2020 College Football Week 5 ATS Picks: Tide Will Roll Over Aggies

• Week 5 of the college football season gets underway on Friday, October 2nd
• Alabama vs Texas A&M and Georgia vs Auburn are among the marquee matchups this weekend
• Read below for ATS picks for Week 5 of the college football season

The college football season heads into its fifth week on Friday, October. 2, and there are some big games on the slate. Alabama will look to keep the momentum from their season opener rolling against Texas A&M, while Auburn and Georgia clash in Athens.

In the Big 12, Sam Ehlinger and the Longhorns will go for a third consecutive win when they face Max Duggan and the Horned Frogs.

Here are my three favorites ATS picks for Week 5.

Texas A&M vs Alabama Odds

All odds taken Oct. 1st at DraftKings

Pick #1: Tide Will Roll Over Aggies

There was plenty to like about Alabama in their season-opening win over Missouri. QB Mac Jones looked very comfortable throwing for 249 yards and two touchdowns, while senior and dark horse Heisman odds candidate Najee Harris was a force in the backfield with 98 rushing yards and three scores.

Najee Harris' career at Alabama

Touches: 424
Fumbles: 0 pic.twitter.com/DaT2NrPQlU

— PFF College (@PFF_College) September 26, 2020

There wasn’t much for the Aggies to build on in their 17-12 season-opening victory over lowly Vanderbilt. Texas A&M entered the game as 30-point favorites, yet they could never take control against the Commodores and were burned by a plethora of errors. Senior QB Kellen Mond fumbled twice in the win and looked nowhere near good enough to beat a Alabama team that is superior at basically every position.

I don’t doubt that the Aggies will be much better in Week 5 and put up some points on this Alabama secondary, but they simply don’t have the defense to stop all the offensive weapons the Tide possess. Jaylen Waddle was a major problem in Week 4, and Alabama’s run game is going to have a field day.

This line opened with Alabama being -13 favorites, and was quickly bet up by the public. Don’t feel you missed out by the line jump; there’s still plenty of value while the Tide remain within a three-touchdown favorite.

Pick: Alabama -17 (-110)

Auburn vs Georgia Odds

Pick #2: Auburn Will Eat Up Georgia Offense

I think USC transfer JT Daniels has the chance to do great things at Georgia. I’m not sold on it coming to fruition in Game 1 of his Bulldogs career, however.

Daniels has finally been cleared for contact following a season-ending knee injury in 2019, but it’s no guarantee he’s at 100 percent. There’s plenty of uncertainty about Georgia’s QB situation after redshirt freshman D’Wan Mathis struggled in Week 4, leading to Stetson Bennett coming off the bench.

UGA transfer QB JT Daniels has been cleared to play and will be available for this Saturday's game against Auburn.

Daniels was the starter at USC in 2019. pic.twitter.com/uGqyP9Gr9U

— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) September 28, 2020

Auburn’s Bo Nix may not be the most talented QB in the conference, but he has a full season as an SEC starter under his belt and looked very comfortable in the second half against Kentucky. Georgia once again has an elite defense, but Nix has some very talented targets he can throw to in wide receivers Seth Williams, Anthony Schwartz, and Eli Stove.

I wouldn’t be surprised if Auburn pulls off the upset, so taking the points here is a no-brainer. With Georgia breaking in a new QB and implementing a new offense under Todd Monken, trust the chemistry that has been built at Auburn between head coach Gus Malzahn and Nix. The Bulldogs will need a few games to get this offense up to speed, and the Tigers have the weapons to capitalize.

Pick: Auburn -6.5 (-118)

TCU vs Texas Odds

Pick #3: TCU Keeps It Close Against Texas 

As great as the Longhorns offense has looked through two games of the 2020 season, there’s one key stat to keep in mind for this Week 5 matchup in Austin. The Horned Frogs are 6-2 against Texas since beginning Big 12 play in 2012, including owning a dominant 3-1 record at Texas Memorial Stadium.

There’s reason to think the Horned Frogs will at least cover the spread on Saturday when you observe how the Texas secondary looked in Week 4 against Texas Tech. Red Raiders QB Alan Bowman threw for 325 yards and five touchdowns against the Longhorns defense and had his team up by 15 points with less than three minutes to go. I’m not confident all all in this defensive group under new coordinator Chris Ash.

TCU put up a strong fight against Iowa State in their season opener (37-34 loss) and they should be more comfortable in game two, especially against a Texas team they’ve had success against in the past. QB Max Duggan looked impressive against the Cyclones, throwing for 241 yards and three touchdowns. His dual-threat ability is a major asset and one of the reasons the Horned Frogs pulled off the upset in his freshmen campaign.

Sam Ehlinger should lead Texas to another win, but TCU has proven time-and-time again that they can stick with the Big 12 powerhouses. Take the points with the Horned Frogs.

Pick: TCU +12 (-113)