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Jackson's Week 5 college football predictions for all ranked games and top-25 matchups. His picks for Alabama vs. Georgia, LSU vs. Ole Miss, and more.
Week 5 College Football Predictions
The 2025 college football season is heating up, and Week 5 brings several must-see matchups with implications for conference races and the College Football Playoff. If there’s one week of college football you do not want to miss, it’s this slate.
Alabama vs. Georgia, Penn State vs. Oregon, and LSU vs. Ole Miss are just three of the fantastic matchups featured in these predictions. Let’s dive in!
No. 25 BYU at Colorado
BYU entered the top 25 this week after getting out to a solid 3-0 start. However, wins against Portland State, Stanford, and East Carolina don’t tell us much about the quality of the Cougars in 2025. Colorado is likely a better team than any of those three squads, but the Buffaloes are feeling the loss of Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter.
The home-field advantage will help Deion and company keep it close, but BYU will prove to be too much to handle.
Prediction: BYU 27, Colorado 17
No. 24 TCU at Arizona State
Arizona State suffered an upset loss to Mississippi State in Week 2, but the Sun Devils rebounded nicely with an impressive win over Baylor in Waco last weekend. This Big 12 matchup could turn out to be one of the most exciting games on the Week 5 slate.
A Josh Hoover vs. Sam Leavitt quarterback matchup is sure to produce fireworks, so let’s just hope the game lives up to the hype. We’re rolling with the home team in this spot.
Prediction: Arizona State 34, TCU 31
No. 22 Notre Dame at Arkansas
Last season, Notre Dame leaned on its defense in big matchups, but this year’s Irish stop unit is a shell of last year’s. Notre Dame has given up an average of 32.6 points per game through three contests, so a matchup with dynamic Arkansas Taylen Green could prove problematic.
That said, Arkansas’ defense has struggled just as much, if not more. Expect the Irish to try to dominate on the ground, chew the clock, and keep Green on the sideline.
Prediction: Notre Dame 38, Arkansas 30
No. 21 USC vs. No. 23 Illinois
Despite last week’s 53-point loss against Indiana, Illinois is still ranked inside the top 25. You read that right. The Illini defense was tormented by Fernando Mendoza and Khobie Martin in Bloomington last weekend, and Jayden Maiava and Waymond Jordan could do the same.
After playing a late game last weekend, the Trojans will now be tasked with taking part in a 9 A.M. local time kickoff. That could result in a slow start, but we expect USC to come out on top.
Prediction: USC 34, Illinois 20
No. 20 Missouri vs. UMass
Say what you want about Eli Drinkwitz, but the man just keeps winning. Missouri now rattled off 25 wins in its last 30 games, and UMass should not be much of a threat to stop the momentum. Ahmad Hardy could be in for a Heisman-worthy performance in Columbia on Saturday.
Prediction: Missouri 53, UMass 14
No. 18 Vanderbilt vs. Utah State
Based on what we saw from Clark Lea during the first few seasons of his tenure, it’s remarkable that Vanderbilt is a top-20 team, and we shouldn’t rule out the Commodores from any matchup when they start the thick of their SEC schedule.
Avoiding an embarrassing upset is all Diego Pavia and company need to do here, and they have shown enough to believe they will take care of business.
Prediction: Vanderbilt 44, Utah State 10
No. 16 Georgia Tech at Wake Forest
After beating Clemson a few weeks ago, the Yellow Jackets are riding a wave of momentum that they hope to carry to the ACC Championship Game and College Football Playoff. Remarkably, Georgia Tech does not have to face Miami or Florida State this season, so it will likely be favored in all of its remaining ACC contests.
Now that there are expectations in Atlanta, Brent Key’s team needs to just keep doing what it does best. Run the ball, and play football the right way. Wake Forest doesn’t figure to present much of a challenge based on what we’ve seen thus far.
Prediction: Georgia Tech 23, Wake Forest 10
No. 15 Tennessee at Mississippi State
Many are calling “upset alert” in Starkville this weekend, as Tennessee’s defense has arguably been the worst in the SEC, and Mississippi State is much improved on offense. Expect plenty of fireworks in this matchup between two of the sport’s brightest offensive minds, Josh Heupel and Jeff Lebby.
However, Tennessee’s talent profile significantly exceeds Mississippi State’s, and its wide receiver group should have a field day again in this spot.
Prediction: Tennessee 47, Mississippi State 38
No. 14 Iowa State vs. Arizona
Iowa State has continued to win, and that’s what matters. But the Week 0 win over Kansas State looks far less impressive than it did at the time, and struggling to pull away from Arkansas State in Week 3 was not a good sign. Rocco Becht might be one of the most underrated quarterbacks in the country, but we need to see better moving forward.
On the other side of this matchup, Arizona looks better than expected so far. The Cyclones will eventually lose if they continue to play with their food, but we’re calling for another tight victory. Be careful, Matt Campbell. This is a tricky spot.
Prediction: Iowa State 27, Arizona 23
No. 11 Indiana at Iowa
No win was more impressive than Indiana’s 53-point beating of Illinois last week, and we’re ready to say this Hoosiers team is much better than last year’s. Iowa has earned a reputation for slowing games down and limiting explosive offense, but what Curt Cignetti’s program is doing might just be unstoppable against teams with comparable talent.
Fernando Mendoza is now the Heisman Trophy front-runner after John Mateer’s injury news came out. It’s time to build on that resume against Kirk Ferentz.
Prediction: Indiana 38, Iowa 17
No. 9 Texas A&M vs. Auburn
Jackson Arnold did not have a fun experience during his homecoming trip to Norman last weekend, but Auburn showed it could hang with arguably one of the best teams in the country on the road. Now, a road trip to Kyle Field awaits. While A&M has looked dominant on offense, Auburn’s defense is elite at stopping the run, and it will force Marcel Reed to win as a passer.
We’re not saying he cannot do it, but it won’t be easy. Remember, the Tigers won this matchup last season, and despite the Aggies being a touchdown-favorite at home on Saturday, we’re rolling with Auburn again in a low-scoring bout.
Prediction: Auburn 20, Texas A&M 17
No. 8 Florida State at Virginia
After a dominant start to the 2025 season, the Noles already have more wins than last year. Quarterback Tommy Castellanos had an injury scare last week, but he is expected to suit up on Friday night. Virginia has the offense to make this ACC contest competitive, but Florida State is too well-rounded and has even more offensive firepower.
The Noles will improve to 4-0 heading into a matchup with Miami next week.
Prediction: Florida State 42, Virginia 24
No. 5 Georgia vs. No. 17 Alabama
Kirby Smart is just 1-6 against Alabama. Needless to say, the Crimson Tide has given him more trouble than any other opponent, and Kalen DeBoer took this matchup in Tuscaloosa last season. However, the Bulldogs have not lost at home since 2019, and Kirby Smart’s only loss off a bye week came against Nick Saban on the road.
Something has to give here. Based on what we saw from Alabama in Week 1, we can assume Georgia is going to be the most physical football team, and its wide receiver room is far superior to what it was last year. This UGA vs. Bama feud used to be a defensive battle, but both teams are more reliant on their offense to win the day in 2025.
Prediction: Georgia 41, Alabama 33
No. 4 LSU at No. 13 Ole Miss
LSU’s offense has been one of the most disappointing units in college football this season. Despite having a stud quarterback and deep skill-position room, something has not clicked. But that doesn’t mean it won’t. On the flipside, the Ole Miss defense has been a mixed bag.
We expect the Ole Miss offense and LSU defense to be the strengths of this matchup, but the game will be decided by the other side of the ball for either SEC program. It’s easier to believe in Garrett Nussmeier and his wideouts than it is to believe in the Ole Miss defense that was shredded by Arkansas. Believe it or not, Ole Miss is favored by the books. We’re picking against them.
Prediction: LSU 31, Ole Miss 26
No. 3 Penn State vs. No. 6 Oregon
Oregon will travel across the country to face Penn State in what is arguably the matchup of the season so far. Oregon and quarterback Dante Moore have looked unstoppable, but this is a young Ducks team heading into Happy Valley to face white-out conditions.
Not so fast, though. Dan Lanning has already won more games against top-five opponents than James Franklin, and Penn State’s deep passing game continues to resemble the lackluster attack from last year. Through five weeks, Penn State has yet to face a Power 4 team. That could prove to be a negative here.
Prediction: Oregon 30, Penn State 17
No. 1 Ohio State vs. Washington
Georgia has the longest home winning streak in the country, but guess who No. 2 is? Yep, it’s Washington, who has walked off the field in Husky Stadium with a victory 22 consecutive times. This won’t be a cakewalk for Ohio State, whose quarterback Julian Sayin is making his first career road start.
We’re going to learn a lot about both of these teams in this Big Ten showdown, and don’t be surprised if it comes down to the final possession. Washington quarterback Demond Williams is one of the sport’s rising stars.
Prediction: Ohio State 28, Washington 24
