College Football Picks Week 5: Top 25 Odds, Box Score Predictions, Rankings, Schedule
September 23, 2024College Football Picks Week 5: Top 25 Odds, Box Score Predictions, Rankings, Schedule
Week 5 of the college football season is about one game and one game only.
The Georgia Bulldogs visit the Alabama Crimson Tide in the first seismic contest of the year in the SEC.
Georgia and Alabama have been the gold standard in the conference for the last few years, and the winner of Saturday's matchup in Tuscaloosa could leave the field as the clear favorite to win the SEC.
The last time we saw Georgia it barely escaped an upset bid from the Kentucky Wildcats in Week 3. That was UGA's one bad performance of the season, but if any of that showing lingers into Saturday, it could be in trouble.
Alabama comes into the showdown on a high after a blowout win over the Wisconsin Badgers. The Crimson Tide have more to prove in Week 5, because it will be their first massive game of the Kalen DeBoer era.
A handful of other games carry importance in their respective conferences in Week 5, but none of them will garner the national spotlight quite like Georgia-Alabama.
Week 5 Top 25 Schedule and Odds
Friday, September 27
Virginia Tech at No. 7 Miami (-17) (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)
Saturday, September 28
Kentucky at No. 6 Ole Miss (-17.5) (Noon ET, ABC)
Minnesota at No. 12 Michigan (-10) (Noon ET, Fox)
No. 20 Oklahoma State at No. 23 Kansas State (-5.5) (Noon ET, ESPN)
No. 22 BYU (+2.5) at Baylor (Noon ET, FS1)
Wisconsin at No. 13 USC (-14) (3:30 p.m. ET, CBS)
No. 15 Louisville at No. 16 Notre Dame (-5) (3:30 p.m. ET, Peacock)
Arkansas vs. No. 24 Texas A&M (-4.5) (3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)
No. 21 Oklahoma (-2.5) at Auburn (3:40 p.m. ET, ABC)
Mississippi State at No. 1 Texas (-38.5) (4:15 p.m. ET, SEC Network)
No. 3 Ohio State (-25) at Michigan State (7 p.m. ET, Peacock)
Stanford at No. 17 Clemson (-21.5) (7 p.m. ET, ESPN)
No. 18 Iowa State (-12) at Houston (7 p.m. ET, FS1)
No. 2 Georgia (-2) at No. 4 Alabama (7:30 p.m. ET, ABC)
No. 19 Illinois at No. 9 Penn State (-17.5) (7:30 p.m. ET, NBC)
South Alabama at No. 14 LSU (-20.5) (7:45 p.m. ET, SEC Network)
Washington State at No. 25 Boise State (-7) (10 p.m. ET, FS1)
Arizona at No. 10 Utah (-12) (10:15 p.m. ET, ESPN)
No. 8 Oregon (-24.5) at UCLA (10:30 p.m. ET, Fox)
No. 2 Georgia (-2) at No. 4 Alabama
Georgia received its wake-up call two weeks ago in Lexington in a one-point win over Kentucky.
The Bulldogs typically have not played back-to-back sluggish games in the Kirby Smart era, so there should not be concern about a repeat performance in Tuscaloosa.
If anything, the slender Week 3 win should serve as motivation for the Bulldogs to play better on the national stage against one of their potential College Football Playoff rivals.
Alabama has not experienced many problems in the early part of the DeBoer era. Jalen Milroe looks strong in the pocket and the defense has only allowed 26 points over three games.
UGA's defense has been equally as dominant, as it allowed 18 points over three contests. it held its first two opponents to a field goal and Kentucky scored 12 points on it.
Under 49.5 seems like the best bet for the game given how strong the two defenses have played.
While UGA is the higher-ranked team, Bama has been the dominant side in the rivalry with five wins in the six meetings since 2018.
The game may come down to the final possession because of how strong both defenses are. The deciding factor could be quarterback play, where UGA has a slight edge with Carson Beck.
No. 19 Illinois (+17.5) at No. 9 Penn State
The Illinois Fighting Illini put everyone on notice on Friday with their road win over the Nebraska Cornhuskers.
No one gave Bret Bielema's side a chance in Lincoln, and the same situation is likely in play in State College on Saturday night.
Penn State eclipsed the 700-yard mark on offense in its Week 4 blowout win over the Kent State Golden Flashes.
James Franklin's side very rarely loses night games in Happy Valley, and while it should come out victorious, covering the 17.5-point spread may be a challenge.
Illinois has only allowed one opponent to score over 20 points and its offense went over 30 points in three of four games.
Luke Altmyer comes into Saturday with two more touchdown passes than Penn State's Drew Allar. He is competent enough to lead a few scoring drives inside Beaver Stadium.
Penn State's defense is strong as well, and it has more overall playmakers on offense, so a win is likely, but Illinois can certainly stick within two possessions.
No. 15 Louisville at No. 16 Notre Dame (-5)
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are back to playing at the level we expected them to be at all season.
Notre Dame walloped the Purdue Boilermakers and Miami (Ohio) RedHawks in the two games following its stunning loss to the Northern Illinois Huskies.
The loss to NIU woke up Marcus Freeman's team and it resulted in two wins by a combined score of 94-10.
Notre Dame's defense has been incredible over the last two weeks, and that should be the difference-maker against the Louisville Cardinals on Saturday.
Louisville is the toughest offense the Irish have faced this season, but Saturday serves as the Cardinals' first true road test in 2024.
A year ago, the Cardinals had mixed results in three road games. They barely beat the NC State Wolfpack, were upset by the Pittsburgh Panthers and then beat the Miami Hurricanes.
The Cardinals need to be more consistent on the road in big games under Jeff Brohm to be considered a factor in the ACC, especially with five of the next seven games away from home.
Notre Dame has begun to hit its stride, and if it wins convincingly on Saturday, it could sneak further back into the CFB Playoff conversation.
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