Week 5 of the college football season is absolutely loaded. Here are the five best games to watch on Saturday.
The Oklahoma Sooners will be enjoying a well-earned bye week during Week 5 of the 2025 college football season. After a 4-0 start through the first four weeks that includes wins over Illinois State, Michigan, Temple, and Auburn, OU gets an off week ahead of a home game against Kent State in Week 6.
While Sooner Nation won’t have its focus on just one game this week, there’s an incredible slate on Saturday that will go a long way toward determining the race to the College Football Playoff. Ranked matchups abound, and Oklahoma will get to sit back and watch it all happen.
Here are the top five games to watch for Week 5 of the college football season.
1. Alabama at Georgia, 6:30 p.m. CT
Every time Alabama and Georgia face off, it’s going to take top billing in the college football world. The Crimson Tide and the Bulldogs played an instant classic a season ago in Tuscaloosa, with ‘Bama winning in thrilling fashion. The Dawgs will try to get their revenge in Athens this week, and they believe they have the better team.
Kalen DeBoer and the Tide already have one loss on the season, but they’ve looked like a much better team since then. However, this is only the second test of the season for Ty Simpson and Alabama, and they failed the first one. For Kirby Smart, Gunner Stockton, and Georgia, they passed their first test of the season, but the Crimson Tide seems to always have their number. We’ll see if that changes on Saturday night.
2. Oregon at Penn State, 6:30 p.m. CT
At the exact same time as Alabama-Georgia, college football fans will also be treated to another heavyweight bout, as Oregon and Penn State will square off in Happy Valley. Both Dan Lanning and James Franklin have their teams undefeated in 2025, but this is the first real test of the year for both teams.
This game is a rematch of last year’s Big Ten title game, which the Ducks won. The Nittany Lions went all the way to the CFP semifinals, however, and both teams look primed for another good season. Quarterback play may be the key in this one. Dante Moore and Drew Allar will have to take care of the ball and make a few big plays if they want to help lead their teams to victory.
3. LSU at Ole Miss, 2:30 p.m. CT
The Tigers and the Rebels have already passed a test or two in 2025, and the teams have split the last two games in their series, with both turning into thrillers. LSU lost on the road in 2023, before repaying Ole Miss with a win in Baton Rouge in 2024.
The rematch takes place in Oxford as part of an absolutely loaded Saturday, as we try to determine the pecking order in the SEC for 2025. Brian Kelly and Lane Kiffin have met three times with their current programs, and the home team has won each time. The Grove will be rocking this week, as the Rebs try to continue that trend this year.
4. USC at Illinois, 11:00 a.m. CT
USC’s first test of the 2025 season comes in Week 5 on the road against a wounded Illinois squad. With a great opportunity last week on the road versus Indiana, the Fighting Illini were outplayed in a blowout loss. Now heading back home, we’ll see if Bret Bielema’s team can respond.
Lincoln Riley and the Trojans have quietly remained unbeaten against inferior opposition to open the season, but they’re about to be tested in the Big Ten over the next few weeks. Both teams like their QBs, as Jayden Maiava and Luke Altmyer are signal-callers in the B1G that fly under the radar. As college football fans get ready for an amazing afternoon and primetime windows, they’ll be keeping an eye on this game in Champaign.
5. Ohio State at Washington, 2:30 p.m. CT
The Buckeyes and the Huskies meet in a game that’s a bit under the radar with all of the big matchups this week, but Ohio State hasn’t played anyone since their Week 1 win over Texas. While they got the win, it was a rock fight that didn’t look like the Ohio State offense of last year.
Washington thinks they’ve got a bit of their swagger back with a 3-0 start, but this is easily their biggest test so far. Sure, there are bigger games in the Big Ten this week, but this one has the potential to get weird in Seattle. These teams haven’t met since the Rose Bowl following the 2018 season. Ryan Day and Jedd Fisch both know their teams need this game, as we’ll know a lot about the B1G by the end of the action on Saturday
Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions.You can also follow Aaron on X @Aaron_Gelvin.
This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: 5 college football games to watch in Week 5
Category: General Sports
