Week 5 viewing guide: Breaking down a loaded slate of big games, including Oregon-PSU, Georgia-Bama and more
This post is locked and can be read by premium subscribers only.
As I mentioned at the top of this week’s Big Ten Power Rankings, this weekend’s college football slate is absolutely loaded. There’s no such thing as a “good time” for Michigan to have a bye, because any Saturday in the fall that doesn’t have a Michigan game feels very weird. But if you’re going to have a week where Michigan doesn’t play, this weekend is a fantastic time for it to happen. There are four different ranked vs. ranked matchups in college football this weekend, plus some other head-to-head matchups that probably should be ranked vs. ranked — like No. 1 Ohio State traveling out West to take on an unbeaten Washington squad and a nearly unbeaten Auburn squad (that has a legitimate officiating gripe over its lone loss) heading to College Station to take on No. 9 Texas A&M.
For those of you who may need a reminder, this weekly staple typically includes the following:
My breakdown and prediction (both straight and against the spread) of Michigan’s game
My choices for the three biggest Big Ten games of the week that don’t involve Michigan, including predictions straight and against the spread
My choices for the three biggest non-Big Ten games of the weekend, including predictions straight and against the spread
Rapid-fire predictions for all other Big Ten games, both straight and against the spread.
We won’t have the Michigan game breakdown and prediction this week for obvious reasons, but I’ll tack on a fourth Big Ten and a fourth non-Big Ten game to highlight as a trade-off for a Wolverine-less weekend.
So let’s get to it — right below my updated pick standings for the 2025 college football season so far. 👇
2025 results
Michigan games
Straight: 2-2
Against the spread: 2-2
B1G games
Straight: 52-7
Against the spread: 33-26
Overall
Straight: 58-13
Against the spread: 37-34
