College Football Week 5 Expert Picks

Our Sportsbook Review analysts have assembled a list of their top predictions for the Week 5 matchups. These selections are based on the best NCAAF odds from our best sports betting apps, making this page your primary source for our best picks on Saturday.

After an eventful college football weekend last week, we now turn our attention to a Week 5 schedule that might not match the same level of excitement. However, given the limited number of weeks in a college football season, each Saturday remains pivotal during the fall.

Our Sportsbook Review crew is here to help by offering our favorite college football picks and predictions for Week 5. They've also gone deeper on many of these matchups with our college football Week 5 player props, college football Week 5 predictions, and college football Week 5 upset picks.

Here are our best college football bets for Week 5 (odds via our best college football betting sites; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).

College football Top 25 schedule

(Odds via FanDuel)

• No. 6 Penn State (-26.5) at Northwestern
• No. 8 USC (-21.5) at Colorado
• No. 22 Florida at Kentucky (-1.5)
• No. 1 Georgia (-14.5) at Auburn
• No. 2 Michigan (-17.5) at Nebraska
• No. 24 Kansas at No. 3 Texas (-16.5)
• No. 13 LSU (-2.5) at No. 20 Ole Miss
• No. 11 Notre Dame (-5.5) at No. 17 Duke
• South Carolina at No. 21 Tennessee (-11.5)
• No. 12 Alabama (-14.5) at Mississippi State

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College football Week 5 expert picks

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College football Week 5 top picks

Kaytron Allen Over 60.5 rushing yards (-114 via FanDuel) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Penn State should make quick work of the Northwestern Wildcats Saturday afternoon, especially since the Nittany Lions are nearly four-touchdown favorites. That could mean more work for running back Kaytron Allen, who's considered the 1B option in the PSU backfield with Nicholas Singleton.

The latter's rushing prop is nearly 18 yards higher, despite the fact we project both running backs to finish with around 75 rushing yards. Allen is averaging 70 rushing yards per game through four weeks, clearing this mark twice thus far, which includes a 21-carry, 72-yard performance against Iowa last week.

PSU would be wise to feed the hot hand in a week where Northwestern really doesn’t stand a chance. With the rest of the best sports betting apps sitting as high as 67.5, we are taking advantage of a discount at FanDuel for this five-star pick.

–– Shane Jackson (SBR | Twitter/X)

Blake Corum Under 91.5 rushing yards (-114 via FanDuel) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Michigan RB Blake Corum scores touchdowns for the Wolverines with such frequency that most sportsbooks aren't even offer anytime touchdown odds for the talented senior. His rushing yardage props are also scarce leading up to Saturday’s matchup at Nebraska, but FanDuel lists the prop, and it’s a higher number than I would’ve expected given the tendencies of Jim Harbaugh’s offense.

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Corum has cleared 91.5 rushing yards twice in four games this season. But in general, he’s needed to be remarkably efficient to get there on the limited rushing workload early in the year. Michigan typically looks to spread the wealth around the backfield, and after Donovan Edwards received just six carries for 13 yards during last week’s win over Rutgers, it feels like this could be a week when the Wolverines look to get him more involved alongside Corum.

JJ McCarthy should also command a number of rushing touches as Michigan seeks alternative paths to beating the Cornhuskers on the ground. To date, Nebraska has allowed just 46.3 rushing yards per game, which ranks second in the nation. Corum is a name that casual bettors want to back, so it feels as though FanDuel has set this line beyond where his anticipated usage would suggest it should be.

–– Brenden Schaeffer (SBR | Twitter/X)

Michael Penix Jr. Over 3.5 passing touchdowns (-122 via FanDuel) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Michael Penix Jr. is coming off a season when he threw for 4,641 yards (a UW single-season record), 31 touchdowns, and led the nation in passing yards per game (357). In addition, his 81.1 QBR ranked 13th-best in FBS. Thus, perhaps we should not be surprised that Penix is off to the start he is, as Washington was one of two FBS programs to return multiple 1,000-yard receivers from last year, and he is protected by an offensive line that finished leading the country in tackles for loss allowed and second in sacks allowed.

Penix has the second-highest PFF grade (93.8) of all FBS quarterbacks, while leading the country in passing yards (1,630) and touchdowns (16), and ranks second in passing efficiency (209.58). 

Penix has eviscerated four defenses that rank 55th or lower in total defense, and is likely licking his chops to face a Wildcats defense that ranks fourth in the Pac-12 in passing yards per game, despite facing just one opponent of its first four that ranks in the top 66 in the country in passing.

Though sharps have driven this total down rapidly from an opening number of 70.5 at several sportsbooks to as low as 65.5, the Huskies still have a team total of 42.5, so Penix is still a great value play to throw four-plus touchdowns via FanDuel at -122 odds.

–– Mike Spector (SBR | Twitter/X)

Garrett Shrader Under 1.5 passing touchdowns (-155 via bet365) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The storyline entering this game is that the Syracuse Orange always play the Clemson Tigers well. And that is true. This will be Shrader’s third start against the Tigers, and his team lost by a combined nine points in his previous two.

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However, despite one-score games each of the last two years, Shrader has not put up great numbers to help his team get there. In each of his previous two starts against the Tigers, he threw for exactly one touchdown pass. 

Last week, the Tigers kept Jordan Travis in check, and his second touchdown pass of the game didn’t come until overtime. Another worrying thing to consider is that Shrader has six rushing touchdowns this season. In the red zone, he may elect to just keep the ball himself, which will cut into his passing touchdowns.

–– Phil Wood (SBR | Twitter/X)

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