4. Which injury has/will have the biggest impact this season?
Haney: This is a different take on the question, but I think Jeff Driskel going down could be something that winds up benefiting Florida. Tyler Murphy has an ease to him that Driskel never could seem to attain, as much as his coaching staff believed he would. It's in only limited action that we have seen Murphy play, but he might be what the Gators offense needed (to go along with an outstanding defense). Florida isn't cooked in the SEC East without Driskel.
Weidl: I'm interested to see how severe Oregon RB De'Anthony Thomas' ankle injury is. Reports are that it's a high-ankle sprain, which can be a nagging injury and could hamper his quickness and elusiveness -- his primary strengths. The Ducks are about to enter the heart of their schedule, with Washington, UCLA and Stanford looming, and will need Thomas' versatility and big-play ability to get through unblemished.
Joyner: Coming into the season, there were reasons to believe that Nelson Agholor could ostensibly replace Robert Woods. However, there is no receiver in college football capable of replacing Marqise Lee. If his knee injury keeps him out a while -- and it should be noted that he's downplayed the severity so far -- it will hamstring an offense that only recently found some of its scoring footing.
Carter: Jeff Driskel's season-ending injury will have the biggest impact in college football this season. His injury changes the dynamic within the Gators squad tremendously -- but possibly for the better. This team still has Urban Meyer's thumbprint on it. Specifically, Florida is built to run the spread offense from a structural, schematic and recruiting standpoint. It possesses more speed than most teams at the skill positions and has the offensive line to block well in space. In my opinion, the Gators are not designed to downhill run, and even with Driskel didn't have the traditional QB to efficiently read coverage and deliver the football. Now, however, Florida has gone back to spread-concept runs and simple plays that take advantage of speed matchups that favor their superior athletes.
5. Which team should be on upset alert heading into Week 6?
Haney: Ohio State fans barked at me last week for saying I thought Wisconsin had a chance, so I'm sure they won't appreciate me saying I think the Buckeyes should be very careful this week against Northwestern. It's the Wildcats' Super Bowl, with OSU -- and "College GameDay" -- coming to town. They had a week to get healthy, and Pat Fitzgerald told me in July that his team has the talent to compete with anyone in the league. This would certainly be a chance to prove it. I think OSU will have to sweat.
Weidl: Stanford, Ohio State and Arizona State all face tough challenges but I'm going to go off the radar with Miami hosting Georgia Tech. Canes QB Stephen Morris is battling an ankle injury and hasn't been able to finish the past two contests. Miami has exceeded expectations on defense but will have to play with great discipline this week against the Yellow Jackets' triple-option attack. It should also be noted that Georgia Tech will have had two extra days of preparation after playing Thursday night last week.
Joyner: No. 17 Baylor had better not take unranked West Virginia lightly. Dana Holgorsen has a long history of building top-notch passing offenses and it looks like he's found that mojo again with Clint Trickett under center. These teams had a 70-63 shootout last year won by the Mountaineers, and it would not be a surprise to see another high-scoring, back-and-forth tilt this Saturday.
Carter: Clemson should be on high alert this weekend as it squares off versus Syracuse. This is the Orange's first year playing in the ACC, and they are looking to make their mark against every conference opponent on the slate. However, it's not because of Syracuse that there's such a concern heading into Week 6; history has shown on more than one occasion that Clemson has been known to derail itself, often shooting down its conference or national title hopes by losing to a less-than-worthy opponent.
Haney: This is a different take on the question, but I think Jeff Driskel going down could be something that winds up benefiting Florida. Tyler Murphy has an ease to him that Driskel never could seem to attain, as much as his coaching staff believed he would. It's in only limited action that we have seen Murphy play, but he might be what the Gators offense needed (to go along with an outstanding defense). Florida isn't cooked in the SEC East without Driskel.
Weidl: I'm interested to see how severe Oregon RB De'Anthony Thomas' ankle injury is. Reports are that it's a high-ankle sprain, which can be a nagging injury and could hamper his quickness and elusiveness -- his primary strengths. The Ducks are about to enter the heart of their schedule, with Washington, UCLA and Stanford looming, and will need Thomas' versatility and big-play ability to get through unblemished.
Joyner: Coming into the season, there were reasons to believe that Nelson Agholor could ostensibly replace Robert Woods. However, there is no receiver in college football capable of replacing Marqise Lee. If his knee injury keeps him out a while -- and it should be noted that he's downplayed the severity so far -- it will hamstring an offense that only recently found some of its scoring footing.
Carter: Jeff Driskel's season-ending injury will have the biggest impact in college football this season. His injury changes the dynamic within the Gators squad tremendously -- but possibly for the better. This team still has Urban Meyer's thumbprint on it. Specifically, Florida is built to run the spread offense from a structural, schematic and recruiting standpoint. It possesses more speed than most teams at the skill positions and has the offensive line to block well in space. In my opinion, the Gators are not designed to downhill run, and even with Driskel didn't have the traditional QB to efficiently read coverage and deliver the football. Now, however, Florida has gone back to spread-concept runs and simple plays that take advantage of speed matchups that favor their superior athletes.
5. Which team should be on upset alert heading into Week 6?
Haney: Ohio State fans barked at me last week for saying I thought Wisconsin had a chance, so I'm sure they won't appreciate me saying I think the Buckeyes should be very careful this week against Northwestern. It's the Wildcats' Super Bowl, with OSU -- and "College GameDay" -- coming to town. They had a week to get healthy, and Pat Fitzgerald told me in July that his team has the talent to compete with anyone in the league. This would certainly be a chance to prove it. I think OSU will have to sweat.
Weidl: Stanford, Ohio State and Arizona State all face tough challenges but I'm going to go off the radar with Miami hosting Georgia Tech. Canes QB Stephen Morris is battling an ankle injury and hasn't been able to finish the past two contests. Miami has exceeded expectations on defense but will have to play with great discipline this week against the Yellow Jackets' triple-option attack. It should also be noted that Georgia Tech will have had two extra days of preparation after playing Thursday night last week.
Joyner: No. 17 Baylor had better not take unranked West Virginia lightly. Dana Holgorsen has a long history of building top-notch passing offenses and it looks like he's found that mojo again with Clint Trickett under center. These teams had a 70-63 shootout last year won by the Mountaineers, and it would not be a surprise to see another high-scoring, back-and-forth tilt this Saturday.
Carter: Clemson should be on high alert this weekend as it squares off versus Syracuse. This is the Orange's first year playing in the ACC, and they are looking to make their mark against every conference opponent on the slate. However, it's not because of Syracuse that there's such a concern heading into Week 6; history has shown on more than one occasion that Clemson has been known to derail itself, often shooting down its conference or national title hopes by losing to a less-than-worthy opponent.
