Image via AP Photo/Vasha Hunt
Ohio State begins Big Ten play this week with an interesting road matchup against Michigan State in East Lansing, Mich., set for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff Saturday night on Peacock, but if all things go as planned for the Buckeyes in Spartans Stadium, the game will be seldom talked about with a much more important matchup beginning at the same time.
Also at 7:30 p.m. is a titanic matchup between SEC rivals No. 2 Georgia and No. 4 Alabama, who are meeting for the first time in the regular season since 2020, when the Bulldogs fell to the Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa, Ala., 41-24.
Georgia-Alabama takes the cake as the obvious best matchup of the week, but it is not the only game worth watching in Week 5 of the college football season:
No. 2 Georgia @ No.4 Alabama (7:30 p.m., ABC)
As mentioned above, the Bulldogs and Crimson Tide are set to engage in what should be one of the more, if not the most, intriguing matchup of the entire college football season.
Both Alabama and Georgia unsurprisingly come into the game with dueling undefeated records, albeit getting there in different ways. The Bulldogs have shown some vulnerability since being the preseason No. 1 team, just squeaking past Kentucky in Week 3 with an uninspiring 13-12 victory. The now Kalen DeBoer-led-Tide, meanwhile, have looked like world beaters since a near-slip up to USF, throttling Wisconsin in its home stadium 42-10 during that same week.
This matchup is filled with stars on both teams, most notably at the quarterback position, with Heisman Trophy hopefuls Carson Beck and Jalen Milroe looking for their respective signature moments under the lights. The two gunslingers met last season in the SEC Championship Game, when Milroe got the best of Beck by throwing for 192 yards and two scores as opposed to Beck’s 243 and zero.
Both Beck and Milroe are poised for big games under the Bryant-Denny Stadium lights, but they will need help from their top playmakers if they want to emerge on top. For Milroe and the Tide, that comes from true freshman wide receiver Ryan Williams, who — like Jeremiah Smith — has burst onto the scene with a team-high 285 yards and four scores through three games. The Bulldogs are still searching for a top receiving target following the departure of now Oakland Raiders tight end Brock Bowers, but they can rely on an elite offensive line and running back in Trevor Etienne (157 yards, 24 carries), who has battled injuries so far.
And we’ve gone this far without even mentioning both teams’ defenses, which both rank inside the top five in points allowed thus far this season, with the Bulldogs third at 6.0 points per game and Alabama sixth with 8.7. This should be a fun one. BSB Prediction: Alabama 27, Georgia 24
No. 20 Oklahoma State @ No. 23 Kansas State
Before the Tide and Bulldogs square off in primetime, fans can enjoy an interesting Big 12 game in the noon slot, which has No. 20 Oklahoma State traveling to No. 23 Kansas State.
Both the Cowboys and Wildcats are looking for a bounce back game after tough losses to begin conference play, which saw Oklahoma State falling to Utah 22-19 at home and Kansas State getting blown out by BYU on the road 38-9. Oklahoma State’s loss was largely due to some continued offensive ineptitude, with Doak Walker preseason watch list recipient Ollie Gordon III failing to record 50 rushing yards for the third straight game and seventh-year starter Alan Bowman throwing two interceptions before being benched for redshirt sophomore Garret Rangel in the second half.
The Wildcats, on the other hand, also had its fair share of passing struggles, with Avery Johnson completing 15 of his 28 attempts for just 130 yards, zero touchdowns and two interceptions in the loss to BYU. They did thrive in the running game, though, combining for 241 yards on the ground, 93 of those coming from junior tailback DJ Giddens.
The two Big 12 rivals will need some more out of their offenses in order to come away with their first conference win, but they also may need a better defensive outing as well. Kansas State has allowed 19.5 points per game after its worst defensive game of the year, while Oklahoma State has given up 20.8, a number that was made higher after the unit gave up 31 in a high-scoring overtime shootout against Arkansas on Sept. 7. BSB Prediction: Oklahoma State 24, Kansas State 19
No. 19 Illinois @ No. 9 Penn State (7:30, NBC)
Also in the busy primetime slot in Week 5 is a battle between ranked Big Ten opponents No. 19 Illinois and No. 9 Penn State, who are each looking to make a statement to the new-look conference after strong starts.
Starting with the Nittany Lions, the team’s offense has made significant improvements since a sluggish end to the 2023 campaign, most notably with junior quarterback Drew Allar, who has completed an efficient 41 of his 58 passes (70.7 percent) for 729 passing yards and eight touchdowns to just one interception. Penn State’s running game has also been on brand, with the dynamic running back duo of Nic Singleton and Kaytron Allen combining for 501 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 72 carries through three games.
Illinois, meanwhile, has gotten it done with its defense, which has allowed just 12.5 points per game so far this season, a mark that is third in the Big Ten and tied for 15th nationally. The Illini’s defense got it done in their Week 2 win over then-No. 19 Kansas, where they allowed just 17 points and 79 rushing yards, but it was a total group effort to get a second ranked win over then-No. 22 Nebraska last week, defeating the Cornhuskers on the road 31-24 behind 215 passing yards and four touchdowns from junior quarterback Luke Altmeyer and 74 receiving yards and two scores from senior wideout Pat Bryant.
It should be interesting to see if the Illini can come into Happy Valley and make a statement in primetime, but it will still be a tall task given what they are entering what should be a hostile environment in Beaver Stadium. BSB Prediction: Penn State 28, Illinois 17
Other Games To Watch
- Minnesota @ No. 12 Michigan (noon, FOX)
- No. 15 Louisville @ No. 16 Notre Dame (3:30 p.m., Peacock)
- No. 21 Oklahoma @ Auburn (3:30 p.m., ABC)
- North Carolina @ Duke (4 p.m., ESPN2)
- Mississippi State @ No. 1 Texas (4:15 p.m., SEC Network)
- Stanford @ No. 17 Clemson (7 p.m., ESPN)
- No. 8 Oregon @ UCLA (11 p.m., FOX)
