College Football Odds Week 5: Picks, Predictions and Spread for Top 25 Teams

As college football enters the final weekend of September, it is becoming more apparent which teams are for real, giving the Top 25 polls a little more legitimacy.

It should also be easier to identify and pick favorable spreads before each week, and Week 5 offers some intriguing matchups on that front. Not only are there potential wins for games featuring two Top 25 squads, but some big teams should also be on alert against unranked foes.

The odds below represent the consensus spreads, according to OddsShark.com. Rankings are according to the most recent AP Top 25 poll.

Top 25 matchups, odds

Louisiana-Lafayette at No. 1 Alabama (-48.5)

Tennessee at Georgia (-31.5)

Syracuse at No. 3 Clemson (-25)

No. 4 Ohio State (-3.5) at No. 9 Penn State

Mississippi at No. 5 LSU (-11)

Baylor at No. 6 Oklahoma (-23.5)

No. 7 Stanford at No. 8 Notre Dame (-5.5)

Southern Miss at No. 10 Auburn (-27)

No. 20 BYU at No. 11 Washington (-17.5)

No. 12 West Virginia (-3.5) at No. 25 Texas Tech

Pittsburgh at No. 13 UCF (-13.5)

No. 14 Michigan (-14) at Northwestern

North Carolina at No. 16 Miami (-18)

South Carolina at No. 17 Kentucky (-1.5)

No. 18 Texas (-8.5) at Kansas State

No. 19 Oregon (-2.5) at No. 24 California

Central Michigan at No. 21 Michigan State (-28.5)

Virginia Tech at No. 22 Duke (-5)

Florida at No. 23 Mississippi State (-7.5)

Believe in BYU

Washington is 3-1 and ranked No. 11 in the nation. BYU has the same record with a No. 20 ranking, yet the Huskies are somehow favored by more than two touchdowns. Why the huge spread?

Oddsmakers are seemingly knocking down BYU for a 21-18 loss to a now-ranked California in Week 2, but far too much credit is being given to the Huskies here.

Washington has yet to beat an FBS team by the margin it is favored by against BYU, and they only held a 24-3 lead over North Dakota before exploding for 21 points in the fourth quarter. Defensively, the Huskies are clearly an excellent unit that ranks fourth nationally with 12.8 points allowed per game. On offense, it is not such a sure thing.

Jake Browning seems to still carry the reputation of an orchestrator of an explosive offense, but that has not been the case in the back half of his career. Since losing John Ross during Browning's explosive 43-touchdown sophomore season, he has just 26 touchdowns and nine picks in 17 games. It is the running game behind Myles Gaskin that has been the driving force of the offense.

Ted S. Warren/Associated Press

More of the same should be expected this season, where Washington is averaging 23 points per game against FBS opponents.

BYU's scoring margin has been within five points in its games against FBS teams, and that includes a win on the road at Wisconsin. The Cougars play sound defense that ranks 32nd in points allowed per game while tying for 12th nationally in turnover margin per game.

BYU is tough to blow out, and Washington does not seem to have the offense to get that done. Expect the Huskies to pitch a defensive gem of their own and likely win the game, but don't bet on it being by more than 17 points.

Orange crush

Clemson undoubtedly circled its matchup with Syracuse on the calendar during the preseason. Last year's upset loss did not end up costing the Tigers a playoff spot or even a No. 1 seed, but it did prevent Clemson from being the only Power 5 school to finish the regular season undefeated.

This time around, these two teams will meet in Death Valley. And once again, Clemson's quarterback situation, specifically Kelly Bryant, is the top storyline entering the contest.

Bryant was knocked out of the game last year in the first half with a concussion, leaving Zerrick Cooper to throw for just 88 yards the rest of the night before Syracuse won 27-24.

This time around, Bryant is making waves for announcing his transfer intentions after true freshman Trevor Lawrence was named the Tigers' starter this week.

So not only does Clemson have to deal with the distraction of the much-publicized departure of a quarterback who started the team's last 18 games, but it must also deal with a tough 4-0 Syracuse team on the field.

After roasting Clemson last season for 278 yards and three touchdowns through the air in addition to 61 yards rushing, Eric Dungey is back and ripping it up for Syracuse.

Despite getting knocked out of the Orange's Week 3 game against Florida State, Dungey sports a 62.4 completion percentage along with 763 yards, nine touchdowns and a pick. On the ground, he has 354 yards and four touchdowns.

Adrian Kraus/Associated Press

Syracuse, ranked 10th nationally in total offense, can obviously put up points. Making matters more difficult for Clemson is its last performance against a quality dual-threat quarterback in Texas A&M's Kellen Mond, who threw for 430 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for 33 yards.

The likelihood of Syracuse holding up through four quarters against Clemson's ridiculous defensive line and a talented quarterback like Lawrence is not high. However, given the Tigers' tumultuous week and the strength of Syracuse's offense, the Orange are definitely worth the risk to cover with the over three-touchdown cushion they are getting.

Winning the game on the road will be a monumental task, but Syracuse should be able to keep it close enough.

Mississippi State history likes Starkville

Perhaps no team in college football should be as excited to go back home as Mississippi State.

The Bulldogs took a hard fall in their quest to compete for an SEC West title, taking a 28-7 beating on the road to Kentucky. Now, Mississippi State must win its other divisional crossover to keep its other conference championship hopes alive, and the team is in a great setting to do so.

Mississippi State plays hosts to Florida and former coach Dan Mullen on Saturday night. While David Wade Stadium is already one of the more hostile environments in college football, it should be even more rowdy with Mullen on the other sideline after he left the program for the Gators this offseason.

Jim Lytle/Associated Press

That's good news for the Bulldogs. They are 8-3 straight up and against the spread in their last eleven home games and 23-5 against the spread at home over their last 28 games, per OddsShark.com.

On the contrary, Florida has struggled on the road in recent years. In fact, the Gators have not won back-to-back road games since 2015. They are 3-10 against the spread in their last 13 games following a successful cover the week before, per OddsShark.com.

So the historical figures back up Mississippi State in this matchup, but are the Bulldogs game to come through?

Led by Nick Fitzgerald, the team is experienced and deserves the benefit of the doubt for right now with its one loss coming in tough conditions on the road to a hot team. The Bulldogs rolled in their first three games, notching a blowout road win at Kansas State while averaging 50 points offensively and conceding just 26.

Florida is in the opposite situation, having played only one road game against an awful Tennessee team. The Gators were also decisively beaten by Kentucky, although at home.

Mullen's team has not had any strong showings against quality competition, and there is still much uncertainty surrounding the legitimacy of quarterback Feleipe Franks.

Thus, there is nothing in this matchup to force the dismissal of each program's recent history in this type of game. Go with what has worked for Mississippi State, and expect it to defend home turf and win by at least 10 points.

Statistics are courtesy of NCAA.com.