- Week 5 of the college football season features several major matchups with playoff implications.
- USA TODAY Sports experts predict potential upsets, including Washington over Ohio State and Arkansas over Notre Dame.
- Other notable predictions involve Texas A&M exposing Auburn’s offensive line and a potential Indiana loss to Iowa.
These are the weekends that college football fans love. The schedule for Week 5 features major showdowns among teams near the top of the US LBM Coaches Poll and several games that that will be challenging for playoff contenders.
There are many questions that will be resolved. Can Penn State finally break through against at top five-team with a defeat of Oregon? Is Alabama capable of taking down Georgia on the road? Where are the unexpected surprises that happen every Saturday going to come from?
USA TODAY Sports college football staff is here to provide some answers. Matt Hayes, Jordan Mendoza, Paul Myerberg, Erick Smith, Eddie Timanus and Blake Toppmeyer weigh in with their bold predictions for Week 5 of the college football season.
Washington pulls off upset of Ohio State
When we last saw Ohio State in a meaningful game, the Buckeyes defeated Texas and supplanted the Longhorns at No. 1. Four weeks and two easy games later, they head west to face Washington. It’ll be a dangerous game with Julian Sayin making his first road start in what will be a hostile environment. The Huskies have been impressive against overmatched opponents. They’ll make a statement with an upset that will raise eyebrows across the country. — Matt Hayes
Oregon crushes Penn State in front of White out
The cupcake slate is over for Penn State. There hasn’t been anything impressive from the Nittany Lions so far, while Oregon looks like a team on the path toward the playoff again. The Ducks aren’t phased by the ‘White Out’ and Beaver Stadium starts emptying out in the third quarter in what is a convincing win for Dan Lanning’s squad. — Jordan Mendoza
Indiana gets surprise at Iowa
After dropping 63 points on Illinois, Indiana struggles to stay in a rhythm and loses to Iowa in the first big upset of the Big Ten season. The Hawkeyes showed some life on offense in a win against Rutgers and seem to have a found a way to tap into transfer quarterback Mark Gronkowski’s skill set. That’ll come in handy against one of the top teams in the country. — Paul Myerberg
Arkansas knocks Notre Dame from playoff consideration
There almost no margin of error for Notre Dame after back-to-back losses to start the season. Yes, they were against ranked opponents by a combined four points. but ultimately wins are what matters when the College Football Playoff field is announced. A trip to Arkansas is a dangerous proposition as the Razorbacks have an explosive offense behind quarterback Taylen Green. Look for this to be a track meet with Arkansas pulling off a surprise in the final minutes. — Erick Smith
Texas A&M exposes Auburn offensive line issues
It was somewhat lost amid the officiating noise in the aftermath of Auburn’s loss at Oklahoma, but the issue that should have the Tigers more concerned is that the offensive line couldn’t keep Jackson Arnold upright. This week’s opponent, Texas A&M, isn’t quite as dominant at the line of scrimmage but has still come up with nine sacks through its three games. Add in the fact that the Aggies have a rest advantage coming off an open date, and it spells more trouble and an 0-2 SEC start for Auburn. — Eddie Timanus
Lane Kiffin to channel Seinfeld after LSU game?
If Mississippi loses to LSU in their showdown in Oxford, nobody will hear a word Lane Kiffin says in his postgame news conference. Kiffin is a notorious soft-talker, to borrow a “Seinfeld” phrase. He talks softest after losses. If the Rebels win, we’ll hear from their coach. If they lose, we’ll be left to wonder: If a coach talks and nobody hears it, did he really speak? — Blake Toppmeyer