The battles of Week 4 have ended, and many College Football Playoff contenders have survived. Week 5 doesn’t have many top-25 matchups, but there are still interesting storylines as conference play begins.
In the Pac-12, No. 10 Utah faces No. 19 Oregon State in a game with playoff implications. Utah has started 4-0 and could have its starting quarterback back. Oregon State is a strong Pac-12 contender looking to bounce back from a close loss to Washington State. In the Big 12, No. 3 Texas takes on Kansas, with both teams ranked for the first time in 22 games. Kansas has been undefeated behind star quarterback Jalon Daniels, but Texas has a strong defense.
In the SEC, No. 13 LSU faces No. 20 Ole Miss in a game where both teams are looking to rebound. LSU had a close call against Arkansas and Ole Miss blew a halftime lead against Alabama. In another matchup, No. 11 Notre Dame takes on No. 17 Duke in a high-intensity game. And No. 1 Georgia faces Auburn, a game that always opens the door to surprises. Lastly, No. 8 USC takes on Colorado in a game featuring two talented quarterbacks.
Odds via SportsLine consensus
The big games
No. 10 Utah at No. 19 Oregon State -1.5: Utah faces its first conference road test after a 4-0 start. Oregon State is a legitimate Pac-12 contender.
No. 24 Kansas at No. 3 Texas -17: Both teams enter the game ranked. Texas has a strong defense and Kansas is undefeated.
No. 13 LSU -2.5 at No. 20 Ole Miss: Both teams are looking to bounce back from subpar performances in Week 4.
No. 11 Notre Dame -4 at No. 17 Duke: This is a high-intensity matchup between two strong teams.
No. 1 Georgia -16 at Auburn: Georgia faces a potential challenge in Auburn.
No. 8 USC -24 at Colorado: USC’s defense needs to improve for this matchup to stay competitive.
