Laken Litman

College football and soccer analyst

Week 5 has arrived with many exciting matchups between ranked opponents. There’s the rematch of last season’s SEC Championship between No. 2 Georgia and No. 4 Alabama, there’s a crucial Big 12 showdown between No. 20 Oklahoma State and No. 23 Kansas State, and there’s an intriguing matchup in the Big Ten when No. 19 Illinois visits No. 9 Penn State.

This is the last weekend of September, which means the season is really just getting started. And we’re going to learn a lot more about which teams are legitimate College Football Playoff contenders as October approaches.

Here are the five best games to watch this weekend:

Minnesota at number 12 Michigan (Noon ET on FOX)

There will be no surprises here. Michigan is going to run the ball, so Minnesota needs to close it out to have any hope of leaving Ann Arbor with a win.

As we learned last week, freshmen Glutton coach Sherrone Moore will be running QB Alex Orji over Davis Warren in the near future. Orji doesn’t throw the ball that often, but he and Michigans running backs can move the chains with their legs. Last week, Kalel Mullings got hot and had 17 carries for 159 yards with two touchdowns in a huge win over USC. That seems to be Moore’s offensive plan, and he’s sticking to it.

The Gophers have the No. 2 passing defense in the country, but that won’t matter much here. They gave up nearly 125 ypg on the ground and allowed four rushing touchdowns in last week’s 31-14 loss to Iowa. Transfer QB Max Brosmer gives Minnesota an edge in the passing game, but it may not be enough to overcome the talent Michigan has on defense.

No. 20 State of Oklahoma at number 23 State of Kansas (12 p.m. ET on ESPN)

Both teams are still very much in the hunt to win the Big 12 despite coming into this game fresh with no losses. Oklahoma State records a difficult result of 22-19 vs. Utah, while Kansas State fell short on the road at BYU, losing 38-9.

A key matchup will be Wildcats quarterback Avery Johnson against the Cowboys defense. Johnson performed poorly last week, throwing for 130 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions. However, OSU has one of the worst defenses in the country, allowing over 460 yards per game, so this would be a chance for the young QB to get back on track.

Mike Gundy said his offense was “terrible” against Utah. Veteran QB Alan Bowman finished with 206 yards and two interceptions, and was on the bench for the third quarter and part of the fourth before returning for the final 10 minutes to help his team rally. Running back Ollie Gordon II, who won the Doak Walker Award last season, failed to get going and rushed for fewer than 50 yards in each of the last three games. This week he faces a top 25 defense again, so that battle could continue.

No. 15 Louisville at number 12 Notre Dame (3:30 PM ET on Peacock)

Notre Dame is trying to do everything it can to stay alive in the CFP race. After a stunning 16-14 loss at home to Northern Illinois in Week 2, the Fighting Irish need to pick up wins to stay in the good graces of the selection committee and prove to the fans why they should cheer for this team instead of them to scold (as in the old days). last week’s case).

A year ago, Notre Dame was in a similar position against Louisville. The Irish had one loss, but went out and were upset by the Cardinals33-20. That one probably still hurts a little in South Bend, especially since the Irish were expected to win. This year’s matchup features one of the top scoring offenses in Louisville (47.3 ppg) versus one of the top scoring defenses in Notre Dame (9.8 ppg). Cardinals QB Tyler Shough, a transfer via Texas Tech and Oregon, has eight passing touchdowns and zero interceptions so far this season.

Meanwhile, Irish QB Riley Leonard puts in a great performance against Miami (Ohio). He passed for 154 yards with one touchdown and ran for 143 yards with two rushing scores, including a 50-yard dash down the middle of the field in the final minutes of the game.

No. 2 Georgia at number 4 Alabama (7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN)

The most highly anticipated game of the week. Last year, Alabama defeated Georgia 27-24 in the SEC title game, clinching a spot in the CFP and ending the Bulldogs’ hopes of winning three straight national championships. Since then, Nick Saban has retired and Kalen DeBoer has been hired to maintain the winning culture in Tuscaloosa. This is DeBoer’s first big test as Saban’s replacement, and it’s probably a little unfair that his SEC debut has to come against Kirby Smart and the Dawgs.

Aside from the off-field storylines, the game itself promises to be entertaining, as always. QB Jalen Milroe is running even more under DeBoer, so Georgia The defense will have to apply pressure early and often and limit explosive play. Alabama currently has the nation’s fifth-best scoring offense, averaging 49.0 ppg, while Georgia has the nation’s second-best scoring defense and hasn’t allowed a touchdown in three games. However, the Bulldogs will need QB Carson Beck, whose only loss as a starter was to Alabama last year, to get into a rhythm quickly. The Bulldogs haven’t scored any touchdowns in the first half of two of their first three games this season, but they have a chance to succeed here against an unproven Bama secondary.

No. 19 Illinois at number 9 Penn State (7:30 p.m. on NBC)

James Franklin has called for “White Out energy” ahead of Penn State’s first conference clash of the season, a Saturday night game against 19th-ranked Illinois. The last time the Fighting Illini visited Beaver Stadium in 2021, they downed the then-No. 7 Nittany Lions 20-18 in an unprecedented nine overtimes.

Three years later, both teams enter this showdown undefeated, ranked in the top 20 with their CFP hopes intact. Illinois has already knocked off two ranked teams in the first four weeks of the season, first defeating then-No. No. 19 Kansas 23-17 in Week 2, and then then No. 22 Nebraska 31-24 last Friday night in Lincoln. The Illini are not intimidated by noisy environments, even though Penn State fans will do their best to influence the game.

Penn State, meanwhile, is looking for its first quality win of the season. After taking care of West Virginia in Week 1, James Franklin’s team struggled to put aside Bowling Green in Week 2. After an inactive week, the Nittany Lions crushed Kent State 56-0 at home last Saturday. If PSU can get through this weekend unscathed, there are only two top 25 teams left on the schedule: at No. 13 USC (Oct. 12) and vs. No. 3 Ohio State (Nov. 2).

Laken Litman covers college football, college basketball and football for FOX Sports. She previously wrote for Sports Illustrated, USA Today and The Indianapolis Star. She is the author of “Strong Like a Woman,” published in spring 2022 in celebration of the 50th anniversary of Title IX. Follow her up @LakenLitman.

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