On paper, Week 5 of the 2025 college football season is the most exciting slate of games yet. Saturday alone is home to a season-high four ranked matchups, two of which pit top-15 teams against one another.
The highlight of the weekend is No. 6 Oregon’s trip to No. 3 Penn State in a 2024 Big Ten Championship Game rematch. The Ducks are eyeing a second consecutive conference title while the Nittany Lions are trying to break through and win the league for the first time in almost a decade.
Elsewhere, the SEC will see a couple of very impactful matchups as No. 13 Ole Miss hosts longtime rival No. 4 LSU and No. 5 Georgia seeks revenge against No. 17 Alabama. Even ranked teams like No. 1 Ohio State and No. 22 Notre Dame have tough road trips ahead of them against opponents outside of the top 25.
College football week 5 insider’s notebook: Ole Miss QB Trinidad Chambliss drawing Kyler Murray comparisons
Matt Zenitz
So, which games are worth your attention? Here’s a complete viewer’s guide to navigating a busy Week 5.
All times Eastern
The best games
No. 21 USC at No. 23 Illinois — noon on Fox, FuboTV (Try for free): Two programs that are rapidly headed in different directions. USC flew under the radar entering the 2025 season and, though it has yet to record a truly marquee win, the Trojans have taken care of business thus far and are already at 2-0 in Big Ten play. Illinois, meanwhile, cleaned up in its non-conference but slammed into a brick wall when Big Ten play began against Indiana. The previously top-10 Fighting Illini fell 63-10, putting a once promising campaign on the precipice of falling apart.
No. 22 Notre Dame at Arkansas, — noon on ABC, FuboTV (Try for free): It’s still early in the season to call games a “must-win” — especially in the 12-team College Football Playoff era — but Notre Dame doesn’t have any margin for error at this point. That’s what happens when you start the season with two consecutive losses to ranked opponents by a combined four points. Arkansas is effectively out of the playoff race. For now, it feels like the Razorbacks are playing for coach Sam Pittman’s job.
No. 1 Ohio State at Washington — 3:30 p.m. on CBS, CBSSports.com, CBS Sports App, Paramount+ Premium: Ohio State is still Ohio State. The Buckeyes logged one of the most impressive wins of the season by downing Texas at home. The defense hasn’t lost a step despite losing some important starters and new quarterback Julian Sayin looks comfortable throwing to the nation’s best group of receivers. Washington will be a unique challenge. It will be Ohio State’s first road test of the year, and Husky Stadium isn’t an easy venue to waltz into. The Huskies are also paced by a standout offensive trio of quarterback Demond Williams, running back Jonah Coleman and wide receiver Denzel Boston. They could stretch that Buckeye defense.
No. 4 LSU at No. 13 Ole Miss — 3:30 p.m. on ABC, FuboTV (Try for free): LSU, in spite of its lofty ranking, hasn’t entirely impressed thus far. Its season-opening win against Clemson is aging like milk and it lazed its way to victories against overmatched competition like Louisiana Tech and Florida. While the offense is, surprisingly, lagging behind — especially on the ground — second-year coordinator Blake Baker has the defense playing better than it has under Brian Kelly. Ole Miss is a different animal, especially if quarterback Trinidad Chambliss plays. He’s been pressed into action over the last couple of weeks due to an injury to preseason starter Austin Simmons and has looked every bit of a Heisman Trophy contender while leading the Rebels’ offense.
No. 6 Oregon at No. 3 Penn State — 7:30 p.m. on NBC, FuboTV (Try for free): Oregon looks every bit of a legitimate Big Ten contender once more. The Ducks have cruised against a fairly easy schedule thus far while answering questions about quarterback Dante Moore and the wide receiver position. They haven’t played a team close to Penn State’s caliber yet. It’s a “White Out” for the Nittany Lions, too, which means that the atmosphere inside Beaver Stadium will be ratcheted up to 11.
No. 17 Alabama at No. 5 Georgia — 7:30 p.m. on ABC, FuboTV (Try for free): Alabama did a great job of rallying from its abysmal Week 1 loss to Florida State. Can the Crimson Tide keep that momentum rolling against the SEC’s modern hegemonic power? Kalen DeBoer stunned the Bulldogs in his first year at Alabama before things fell apart later in the year. Georgia has already shown its ready to compete on the national stage again. The Bulldogs are coming off a bye but the week before that they went on the road and outlasted a good Tennessee team in overtime.
Best of the rest
No. 16 Georgia Tech at Wake Forest — noon on ESPN, FuboTV (Try for free)
Bowling Green at Ohio — noon on CBS Sports Network, CBSSports.com, CBS Sports App (Free)
Auburn at No. 9 Texas A&M — 3:30 p.m. on ESPN, FuboTV (Try for free)
No. 11 Indiana at Iowa — 3:30 p.m. on Peacock, FuboTV (Try for free)
Rice at Navy — 3:30 p.m. on CBS Sports Network, CBSSports.com, CBS Sports App (Free)
No. 15 Tennessee at Mississippi State — 4:15 p.m. on SEC Network, FuboTV (Try for free)
Arizona at No. 14 Iowa State — 7 p.m. on ESPN, FuboTV (Try for free)
No. 25 BYU at Colorado, — 10:15 p.m. on ESPN, FuboTV (Try for free)
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