10 Best College Football Games to Watch in Week 5: TV Schedule & Odds
By Brady Trettenero in College Football
Published:
- Alabama at Mississippi State is the only Week 5 game between two unbeaten SEC teams
- Iowa hosts Ohio State at 4-0 after winning at Michigan on the final play
- See the Week 5 college football TV schedule, odds and ten games worth watching
The best college football games to watch in Week 5 start Friday night, well before Alabama and Ohio State face ranked opponents on the road Saturday. I’ve picked ten matchups worth making room for on your screen.
Three ranked matchups headline the weekend, two unbeaten ACC teams meet under the lights Friday, and the Little Brown Jug gets played for the 100th time. Even the games with fat spreads have something worth sticking around for.
Here’s the TV schedule for the ten I’d have on, plus where the college football odds sit on each one. Two go Friday, Oct. 2, and eight go Saturday, Oct. 3.
10 Best Week 5 College Football Games to Watch: TV Schedule
Odds as of September 30. Saturday’s lines are from BetMGM, with Friday’s two games priced at DraftKings (Pittsburgh at Virginia Tech) and FanDuel (Penn State at Northwestern). Numbers move all week, so it pays to compare the best college football betting apps before kickoff.
1. Alabama at Mississippi State
Kickoff: Noon ET
TV: ABC
Spread: Alabama -6
Total: 60.5
Two 4-0 SEC teams at noon on ABC. That’s the easiest sell on the whole weekend.
Keelon Russell threw for 365 yards and four touchdowns in Alabama’s 49-18 win over South Carolina. Mississippi State earned this spot by beating Missouri 31-24. Both teams arrive unbeaten, and Russell has another chance to strengthen his place in the Heisman odds conversation.
Six points is a slim gap for a team scoring like the Tide, and the 60.5 total is the highest on my list. Starkville should be rocking early.
2. Ohio State at Iowa
Kickoff: 3:30 pm ET
TV: CBS
Spread: Ohio State -14
Total: 45.5
Iowa is 4-0 and coming off a 20-19 win at Michigan that ended on the final play of a 91-yard drive, all while getting outgained 429-285.
Ohio State is 3-1 after a 42-19 win over Illinois. The Ohio State vs Iowa odds make the Buckeyes two-touchdown favorites with a total of 45.5. That sets up a clear contrast between Ohio State’s scoring power and Iowa’s ability to keep a game close.
Don’t skip it because of the spread. Iowa just found a way to win in Ann Arbor, and now gets this test at Kinnick Stadium.
3. Florida at Missouri
Kickoff: 3:30 pm ET
TV: ABC
Spread: Florida -5
Total: 56.5
Florida jumped 13 spots in the poll after taking apart then-No. 4 Ole Miss 52-28. The Gators piled up 498 total yards, 302 of them on the ground.
Missouri fell to 3-1 with a 31-24 loss at Mississippi State. This is where we find out if Florida’s breakout travels.
Five points on the road with a 56.5 total points to a fast, close afternoon between two ranked teams.
4. Pittsburgh at Virginia Tech
Kickoff: 7 pm ET
TV: ESPN
Spread: Virginia Tech -3.5
Total: 54.5
Somebody’s perfect start ends Friday night. Pitt and Virginia Tech are both 4-0 with a chance to take an early step forward in the ACC race.
Mason Heintschel threw for 403 yards and six touchdowns in a 59-0 win over Bucknell, part of a program-record 574 passing yards. The Panthers also took 16 penalties for 165 yards in that game.
Virginia Tech erased a 14-6 fourth-quarter deficit to win 21-14 at Boston College. The Hokies are only laying 3.5, so this has the makings of another tense fourth quarter.
5. Penn State at Northwestern
Kickoff: 8 pm ET
TV: FOX
Spread: Penn State -2.5
Total: 45.5
Northwestern opens the rebuilt Ryan Field, 100 years after the original building hosted its first game. That’s reason enough to flip it on.
Penn State is on a short week after giving up a 17-point lead at home to Wisconsin, which scored twice in the final 3:31 of a 24-20 win.
Northwestern lost 29-23 at Indiana but outscored the Hoosiers 23-17 after halftime. A 2.5-point spread on a night like this is close to a coin flip.
6. Michigan at Minnesota
Kickoff: Noon ET
TV: FOX
Spread: Michigan -5.5
Total: 43.5
The Little Brown Jug is on the line for the 100th time, and FOX is bringing Big Noon Kickoff to Minnesota for the first time.
Michigan is coming off that 20-19 loss to Iowa, a game it led for most of the afternoon before two red-zone turnovers. Bryce Underwood threw for a career-high 276 yards and two scores in defeat.
Minnesota won 27-24 at Washington with seven sacks, two interceptions and a 1-for-10 third-down hold. Drake Lindsey went 21 of 29 for 204 yards and three touchdowns in that one.
7. Auburn at Tennessee
Kickoff: 3:30 pm ET
TV: ESPN
Spread: Tennessee -7
Total: 54.5
Tennessee came within a play of beating top-ranked Texas, losing 20-17 after recovering a late onside kick and throwing into the end zone as time ran out.
The Vols held Texas to 61 rushing yards with six sacks and 10 tackles for loss. Now they have to do it again seven days later.
Auburn is 3-1 after a 21-15 win over Vanderbilt that featured a blocked-punt touchdown and a six-minute clock kill at the end. This is the Tigers’ first SEC road game of the year.
8. BYU at TCU
Kickoff: 7 pm ET
TV: ESPN
Spread: BYU -6.5
Total: 47.5
BYU is 3-0 and rested. The Cougars last played on Sept. 19, rolling up 559 yards in a 41-23 win over Colorado State.
LJ Martin ran 15 times for 176 yards and three first-quarter touchdowns in that game. That ground game is the first thing TCU needs to slow down.
TCU is 2-2 and gets the chance to knock off a top-ten opponent in Fort Worth. A 6.5-point spread with a 47.5 total points to a tight, defensive night.
9. Miami at Clemson
Kickoff: 7:30 pm ET
TV: ABC
Spread: Miami -16.5
Total: 47.5
The spread is 16.5 and I still want this one on. Miami is 4-0 and up to No. 4 after a 52-3 win over Central Michigan, and this is its first tough road trip.
Clemson has won three straight since that 51-10 opening loss at LSU, the latest a 24-10 win at California.
For anyone following the national championship odds, this is a useful test of Miami against a better opponent. Clemson gets a national stage to show how far it has come since opening night.
10. Washington at USC
Kickoff: 7:30 pm ET
TV: NBC
Spread: USC -9.5
Total: 58.5
Two Big Ten teams that just lost at home, neither with much room left in the conference race.
Washington fell 27-24 to Minnesota after allowing seven sacks and converting one of 10 third downs. USC slid from No. 12 to No. 18 following a 41-27 home loss to Oregon.
USC is giving 9.5 with a 58.5 total, the second-highest total among these ten games. If you’re staying up for one late game, make it this one.
Lead NHL & NCAAF Editor
Brady is the lead NHL and College Football editor at Sports Betting Dime, where he specializes in betting odds and data-driven analysis. Brady has over 10 years experience working in sports media, with work published by outlets such as ESPN, CBS Sports, Yahoo! Sports and Fox Sports.
