Six college football programs under the most pressure in Week 5

Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Bret Bielema and quarterback Luke Altmyer (9) during the second half against the Western Michigan Broncos at Memorial Stadium. Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images | Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

Week 5 of the college football season brings the juiciest slate of games yet, with four matchups of ranked teams, including a heavyweight SEC showdown and one of the biggest games on the entire 2025 Big Ten schedule.

But it's a pivotal week for many other teams as well.

Pressure comes in different forms -- some need to win simply to keep their season on track, while others need to prove they're up to the standard of their lofty ranking and projected potential.

Here are the six college football teams under the most pressure in Week 5.

1. Illinois

The Fighting Illini were a top-10-ranked team a week ago, but an embarrassing 63-10 loss to Indiana dropped Illinois to No. 23 in the AP poll and called into question whether it ever deserved to be ranked so highly in the first place.

Now, the Illini face a red-hot No. 21 USC team off to a 4-0 start that ranks third nationally in total offense (583.8 yards per game) and fifth in scoring (52.5 points per game). Illinois is a 6.5-point underdog at home and needs to find some answers on both sides of the ball immediately, or else the most anticipated season for the program in quite some time could come undone in September.

2. LSU

Tigers Head Coach Brian Kelly, LSU Tigers take on the Southeastern Louisiana. Sept 20, 2025; Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA; at Tiger Stadium. | SCOTT CLAUSE / USATODAY Network / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The No. 4 Tigers are 4-0 with wins over Clemson and Florida, yet they seem like the most vulnerable of any top-5 team. Coach Brian Kelly has already gone viral for getting into it with a reporter in the season's opening weeks.

So this sets up as a real opportunity for LSU to prove itself -- or reveal itself -- as it visits No. 13 Ole Miss (4-0) on Saturday as 1.5-point underdogs.

The Tigers have been held to 23 points or fewer in three of their four games so far, as quarterback Garrett Nussmeier has tumbled way down the odds list in the Heisman race. LSU will need to look a lot better offensively against a Rebels team averaging 44.8 points per game.

3. Alabama

Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Kalen DeBoer paces the sidelines during the third quarter against the Louisiana Monroe Warhawks at Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Credit: David Leong-Imagn Images | David Leong-Imagn Images

Second-year Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer has gotten off to a rocky start with a fan base not inclined to patience, losing four games last season and dropping the 2025 opener to Florida State by two touchdowns.

Wins over Louisiana-Monroe and a free-falling Wisconsin team have only placated DeBoer's critics so much. Now, No. 17 Alabama (2-1) takes on No. 5 Georgia (3-0) in Athens as a 2.5-point underdog.

DeBoer's Crimson Tide beat then-No. 2 Georgia last year in Tuscaloosa (before losing to Vanderbilt the next week and starting to unravel). Fair or not, how things go Saturday will have a major impact on how the Tide faithful feel about their head coach.

4. Penn State

Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin talks with quarterback Drew Allar (15) during the first quarter against the Nevada Wolf Pack at Beaver Stadium. Credit: Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

No. 3-ranked Penn State (3-0) hosting No. 6 Oregon (4-0) in a 7:30 p.m. ET White Out game in Happy Valley is as good as it gets for a September college football matchup, and there is pressure on both teams, of course.

But especially for Penn State and coach James Franklin, who, for all of his success over the years and stature as one of the best coaches in college football, nonetheless has a reputation for stumbling in big games. He's 4-20 against top-10 teams with the Nittany Lions.

It's usually Ohio State and Michigan standing in the way of Penn State's ultimate goals, but in its second season in the Big Ten, Oregon has emerged as one of the conference's true powers.

A win for Franklin and the Nittany Lions on Saturday night would help shift that narrative slightly and also help balance the scales if they come up short against Ohio State again later in the season. A loss, meanwhile, as 3.5-point favorites at home, would further fuel the perception that Penn State can't get over the hump from very good to great.

5. Tennessee

Tennessee quarterback Joey Aguilar (6) celebrates a successful drive during the NCAA college football game against UAB on September 20, 2025, in Knoxville, Tennessee. | Angelina Alcantar/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

No. 15 Tennessee seems kind of low in the rankings for a 3-1 team that was a missed field goal at the end of regulation away from beating No. 5 Georgia.

That could be because the Vols' most notable win so far is over Syracuse. When the schedules were set, Week 5 didn't seem like an especially notable one for Tennessee, but with Mississippi State off to a surprising 4-0 start with a win over a 2024 College Football Playoff team in Arizona State, this suddenly looks like a big matchup for the Vols as they go on the road to Starkville, Mississippi, as 7.5-point favorites.

The voters have shown they're not sold on Tennessee yet -- this is a game the Vols absolutely need to win to stay in the SEC championship race conversation.

6. Notre Dame

Notre Dame Fighting Irish running back Jeremiyah Love (4) celebrates scoring against the Purdue Boilermakers in the second half at Notre Dame Stadium. Credit: Michael Caterina-Imagn Images | Michael Caterina-Imagn Images

Notre Dame is 1-2 with its only win coming against Purdue, yet the Fighting Irish have clung to a spot in the rankings at No. 22. To say its margin for error is slim would be an understatement.

Notre Dame is on the road at Arkansas (2-2) on Saturday, and while the Razorbacks are considered one of the SEC's elite, they are a capable team that played Ole Miss to within six points on the road and let a big lead slip away last week against Memphis in a narrow one-point loss.

Arkansas is 15th nationally in scoring at 43.5 points per game, and Notre Dame's defense hasn't lived up to its elite standards so far. The Irish are just 4.5-point favorites in this one, and a loss would really back the team into a corner the rest of the way in a season of major expectations after reaching the CFP championship game last January.