Washington and Minnesota. Can they bounce back against a Maryland team that challenged Michigan last week, or is Mel Tucker’s team a lost cause this year?

How about Alabama at Arkansas (3:30 p.m. ET)?

Litman: Arkansas hasn’t beaten Alabama since Nick Saban arrived in Tuscaloosa. But you can bet Sam Pittman will have his team angry and ready to go after what Texas A&M did to the Hogs last week.

Meanwhile, the Crimson Tide have had an easy last two weeks following a gritty win over Texas in Week 2. Since their road trip to Austin, Bama has outscored Louisiana Monroe and Vanderbilt, 118-10.

Young: Death, taxes and Saban handing Arkansas an L is practically law in the state of Alabama. It’s not just that Alabama has won the 15 straight in the series, it’s that the Hawgs won by just one point in their last victory against the Tide, 24-23, in 2006.

Last year, though, Sam Pittman’s program put Saban on notice in a game that ended 42-35 in Fayetteville. After Texas nearly pulled off an upset against the Tide three weeks ago, Alabama might be ripe for a fall against a team that hasn’t beaten it since the invention of the iPhone.

What’s worth watching in West Virginia at Texas (7:30 p.m. ET; FS1 and the FOX Sports app)?

Young: When I looked at this matchup during the preseason, I did not think it would be between teams sitting at the bottom of the conference — alongside my Sooners — by Oct. 1. But here we are asking which team — WVU or Texas — begins its climb out of the cellar at the expense of the other?

Bijan Robinson carried a football around campus following his fumble against Texas Tech last Saturday that led to their second loss of the season — giving real ESU Darnell Jefferson vibes. I think that bodes well for the Longhorns, who need quarterback Quinn Ewers back in the worst way. 

Litman: The Big 12 may be up for grabs, but one thing we know for sure is that West Virginia is trending toward the bottom of the conference. After being upset by Texas Tech on the road in overtime last week — Robinson really wants that play back — how does Steve Sarkisian keep his team from getting down in the dumps? The Longhorns need a big, convincing win before facing Oklahoma the following week in the Red River Rivalry.

What are you looking for in N.C. State at Clemson (7:30 p.m. ET)?

Litman: Now the real test comes for N.C. State, which heads to Clemson undefeated. The Wolfpack have an opportunity here to carve up an uncharacteristically weaker Tigers’ defense, which allowed Wake Forest to score six touchdowns last week. But you can bet Dabo Swinney will have some of those glaring issues fixed, plus quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei is coming off his best performance, passing for 371 yards and five touchdowns in a tough conference win vs. the Demon Deacons. 

Young: It’s fun to look at the schedule and know that one game in particular matters for the fate of the entire conference. For the first time in years, that game features the Wolfpack walking into Death Valley looking to defeat Clemson. 

And it's not a stretch to say that the winner of this game will feel like the one best equipped to win the conference title in December. And as good as N.C. State has looked, the Wolfpack is catching Clemson as the offense is finding its form. 

This should be a fun game with lots of fireworks through the air — not unlike the last game Clemson played.

And finally, what catches your eye in Stanford at Oregon (11 p.m. ET; FS1 and the FOX Sports app)?

Young: Stanford hasn’t looked good, and injuries are an issue as running back E.J. Smith is out for the season ahead of this skirmish. However, Cardinal fans will be the first to note that Stanford came out of nowhere to beat the Ducks not long after the Ducks defeated eventual Rose Bowl champion Ohio State last year. Expect the unexpected in this game.

Litman: Oregon’s offense has looked more like itself the last few weeks. After only mustering a field goal in its season opener against Georgia — the Bulldogs won that game 49-3 — quarterback Bo Nix has been more productive. The Ducks won a tough Pac-12 road game against Washington State last week — Nix went 33-for-44 for 428 yards, three touchdowns and one interception — and should handle its next few opponents pretty easily. Oregon won’t face another ranked team until the second week of November, which will give Nix even more time to get into a consistent rhythm. 

Read more:

- Tiers for 18 CFP contenders, from Ohio State to Penn State, USC to UCLA

- Michigan-Iowa and more: Week 5 by the numbers

- Big Noon Kickoff: Everything to know about Michigan-Iowa

- Kentucky, Tennessee debut in Joel Klatt's top 10

- They're back? USC, Michigan, others show trickiness of a quick turnaround

Laken Litman covers college football, college basketball and soccer for FOX Sports. She previously covered college football, college basketball, the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team and the Olympics at Sports Illustrated, USA Today and The Indianapolis Star. Her first book, written in partnership with Rizzoli and Sports Illustrated and titled "Strong Like a Woman," was published in spring 2022 marking the 50th anniversary of Title IX.

RJ Young is a national college football writer and analyst for FOX Sports and the host of the podcast "The Number One College Football Show." Follow him on Twitter at @RJ_Young and subscribe to "The RJ Young Show" on YouTube.