2017 Week 5 college football players to watch

Georgia's outstanding defensive effort against Mississippi State was quite amazing. A big reason for it was Bulldogs DB Baker, who picked off a Nick Fitzgerald pass, defended two others and recorded seven tackles. Georgia held Fitzgerald to just 83 yards and a Mississippi State offense that had averaged 47.7 points per game to just three points. When the Bulldogs face a wounded Tennessee team this Saturday afternoon in the CBS game, expect the Vols to know where Baker is.

He's certainly no secret, but he's just so fun to watch. Possibly the best back in the nation (and a top 10 pick in the 2018 NFL Draft), Barkley has been sensational. Against Iowa last week, he ran for 211 yards and a TD and nabbed 12 receptions for 94 more yards. He can do it all. He gets to go home to Happy Valley to face the Indiana Hoosiers and could pull off another impressive game. At this point, we pretty much expect it. 

Tulsa has had some tough luck of late with its last two losses on field goals as time expired, but it hasn't been due to Brewer's effort. Brewer has rushed for 578 yards this season — third in the nation — and five TDs. The Golden Hurricane look to turn around the season in the team's first AAC game of the season this week against Navy. The Midshipmen lead the West Division with a 2-0 mark and present a great opportunity for Tulsa to get back on track.

Brinson is a special player. He holds a 4.06 GPA majoring in chemical engineering all while balancing life as a student, football player, track and field competitor, and his duties as a cadet. He isn't just a cadet who chose to play football; he had scholarship offers all over the country. He chose Army (over Stanford) and epitomizes what being a cadet is all about. He's also a tutor to the general student body. So if you catch Army's game this week against UTEP, you have someone to really root for.

Chubb was everywhere for the Wolfpack against Florida State. Two sacks, seven tackles and a forced fumble earned him ACC Defensive Player of the Week honors. Of course, most people will only remember him spitting on the FSU midfield in the middle of the game. He has since apologized for it, but he need not apologize for his play on the field. N.C. State looks like a contender in the ACC Atlantic Division and must continue to bring the heat against Syracuse Saturday.

We all know the big names Clemson has as it goes into Blacksburg to face Virginia Tech Saturday night. One name you may not know is freshman Travis Etienne, who ran for 113 yards and two TDs against Boston College last week. The Tigers have a loaded backfield by committee, but Etienne brings a big-play aspect to the team. Despite not getting an attempt in Clemson's win over Auburn in Week 2, the freshman is the top running back on the team in rushing yards for the season. He could be the secret weapon against the Hokies this week. 

Who leads the FBS in rushing touchdowns? Freeman does. The Quack Attack is back with Freeman's 10 rushing TDs. The senior has already passed his total from last year and looks like the runner from his freshman and junior seasons. He didn't have the exceptional game against Arizona State he typically has had this season and hopes to get back on track against a surprisingly game Cal this week.

We all know about Washington QB Jake Browning, but Myles Gaskin is getting it done as well. The junior running back has already run for 355 yards and five TDs this season, and he's also caught two TD passes. Browning and Gaskin combine for a lethal threat offensively that scares the Pac-12, and it should scare Oregon State on Saturday night. 

Jalen Hurts is the star QB and the Tide's leading rusher. Bo Scarbrough is the stud back from last year's SEC championship squad. Najee Harris is the exciting freshman. But Damien Harris has been old reliable. His six rushing touchdowns are nearly half of 'Bama's 13. He's scored a TD in each of Alabama's four games this season. His 8.1 yards per carry are even better than last year's 7.2 output. Last year, Harris was the Tide's leading rusher, but Scarbrough was the TD machine. This year, Harris is doing both.

Jackson and the Hokies are in a great spot. No. 2 Clemson heads to town this week for a Saturday night ACC showdown. A win there would put Tech as the team to beat in the conference. The Coastal Division is the weaker of the two ACC divisions, and the Atlantic is in a bit of a stagger. Jackson has completed 67 percent of his passes for 11 TDs and just one interception. He's playing smart and letting that tough defense (two shutouts and just 41 point allowed all season) do its thing. For the Hokies to upset Clemson, Jackson must continue to play solid. 

Auburn's offense finally got loose last week against Missouri. Midway through the second quarter of the Tigers' 51-14 victory over those other Tigers, Kerryon Johnson had rushed for four TDs. He went for a fifth at the beginning of the third quarter as well. Auburn had five players rush for at least 35 yards in that game and will need that kind of ball control effort if it wants to beat the offensively dynamite Mississippi State Bulldogs this week.

The Vols are struggling after barely dismissing UMass last week, so it's not really a good time to have No. 7 Georgia coming to Knoxville. If Tennessee is to pull of the upset and get back into the SEC East race, it needs to lean on Kelly. Kelly has been solid for the Volunteers all season — 450 yards rushing, six TDs, 18 receptions for 182 yards — and can calm the shaky offense down. The Bulldogs have a ton of offensive weapons, and feeding Kelly the ball would be a great way to keep those weapons off the field.

After his 263-yard rushing effort against UCLA last week, Love now leads the nation in rushing. He's been the man this year. Those yards aren't just due to bulk — he's averaging a whopping 10.8 yards per carry. He's an old-fashioned back who just runs the football; he's caught just two passes this season and only 25 passes in his three years at Stanford. The Cardinal faces Arizona State, who is coming off an upset of Oregon, this week.

Look, tough times are going on at 0-4 Baylor, but there are a few silver linings. Last week's surprisingly close loss to Oklahoma showed the nation receiver Denzel Mims. Mims caught 11 passes for 192 yards and three TDs, which doubled his stats in each category for the season. Due to his effort, Mims was added to the Biletnikoff Award watch list this week. Because of a light schedule for the Big 12 this week, Baylor's game at Kansas State will be on national TV.

I'm going to keep putting Penny in this spot until everyone realizes his talent. Last week at Air Force, he ran for 128 yards and three TDs. The 128 yards were actually his lowest performance of the season — that's how productive he has been. Penny trails only Stanford's Bryce Love in rushing this season. Up next is hosting Northern Illinois in quite an interesting non-conference tilt. 

Memphis will play at Central Florida this week, making up a game that was postponed due to Hurricane Irma. Hopefully UCF has done its homework on Tony Pollard. Pollard has returned two of his eight kickoff returns for TDs and is second in the nation in kick return average (44.9 yards). Pollard's TD return last week against Southern Illinois was a backbreaker as it gave the Tigers some breathing room in a tight game. 

UCLA has lost two straight games, but it hasn't been all Rosen's fault. In those losses to Memphis and Stanford, he has thrown for 943 yards and seven TDs, including a week-high 480 last week. However, he's thrown four interceptions with one returned for a pick-six. If the Bruins are to get back in the Pac-12 South race, he needs to stop turning the ball over. Up next: Colorado.

Shimonek has had a pretty big season thus far. A week after dominating Arizona State with 541 passing yards and six TDs, his Red Raiders went into Houston and ended the Cougars' 16-game home winning streak. Shimonek threw for 321 yards and two more TDs in the 27-24 win. This week, Tech gets to host Mason Rudolph and an angry Oklahoma State Cowboys team that just came off a loss to TCU. 

Sirk was outstanding last week against UConn, completing 30 of 39 passes and throwing for 426 yards and three TDs. This week Sirk's Pirates host No. 18 South Florida in Greenville, marking the second time in three weeks ECU has faced a ranked opponent. It didn't go well against Virginia Tech, so to turn it around Sirk needs to go toe-to-toe with All-ACC quarterback Quinton Flowers.

The Hawkeyes are usually a solid program, but they aren't always known for their athletic skill players. Wadley may change that as he's making Iowa fans harken back to the days of Shonn Greene with his running. Wadley was a 1,000-yard rusher last season, and his efforts in the passing game have improved. He has already gained 227 yards receiving (only 88 yards less than what he gained all last season), including a 70-yard TD score. Iowa will need the senior to continue his play as it heads to Michigan State for a key Big Ten battle.