College football Week 5 schedule, Top 25 picks: Where experts see an edge

Week 5 of the college football schedule will be highlighted by several blockbuster games that will go a long way in helping shape the early conference championship race and some of the narratives around the national title picture for 2025.

Coming into the final week of September, college football teams are moving out of their cushy early schedule and getting into the meat and potatoes of the conference schedule, and several squads will be tested for the first time this coming Saturday.

Here is your early look at the initial odds and predictions for those most consequential games as an active Week 5 slate prepares to kick off in the coming days.

College football top 25 odds, picks on Week 5 schedule

Lines are courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook and are subject to change

USC at Illinois

Line: USC -7.5

USC is starting to look its usual self, undefeated through four games and coming off a nice win over Michigan State that improved its Big Ten record to 2-0 heading into a cross-country test against a tougher opponent, an Illinois side that was a top 10 team a week ago before getting plastered by Indiana.

LSU at Ole Miss

Line: Ole Miss -2.5

The past two games in the Magnolia Bowl rivalry have been pretty intense, with Ole Miss winning a 55-49 shootout in 2023 before LSU got revenge in an overtime 29-26 victory. The Rebels are playing well on both sides of the ball, while LSU’s offense is still a work in progress in this critical road SEC test.

Notre Dame at Arkansas

Line: Notre Dame -5.5

Sam Pittman has inched himself further into the hot seat after a 2-2 start that includes losses to Ole Miss and Memphis, but still features an offense led by dual-threat Taylen Green that should be able to put a scare into a Notre Dame defense that is surprisingly susceptible when defending the pass.

Auburn at Texas A&M

Line: Texas A&M -6.5

Auburn needs to figure out how to protect its quarterback after Jackson Arnold was sacked 10 times over the weekend in a close loss at Oklahoma, while Marcel Reed and the Aggies’ offense returns off a triumph at Notre Dame and looking very aggressive in what will be their SEC opener.

Ohio State at Washington

Line: Ohio State -8.5

Ohio State returns from its idle week with that win against Texas in its back pocket, but rookie quarterback Julian Sayin faces a real test on the road against a Huskies team that just smashed Wazzu in the Apple Cup and boasts one of college football’s most productive rushing attacks and is second in FBS averaging almost 62 points per game.

Oregon at Penn State

Line: Penn State -3.5

Oddsmakers are giving the Nittany Lions a slight home-field edge against a Ducks team that has demolished everything in its wake up to now, beating opponents by an average of 52 to 9. Dante Moore and Oregon will likely not be quite as successful against a Penn State defense allowing 5 points per game in this massive Big Ten faceoff.

Alabama at Georgia

Line: Georgia -3.5

Two SEC contenders who took last weekend off get some needed rest heading into this potential classic between the hedges. Georgia has a big win over Tennessee already in which quarterback Gunner Stockton appeared to come of age in the pocket, while Alabama is already at one loss and hasn’t really been tested since then. It will be here.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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