Week 5 of the 2024 college football season has finally arrived as the schedule continues to fly by just as quickly as it began. Saturday’s slate of games will feature several highly anticipated ranked-on-ranked matchups, with No. 2 Georgia vs. No. 4 Alabama serving as the headliner, in what could ultimately prove to be a highly consequential game for both teams.
With this being the last weekend of September, the early College Football Playoff picture is beginning to take shape, though the real action for most teams will occur in October and the coming months down the stretch.
Here’s a look into three games to keep an eye on with Week 5 on the horizon:
1. No. 2 Georgia at No. 4 Alabama
This game is going to serve as a major measuring stick for both teams, and the outcome could tell us a lot about how the rest of the season could shake out in the Southeastern Conference. One of the biggest storylines to watch will be the quarterback matchup between Georgia’s Carson Beck and Alabama’s Jalen Milroe, as both have a chance at finishing out the season the best at their position, depending upon the performance in this game and the rest of the schedule.
Beck has completed 68.3% of his passes this season for 680 yards and seven touchdowns, while Milroe has connected on 67.3% of his attempts for 590 yards and eight touchdowns.
Jalen Milroe
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— GoatHouseBama (@GoatHouseBama) September 25, 2024
The clash forecasts as one that will come down to the wire with a chance of a largely defensive battle in the fourth quarter. Winning the turnover battle and avoiding self-inflicted wounds will be critical in a potential nail-biter. First-half sputtering has, at times, been an issue for these teams and will be critical to avoid here, especially for Georgia, which was not able to get things rolling in the narrow 13-12 victory over Kentucky. It was also the same when the Bulldogs started slow in the season opener against Clemson. Georgia will be without standout offensive lineman Tate Ratledge — one of its most key players in keeping Beck upright.
Alabama’s scoring offense remains one of the best in the country with an average of 49 points per game. It wouldn’t be surprising to watch that take a tumble, though, as Georgia heads in with one of the best defenses in the country. The Bulldogs have not allowed a touchdown in three games.
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2. No. 19 Illinois at No. 9 Penn State
Illinois could be considered an under-the-radar team as the Fighting Illini have quietly opened the season undefeated at 3-0, but they have not played any legitimate competition. Bret Bielema’s team will have the chance to show that it is a real force to be reckoned with as it heads to Happy Valley against the best overall opponent it has gone up against this year.
At the same time, Penn State has looked suspect at some points, particularly in the near-upset by Bowling Green, and also seeks its first notable win of the season outside of the Nittany Lions’ 34-12 victory over West Virginia at the beginning of the season.
Illinois will hope that recent history repeats itself, considering the last time these two teams met in 2021, the Fighting Illini pulled an overtime upset with a 20-18 win over a then No. 7-ranked Penn State team. They come into this game as major underdogs, so a win here would have a similar effect in a hostile environment.
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3. No. 15 Louisville at No. 16 Notre Dame
The Fighting Irish have completely flipped the script and left the upset loss to Northern Illinois in the dust, and they’ll look to stay on that track as Louisville pays a visit to South Bend. The Cardinals have been on a roll this season, currently undefeated as they come off of a big 31-19 victory over Georgia Tech. Louisville’s offense has been impressive to this point, averaging 47.3 points per game as one of the nation’s best in that category.
But that could take a blow as the Cardinals face, by far, their toughest defensive opponent of the season with Notre Dame. They boast a stout defense that has allowed an average of just 135.5 passing yards and 9.8 points per game.
From a quarterback perspective, Notre Dame’s Riley Leonard comes off of a strong performance he was in need of after some of the heat he continued to catch from the NIU loss. Leonard was 16-for-25 passing with 154 yards and one touchdown in the 28-3 win over Miami (Ohio). He also rushed for 154 yards with one score on the ground. Louisville’s Tyler Shough was 13-for-19 passing for 269 yards and two touchdowns in the win over Georgia Tech.
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