RADIO
Brant's bold predictions for Week 5 of the 2026 college football season, including picks for Tennessee-Auburn, Iowa-Ohio State, Alabama-Mississippi State, and more.
We’re starting to get hot here. One-third of the way through the season, my Week 4 bold calls went 4-for-5, with the one miss being catastrophic.
This week doesn’t have as many ranked matchups, but that gives all the more reason to make some bold predictions.
As a matter of fact, Georgia is the only top-10 team playing at home this weekend. That itself is an indicator that we could be in for a chaotic weekend of college football. Read on to see my bold predictions for Week 5 matchups, focused primarily this week on some massive Big Ten and SEC matchups.
Iowa Holds Fourth-Quarter Lead Over Ohio State
After Iowa’s thrilling last-second upset win over Michigan, College GameDay is headed to Iowa City as the undefeated Hawkeyes host one of the nation’s top teams in Ohio State. The Hawkeyes seem to have a better quarterback than they have had in recent years in Auburn transfer Hank Brown, and have one of the nation’s most dominant offensive lines.
Ohio State’s lack of a pass rush and struggles against the run game are going to hurt them in this one. Meanwhile, slowing down the Buckeyes’ offense is not going to be easy. Jeremiah Smith is the best player in college football, and Iowa is going to need to get crafty with its schemes in defending him.
Fortunately for them, Phil Parker is one of the best defensive play-callers in the game. Many casuals can’t see the Hawkeyes keeping up with the Buckeyes, but what if they slow them down? I foresee this game being very close, to the point where Iowa holds a fourth-quarter lead over the Buckeyes.
Northwestern Hands Penn State Back-to-Back Losses
Penn State is coming off of a heartbreaking loss at home against Wisconsin, and Northwestern is coming off of a near-upset on the road against Indiana. The Wildcats’ new stadium will have its grand opening this Friday night as the Nittany Lions come to town.
This year’s Northwestern team is much improved from what we’ve seen in recent years. The additions of offensive coordinator Chip Kelly and quarterback Aidan Chiles add a wrinkle offensively, and David Braun is one of America’s most underrated coaches.
Aidan Chiles is a true gunslinger who played out of his mind late against Indiana.
Excellent accuracy and sheer fearlessness attacking tight windows pic.twitter.com/uktukluLZc
— NFL Draft Files (@NFL_DF) September 30, 2026
This game is absolutely a letdown spot for Penn State, who may be looking ahead to hosting USC next weekend.
Under the lights in a brand new stadium with optimism surrounding the program, I like Northwestern to hand Matt Campbell’s squad a second-straight loss.
Mississippi State Topples Alabama
In my opinion, this is the game of the weekend. An undefeated Mississippi State team with an all-world quarterback in Kamario Taylor hosts a revitalized undefeated Alabama team with a surging Keelon Russell under center.
Alabama’s offense has looked hot in recent weeks, scoring 48 points per game on the season, but their defense hasn’t been quite as efficient. The same can be said about Mississippi State. This has all the makings of a thrilling, down-to-the-wire game.
Kamario Taylor has already become a household name throughout the season thus far, but he can truly cement himself as one of the faces of the sport with a win over Alabama. I think this game comes down to a quarterback making a play, and I like Taylor’s ability to do so. Behind a home crowd that has a lot to be excited about for the first time in forever, give me the Bulldogs to take down the Crimson Tide behind the cowbells.
Lee Beebe Records Back-to-Back 200 Yard Games
With star running back Turbo Richard going down early last Friday night against Northwestern, Lee Beebe Jr. stepped in to carry the bulk of the workload for the Hoosiers. Beebe ran the ball 24 times for 203 yards and a touchdown, clinching the game late on a long run.
Top 10 Fastest Max Speed | Week 4
T6 | 21.1 MPH Lee Beebe Jr @LeeBeebe4 RB @IndianaFootball
IGA Score™ : 93.6#ReelSpeed pic.twitter.com/TIP3Vgn2iR
— Reel Analytics (@RAanalytics) September 28, 2026
It sounds as if Richard is trending towards playing on Saturday night as the Hoosiers travel to Piscataway, but Beebe has still seen anywhere from 14 to 17 touches per game with Richard active.
I like Beebe to absolutely torch Rutgers on the ground to the tune of another 200 yards. The Scarlet Knights’ defense has been a mess this season, and this feels like a game where Indiana will have their way early and often.
Auburn Over Tennessee in Neyland
Tennessee is coming off of a dramatic loss against Texas after recovering an onside kick and having a shot at a game-winning play. The Volunteers have to recover this week to host Auburn, a team that is playing some solid football under first-year head coach Alex Golesh.
The Vols’ defense has been great this season and should be able to contain Byrum Brown, who is second in the SEC with five interceptions. However, the offense could have a tough time getting it going against the Tigers.
Auburn has held DJ Lagway’s Baylor team to 16 points, and Jared Curtis’ Vanderbilt team to 15 points so far this year. Tennessee’s going to have to get the ground game going with a young quarterback at the helm in Faizon Brandon, but the only running back that has had success on the ground so far this season against the Tigers was Heisman contender Jadan Baugh.
Byrum Brown takes it himself and gives Auburn the lead! pic.twitter.com/I45CRRBOpY
— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) September 5, 2026
This will be the most electric environment that Golesh has coached in to date, but I like the Tigers to make some noise on the road this weekend while playing through their defense. If Brown can limit mistakes, they should be right in this one to the finish.
