College football Week 5 odds, picks + viewing guide

Auburn quarterback Bo Nix (10) prepares to pass during the 2020 Outback Bowl between the Auburn Tigers and the Minnesota Golden Gophers . (Photo by Mary Holt/Icon Sportswire)

Dan Halverson

September 29th, 2020

Week 4 of the 2020 college football season felt much like the inaugural week of this fall’s campaign, as the SEC finally kicked off play. If that was a preview of things to come, then we’re in for an even wilder ride than normal this college football season.

The third-ranked Sooners shockingly lost to Kansas State for the second year in a row as 28-point favorites, while the defending national champions, the LSU Tigers, lost at home as 16.5-point favorites to Mississippi State and new coach Mike Leach.

With Week 5 on its way, let’s look at three of Saturday's most intriguing matchups.

Date, time	Matchup	TV station

Fri, Oct. 2, 9 p.m. ET	Louisiana Tech at #22 BYU	ESPN 2
Sat, Oct. 3, noon ET	South Carolina at #3 Florida	ESPN
Sat, Oct. 3, noon ET	TCU at #9 Texas	FOX
Sat, Oct. 3, noon ET	Missouri at #21 Tennessee	SEC Network
Sat, Oct. 3, noon ET	NC State at #24 Pittsburgh	ACCN
Sat, Oct. 3, 3:30 p.m. ET	#13 Texas A&M at #2 Alabama	CBS
Sat, Oct. 3, 3:30 p.m. ET	#12 North Carolina at Boston College	ABC
Sat, Oct. 3, 3:30 p.m. ET	South Florida at #15 Cincinnati	ESPN+
Sat, Oct. 3, 3:30 p.m. ET	#17 Oklahoma State at Kansas	ESPN
Sat, Oct. 3, 3:30 p.m. ET	#25 Memphis at SMU	ESPN 2
Sat, Oct. 3, 7:30 p.m. ET	#7 Auburn at #4 Georgia	ESPN
Sat, Oct. 3, 7:30 p.m. ET	Tulsa at #11 UCF	ESPN 2
Sat, Oct. 3, 7:30 p.m. ET	Arkansas at #16 Mississippi State	SECN Alt
Sat, Oct. 3, 7:30 p.m. ET	#18 Oklahoma at Iowa State	ABC
Sat, Oct. 3, 7:30 p.m. ET	#20 LSU at Vanderbilt	SEC Network
Sat, Oct. 3, 8 p.m. ET	Virginia at #1 Clemson	ACCN

Auburn vs. Georgia

The Auburn Tigers kicked off their season with an impressive win against a tough Kentucky team, 29-13, and now must take to the road for a game at Georgia.

The Tigers are fortunate they won’t be facing a normal Athens night crowd, or else this line would likely be in the 11- to 13-point range.

It still is a tough task for sophomore quarterback, Bo Nix. Nix successfully targeted returning star wide receiver Seth Williams (112 yards and 2 touchdowns) in their season debut, but the Tigers rushing attack was nonexistent, with Nix leading the way with just 34 yards.

The Tigers also benefited from a +3 turnover margin in their win.

For Georgia, plenty of questions persist following an offseason that saw significant losses to the NFL, but there can be no doubt that Georgia still has a talented roster.

Since Kirby Smart came from Alabama, Georgia has been one of the top two recruiting programs in the entire country and has loaded the lineup with blue-chip players.

The quarterback is the most important position on the roster, though, and Georgia struggled through Week 1 with freshman D’Wan Mathis and former walk-on Stetson Bennett.

Fortunately for Georgia, former USC quarterback and transfer, JT Daniels, is expected to make his return to the field against Auburn.

The Bulldogs are 6.5-point favorites, and the talent differential on this roster has me liking Georgia.

Pick: Georgia -6.5

Arkansas vs. Mississippi State

After opening the season as a massive underdog, Mississippi State now finds the roles reversed and plays its first home game of the season as an 18-point favorite.

The reason for the shift is obvious. No longer are the Bulldogs playing the defending national champions, but instead they are facing the worst team in the SEC.

Many wondered if Mike Leach would be able to successfully transition to the SEC, and his first game offered up an eye-opening answer. Stanford transfer KJ Costello started at quarterback and proved that he was a qualified candidate to run Leach’s offense, as he set an SEC record with 623 passing yards.

Here’s a list of SEC QBs that have thrown for 600 yards in a game:@HailStateFB's @kj_costello

* end of list * pic.twitter.com/wa96xActjM
— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) September 27, 2020

Costello had five touchdowns on 60 pass attempts in a 44-34 victory.

Nothing about Arkansas has been competitive or scary for several years now, and if the Razorbacks don’t have a way to stop Mississippi State, Leach will have zero desire to slow things down and keep it respectable.

Pick: Mississippi State -18

Oklahoma vs. Iowa State

Oklahoma saw its season hit a major roadblock before it even got up to speed. The Sooners lost to Kansas State as one of the biggest favorites of the weekend.

Now Oklahoma must head to Ames to face a team it has struggled with in recent years. Iowa State had a similarly disappointing start to its season but bounced back in Week 4 with a 37-34 victory against TCU.

Iowa State is powered by quarterback, Brock Purdy, but sophomore running back Breece Hall had a tremendous bounce-back game against TCU. Hall ran for 154 yards and three touchdowns.

🚨 75 YARDS TO THE HOUSE 🚨

Touchdown Breece Hall! pic.twitter.com/bEEnueCB2F
— OutCYde the Lines (@OutCYdetheLines) September 26, 2020

Defensive end JaQuan Bailey also had a record-setting day, as he tallied 3.5 sacks to set the all-time ISU record.

Most importantly for Iowa State, however, Purdy’s outlet and star weapon at tight end, Charlie Kolar, made his season debut. Kolar is a 6’6 future NFL prospect from Norman, Oklahoma, and undoubtedly brings extra motivation into this game.

The Cyclones looked lost in Game 1 without him but should be able to keep up with a mediocre Oklahoma defense with him back in the fold.