Who will win in college football this week? The college football schedule this weekend features plenty of great games, including ranked versus ranked matchups. So, we’ve got Week 5 college football predictions for every ranked game, including the must-see SEC duel between the Georgia Bulldogs vs Alabama Crimson Tide. Let’s immediately dive into our college football predictions for Week 5.
No. 7 Miami Hurricanes 34, Virginia Tech Hokies 20
The Virginia Tech Hokies are 0-2 against Power 4 teams (Vanderbilt and Rutgers) this season, being outscored 60-40. Taking on Cam Ward and the Miami Hurricanes, it’s safe to assume this will be a very long Friday night for the Hokies. Cam Ward is the best QB in college football right now and he’ll continue his Heisman campaign in Week 5 with 300-plus yards and 3 touchdowns in another dominant victory for The U.
No. 6 Ole Miss Rebels 31, Kentucky Wildcats 17
After beating up on bad teams for the first month, the Ole Miss Rebels finally begin their SEC schedule. Granted, the Kentucky Wildcats aren’t exactly thriving right now. Saturday will likely end Ole Miss’ streak of four consecutive games with 40-plus points, but Jaxson Dart should do more than enough for Lane Kiffin and Co. to walk out with a comfortable home victory that will add the first bit of legitimacy to the Rebels’ undefeated record.
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No. 12 Michigan Wolverines 31, Minnesota Golden Gophers 20
The Michigan Wolverines got back to their identity in a much-needed win over the USC Trojans last week. Now, they face a Minnesota Gophers football team that just allowed 272 rushing yards and 4 touchdowns in a 31-14 home loss to the Iowa Hawkeyes. Safe to say we know what Michigan’s game plan will be in Week 5. Expect another dominant performance from Wolverines’ running back Kalel Mullings, one of the breakout college football stars in 2024.
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No. 23 Kansas State Wildcats 30, No. 20 Oklahoma State Cowboys 24
The Oklahoma State Cowboys run defense has been abysmal this season, ranking 104th in the nation by allowing 199 rushing yards per game entering Week 5. That’s not great news heading into Saturday’s matchup against DJ Giddens – 417 rushing yards and 6.1 yards per carry – especially with Kansas State Wildcats quarterback Avery Johnson – 261 rushing yards in four games – also a dangerous rushing threat. Oklahoma State might be able to keep it close, but quarterback Alan Bowman’s interception woes might be what allows K-State to put this one away.
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No. 20 BYU Cougars 20, Baylor Bears 17
The BYU Cougars are coming off one of the most dominant performances of the season by a previously unranked team against a ranked opponent. BYU’s defense erased the Kansas State Wildcats a week ago, with VYU’s defense and special teams each scoring more touchdowns than Kansas State’s offense. Baylor has been excellent defensively this season, allowing just 4.3 yards per play (24th in the nation) but BYU (3.9 yards per play allowed) has been even better. We’ll take the Cougars in a close one, though, they are 3.5-point underdogs to Baylor.
No. 13 USC Trojans 28, Wisconsin Badgers 13
The USC Trojans lost a heartbreaker in Ann Arbor to the Michigan Wolverines, but they made it close despite a lot of things going wrong. Things should be just a little easier on Saturday against the Wisconsin Badgers. Entering Week 5, Wisconsin’s defense ranks 91st nationally in yards per play allowed (6.0) and the Badgers’ offense ranks 113th in yards per play (4.3). USC’s defense is the best this program has had in years and Miller Moss is playing like an NFL quarterback. Expect the Trojans to rebound big in this one.
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No. 15 Louisville Cardinals 24, No. 16 Notre Dame Fighting Irish 21
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are in must-win territory heading into Week 5. Fortunately, they have the edge that comes from home-field advantage in front of a raucous environment. Our focus on this game is Notre Dame’s run game vs the Louisville Cardinals defense. Entering play on Saturday, Lousiville ranks 32nd nationally in yards per carry allowed (3.3) and is 36th in rushing yards per game allowed (114.0). If Lousiville can contain Notre Dame’s ground game, that will force Riley Leonard to pass and based on the results this season – 1-2 TD-INT ratio and a 63.1% completion rate – that could spell trouble for the Fighting Irish.
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No. 21 Oklahoma Sooners 23, Auburn Tigers 13
The Oklahoma Sooners probably aren’t going to win many games in the SEC this season. Fortunately, they face the Auburn Tigers in Week 5. Auburn is only a 2.5-point underdog at home, despite the Tigers offense ranking 76th in scoring (24.3 PPG). Oklahoma’s defense did suffer some injuries against Tennessee, but this is still the strength of this team right now. We’d count on Brent Venables to have this defense prepared to neutralize a lethargic Auburn offense, generating a takeaway and putting this thing away with the Sooners’ ground game.
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Arkansas Razorbacks 27, No. 24 Texas A&M Aggies 21
We’re not exactly sure why Texas A&M is ranked right now. They lost the season opener to Notre Dame, who went lost to Northern Illinois, and just recently barely hung on against Bowling Green. Now they take on a 3-1 Arkansas Razorbacks program. Bobby Petrino is orchestrating a Razorbacks offense that runs the ball 54 percent of the time (fifth-highest in college football) and Texas A&M is 66th nationally in yards per carry allowed (4.1). We’re giving the edge to Arkansas here, in what would technically be considered an upset.
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No. 1 Texas Longhorns 41, Mississippi State Bulldogs 13
The Texas Longhorns kick off their SEC schedule against the current doormat of the conference. Needless to say, there’s not a single reason for Steve Sarkisian to rush Quinn Ewers back, Week 5 can be the Arch Manning show. Facing a Mississippi State defense that is allowing 38.7 points per game, Manning and this Longhorns offense should have a very fun Saturday afternoon at home.
No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes 35, Michigan State Spartans 14
In the first season under head coach Jonathan Smith, the Michigan State Spartans have nearly won as many games in September (three) as they did all of last season (four). Unfortunately for the Spartans, they are running into the buzzsaw that is the Ohio State Buckeyes in Week 5. Speaking of running, the Spartans defense is allowing 123.3 rushing yards per game (47th) and 3.1 yards per carry (19th) this season. Expect those numbers to take a hit against Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson.
No. 17 Clemson Tigers 38, Stanford Cardinal 17
After a brutal showing against the Georgia Bulldogs in the season opener, the Clemson Tigers have outscored their last opponents 125-55 in the last two games. Points might be a little harder to come by on Saturday night, but that just means Cade Klubnik and Co. probably won’t crack the 50-point barrier. Still, the Tigers should win this one running away and this could provide a much-needed spark for a Clemson defense that has been underperforming as of late.
No. 18 Iowa State Cyclones 27, Houston Cougars 13
Iowa State Cyclones sophomore quarterback Rocco Becht is playing pretty well right now and he already stepped up in the comeback win over Iowa. Now, Iowa State hits the road against a Houston Cougars team that is averaging just 13 points per game thanks to an offense that cannot even average 300 total yards per contest. Expecting a relatively low-scoring game, with Iowa State in control for all four quarters on its way to a 4-0 start.
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No. 4 Alabama Crimson Tide 27, No. 2 Georgia Bulldogs 24
The Georgia Bulldogs vs Alabama Crimson Tide is easily the best game in Week 5. While the importance of this game is diminished slightly with the expansion of the College Football Playoff, the stakes are still high enough. Both teams are coming off the bye week, providing a little more of an even playing field in terms of game preparation. However, home-field advantage for the Crimson Tide and Jalen Milroe outplaying Carson Beck right now pushes this slightly in Alabama’s favor. We are predicting it will come down to the final drive, with Milroe setting up a game-winning field goal. If the Bulldogs pull off the win, though, there should be no doubt who is the No. 1 team in the nation.
No. 9 Penn State Nittany Lions 20, No. 19 Illinois Fighting Illini 13
We will always be hesitant to pick a James Franklin-led team to win against a ranked opponent. After all, Franklin is 12-26 against ranked opponents in his career. The line for this game – Penn State -17.5 – also feels a bit disrespectful to the Illinois Fighting Illini. With that said, Drew Allar – 90.3 ESPN QBR (5th in FBS) – is playing great football right now and we won’t pick against the Penn State Nittany Lions at home. Just don’t count on this being a blowout nor will it be a scoring fest.
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No. 25 Boise State Broncos 38, Washington State Cougars 35
Our hope is that the Boise State Broncos limited Ashton Jeanty’s touches last week (11) to unleash him in Week 5. This would be a fantastic opportunity for Jeanty to be unleashed against a Washington State Cougars defense that allows 4.9 yards per carry (96th) and 130 rushing yards per game (54th). Those numbers are music to the ears of an All-American caliber running back who is averaging 10.5 yards per carry this season on 56 attempts. While this nighttime game isn’t receiving a ton of national attention, the points should be a plenty.
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No. 10 Utah Utes 21, Arizona Wildcats 13
The status of quarterback Cam Rising is still uncertain for Week 5, with the velocity on his throws likely to determine his status. In his absence, Utah Utes freshman quarterback Isaac Wilson is 2-0 as the starter with wins over Utah State and Oklahoma State. We expect Zach Wilson’s younger brother to also struggle in this one, but the Utes defense (17.3 PPG allowed) and running back Micah Bernard (456 rushing yards) should pave the way to another victory if Rising can’t go. If Rising starts, we’ll bump the score prediction to Utah 28, Arizona 13.
No. 8 Oregon Ducks 45, UCLA Bruins 10
Unless you’re a fan or family member of the Oregon Ducks, it’s hard to think of a reason for anyone on the East Coast to watch this 11:00 PM EDT kickoff. Oregon is only a 24-point favorite at home, which might have something to do with how close UCLA played LSU. That game might’ve been a bigger indictment on Brian Kelly and the Tigers. As for this matchup, Oregon’s defense shouldn’t have much trouble stopping an offense that ranks 126th nationally in scoring (15.3 PPG) and is 102nd in scoring defense (29.7 PPG). We’ll take the ducks in a blowout.
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