College football viewing guide Week 5: Stanford and Washington on Friday? YES PLEASE

College football kicks off the month of October this week, and Week 5 proffers much to be excited about. No. 7 Stanford travels to No. 10 Washington for a battle of Pac-12 supremacy, and IT’S ON FRIDAY NIGHT (8 p.m. CT, ESPN and WatchESPN).

Washington’s defense is pretty damn legit this year. The Huskies have allowed just 58 points in four games and they’re holding opponents to 4.32 yards per play. Stanford, on the other hand, boasts one of the best offensive production machines in the country, led by one Christian McCaffery, who’s perhaps the most versatile player in college football at the moment.

Last week’s Friday night appointment viewing featured Utah steamrolling its way down the field on the game’s final drive to put USC to bed, and as Steven Godfrey pointed out on this week’s Podcast Ain’t Played Nobody, the Pac-12’s on-field football product is as compelling as any other conference in the country. It’s just that the Pac-12’s on-field football product gets rowdy and raucous long after much of the country has drunk itself into Sunday morning.

What we’re trying to say here is that STANFORD AND WASHINGTON ABOUT TO GET LIT.

Here’s Jason Kirk’s full watchability grid for Week 5. Let’s take a gander at some other interesting football happenings as Memphis comes to Oxford Saturday.

No. 14 Miami at Georgia Tech | No. 23 Florida at Vanderbilt

11 a.m. CT, ESPN2 (live streaming at WatchESPN) | SEC Network (live streaming at WatchESPN)

Georgia Tech on nine days of rest? Mark Richt — in new digs — against his former in-state rival? Hurricanes ranked? All of this could provide a perfect storm of UPSET ALERT before your fried chicken platter has even arrived.

Keep your eyes on the SEC Network, though, because Florida has to travel back to north-central Tennessee for the second week in a row. This game will go one of two ways: Vanderbilt will hang around just long enough to keep the fourth quarter interesting, or Jim McElwain grows so fed up with making this damn trip AGAIN that he burns the Tennessee statehouse to the ground. HOT STOVE.

No. 8 Wisconsin at No. 4 Michigan

2:30 p.m. CT, ABC (live streaming at WatchESPN)

Give this one a look for at least the first half. If Jim Harbaugh is gnawing off Bucky the Badger’s face by halftime, then fine, change the channel. But the specter of rageface Harbaugh is too tempting to pass up, so let it ride.

HONORABLE MENTIONS IN THIS TIMESLOT: No. 11 Tennessee at No. 25 Georgia — because watching the Bulldogs get their hearts ripped out twice back-to-back will be hilarious — and No. 9 Texas A&M at South Carolina — because A&M is the most threatening team left of Ole Miss’ schedule, and Trevor Knight ran roughshod over Arkansas last Saturday in Jerryworld; know thy enemy.

Missouri at LSU

6:30 p.m. CT, SEC Network (WatchESPN)

After losing at Auburn and then losing their coach, the Tigers are currently in free fall. Can Ed Orgeron’s large adult arms catch them before all hell breaks loose? Who knows how this one’ll go, but buckle in for the under.

No. 3 Louisville at No. 5 Clemson

7 p.m. CT, ABC (live streaming at WatchESPN)

Just your good old fashioned top five ACC shootout, as you’ve always wanted. Have fun out there, Dabo Swinney.

Arizona at UCLA

9:30 p.m. CT, ESPN (live streaming at WatchESPN)

Beginning this week, and running until the end of the season, the late Pac-12 game will be listed on our viewing guide. Every one of the 9:30 kickoffs this year has been bonkers insane, with significant swings in leads, momentum, and general grip on reality. It’s like watching Greek comedy AND tragedy AND Con Air all at once. Be there. We will.

Full Friday and Saturday schedule