College Football: Week 5 viewing guide, 5 must-watch games this weekend

There's no Michigan State football on the schedule this weekend, but that doesn't mean we can't lock in for another great slate of games on Saturday.

The Spartans are on a bye this week, and will return to action next Saturday at Nebraska. Michigan State dropped their first game of the season last week at USC, and now sit at 3-1 on the year.

With our Spartans off this week, we can just sit back and watch all of the other college football madness on Saturday? Check out below the complete viewing guide for the Week 5 action and also my three five (bonus two this week!) must-watch favorite games of the week.

Viewing Guide

Included below is a social media post from Projection Sports that shows the complete TV and streaming viewing guide for this weekend's games:

🏈Best CFB Day of the Year
⛳Ryder Cup pic.twitter.com/LCqMjL6mn5

— Projection Sports (@ProjSports) September 27, 2025

My Five Favorite Games This Weekend

1. Oregon at Penn State (7:30 p.m. ET on NBC)

A rematch of last year's Big Ten Championship Game between two top 10 teams. Oh, and it'll be a white out too? Yeah, this is a no-brainer for the top game of the week for me, and should be one that any and all college football fans should tune in for on Saturday night.

2. LSU at Ole Miss (3:30 p.m. ET on ABC)

This is the first of two massive SEC games on the slate on Saturday, with LSU visiting Ole Miss in a fun rivalry game. Both LSU and Ole Miss have looked like College Football Playoff contenders through the first month of the season so this should be a very fun game to watch.

3. Alabama at Georgia (7:30 p.m. ET on ABC)

The competing primetime game to Oregon-Penn State is also a banger, as Alabama heads to Georgia on Saturday. The Tide have looked much better since their season-opening defeat at Florida State, while Georgia looks to be dominant again this year. Something has to give in this SEC heavyweight fight on Saturday night.

4. Notre Dame at Arkansas (12 p.m. ET on ABC)

A sneaky good game will be played early in the day in Fayetteville, Ark. The Fighting Irish have no more room for error if they want to get back to the College Football Playoff, while Arkansas needs a signature win to help save the season after back-to-back heartbreaking losses. I anticipate this one to be high-scoring and there should be a great home crowd as long as the Razorbacks keep it close throughout.

5. USC at Illinois (12 p.m. ET on FOX)

This is the perfect up-down matchup as USC is coming into the game looking like a Big Ten contender, while Illinois is licking their wounds after last week's blowout at Indiana. The early kickoff time has been a talking subject for USC this week, but if they don't let their potent offense sleep-in, then they could runaway with another marquee win.

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This article originally appeared on Spartans Wire: Week 5 viewing guide, 5 must-watch games this weekend