College Football Picks Week 5: Predictions and Odds for Top 25 Schedule
The most important week of the college football season to date is upon us.
Five games in Week 5 feature a pair of ranked foes, with two of the contests pitting teams in the top 10 against each other.
The Saturday night games will change the complexion of the AP Top 25, and they will give us an idea of who will be in contention for the College Football Playoff from the Big Ten and Pac-12.
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Week 5 should be as straightforward as they come for the top teams taking on unranked opponents, as the majority of the ranked teams in those contests play at home.
Week 5 Schedule and Odds
All Times ET.
Thursday, September 27
North Carolina at No. 16 Miami (-20) (8 p.m., ESPN)
Saturday September 29
Louisiana at No. 1 Alabama (-50) (Noon, SEC Network)
Syracuse at No. 3 Clemson (-20) (Noon, ABC)
No. 12 West Virginia (-6) at No. 25 Texas Tech (Noon, ESPN2)
Central Michigan at No. 21 Michigan State (-27) (Noon, FS1)
Tennessee at No. 2 Georgia (3:30 p.m., CBS)
Baylor at No. 6 Oklahoma (-27) (3:30 p.m., ABC)
Pittsburgh at No. 13 UCF (-15.5) (3:30 p.m., ESPNU)
No. 18 Texas (-8.5) at Kansas State (3:30 p.m., FS1)
Southern Miss at No. 10 Auburn (-30.5) (4 p.m., SEC Network)
No. 14 Michigan (-9) at Northwestern (4:30 p.m., Fox)
Florida at No. 23 Mississippi State (-8) (6 p.m., ESPN)
Virginia Tech at No. 22 Duke (-3) (7 p.m., ESPN2)
No. 4 Ohio State (-3) at No. 9 Penn State (7:30 p.m., ABC)
No. 7 Stanford at No. 8 Notre Dame (-3) (7:30 p.m., NBC)
South Carolina (-1) at No. 17 Kentucky (7:30 p.m., SEC Network)
No. 20 BYU at No. 11 Washington (-17) (8:30 p.m., Fox)
Ole Miss at No. 5 LSU (-13.5) (9 p.m., ESPN)
No. 19 Oregon (-2.5) at No. 24 California (10:30 p.m., FS1)
Odds obtained from OddsShark.
Predictions
Penn State 37, Ohio State 34
The first, and potentially most important, major showdown in the loaded Big Ten East occurs at Beaver Stadium Saturday night.
No. 4 Ohio State and No. 9 Penn State are the conference's best candidates for the College Football Playoff at the moment, and if the Nittany Lions win, they should end up in the top five as early as Sunday.
Quarterback play will dominate the previews of this top-10 clash, and rightfully so, as Dwayne Haskins and Trace McSorley are two of the best at their position in the nation.
Haskins ranks 10th in the FBS in passing yards, and he's second to Hawaii's Cole McDonald in passing touchdowns.
Through four games, four different Ohio State receivers have 10 or more receptions, and the Buckeyes have a quartet over 200 receiving yards.
McSorley doesn't have the numbers like Haskins, but he's been able to spread the ball around in the passing game as well, as five Penn State players eclipsed 100 receiving yards in the first four contests.
While each quarterback will be vital to his team's success, the running backs on both rosters could be the X-factors.
Ohio State possesses a pair of quality backs in J.K. Dobbins and Mike Weber, while Miles Sanders has been able to star in the void left by Saquon Barkley.
Expect Saturday's Big Ten clash to be a one-score game throughout, but look for Sanders and McSorley, who combined for 292 rushing yards against Illinois, to help the Nittany Lions pull away at the decisive point of the fourth quarter.
Stanford 27, Notre Dame 17
No. 7 Stanford rolls into Notre Dame Stadium Saturday with two victories over ranked opposition.
A third win against a Top 25 program would catapult the Cardinal right into the College Football Playoff discussion, and conversely it would shoot Notre Dame down the rankings.
Stanford's experience showed in Week 4, as it fought hard to come back and defeat Oregon 38-31 at Autzen Stadium.
In the come-from-behind victory, the Cardinal scored 31 of their 38 points in the second half and overtime.
While running back Bryce Love usually receives all the attention, quarterback K.J. Costello is turning into a reliable option as well, as he threw for 327 yards and three touchdowns against Oregon.
No. 8 Notre Dame is in a different predicament at quarterback, as Ian Book made his first start in the 56-27 win over Wake Forest Saturday.
There's no doubt Book impressed in his first collegiate start, but he embarks on a tougher test in Week 5 against a Stanford team full of experience.
Stanford won at Notre Dame two years ago behind a 129-yard rushing performance from Love, who is due for a breakout game to establish his Heisman Trophy candidacy.
Costello will achieve success in the first half through the air, but Love will be called upon to close out the game for Stanford as Book struggles in his first start against a ranked foe.
Other Predictions
Miami 37, North Carolina 3
Alabama 61, Louisiana 10
Clemson 26, Syracuse 23
West Virginia 37, Texas Tech 34
Michigan State 45, Central Michigan 10
Georgia 47, Tennessee 10
Oklahoma 63, Baylor 17
UCF 28, Pittsburgh 17
Texas 31, Kansas State 27
Auburn 45, Southern Miss 10
Michigan 26, Northwestern 16
Mississippi State 38, Florida 19
Virginia Tech 21, Duke 16
Kentucky 31, South Carolina 14
Washington 48, BYU 21
LSU 16, Ole Miss 9
Oregon 41, California 17
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.
Statistics obtained from ESPN.com.
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