Welcome to Week 5 of the college football season — I hope you don’t have plans.
Not only are conference matchups heating up, but we’ve got our busiest weekend of the year on tap.
Blockbusters include Alabama at Georgia, LSU at Ole Miss, and Oregon at Penn State.
However, we also have huge ranked opponents on the road, such as Ohio State at Washington, Indiana at Iowa, USC at Illinois, and Florida State at Virginia.
It’s put-up or shut-up time for teams like Notre Dame (at Arkansas!), Kansas State (vs. UCF), and Syracuse (vs. Duke). Coming off a week of wild finishes, it’s also situational spot galore (I’ll let you read to the end of the article for that one).
So, check out the whole Week 5 rundown. We have a comprehensive article packed with tons of information on line movement, matchups, injuries, and more.
Let's dive into the college football odds, NCAAF lines and more for Week 5.
Notable College Football Week 5 Line Movement
- East Carolina moved through a key betting figure at home, from -2.5 to -4.5, against Army
- Oregon fell from a +6.5 underdog at Penn State to +3.5
- Marshall fell through a key figure, from +3.5 to +1.5, at Louisiana
- Arkansas dropped from a +10.5 home ‘dog to +5.5 against Notre Dame. The point total jumped from 58.5 to 64.5
- USC rose from a -1.5 favorite at Illinois at -6.5
- Duke moved away from a key number, up from -3.5 to -5.5, at Syracuse
- James Madison jumped from a -12.5 favorite to a -16.5 favorite at Georgia Southern
- Washington fell from a +12.5 home ‘dog against Ohio State to +8.5
- Auburn fell through a key number, from +7.5 to +6.5, at Texas A&M
- Indiana jumped from a -2.5 favorite at Iowa to -7.5 — through two key numbers
- Ole Miss flipped from a +1.5 home ‘dog to a -2.5 home favorite against LSU
- UConn flipped from a +1.5 road ‘dog at Buffalo to a -3 favorite
- New Mexico jumped from a -8 favorite to -14 against rival New Mexico State at home
- Old Dominion rose from a -9.5 home favorite to -16.5 against Liberty
- Missouri State moved off a key figure, from +7 to +5.5, at Western Kentucky
- Arizona fell through a key number, from +7.5 to +6.5, at Iowa State
- Southern Miss moved through a key betting figure, from -2.5 to -4, at home against Jacksonville State
- Colorado State moved off a key number, from -3 to -4.5, at home against Washington State
- South Carolina moved away from a key number, from -3.5 to -6.5, at home against Kentucky.
Week 5 Coaching & Matchup Notes
Houston vs. Oregon State
- Houston leads the all-time series, 2-1 (last: 1970).
- Oregon State returns home after back-to-back road losses to Oregon (41-7) and Texas Tech (45-14). Oregon State is 0-4 outright and against the spread this year.
- Houston comes off its first bye week and previously played at home. It has not left the city of Houston yet (lone road game came two miles down the road at Rice).
- The Cougars are 3-0 both outright and ATS this year.
- Houston is dealing with cluster injuries to its offensive line, as four of its five starters missed the last game due to injury.
- Oregon State also has widespread offensive line injuries.
South Alabama vs. North Texas
- North Texas leads this series, 2-0, including taking the win last year as a six-point road ‘dog.
- The Mean Green are seeking their first 5-0 start to a season since 1959. That season marked the lone appearance in the AP Poll for UNT, which played in the Sun Bowl.
- South Alabama plays its second road game in three weeks and hits the road again next week.
- The Jaguars come off an outright loss to Coastal Carolina at home as a 14.5-point favorite.
- Major Applewhite is 3-6 ATS against non-conference opponents at South Alabama and 7-12 ATS in his career against non-conference foes.
- These teams are a combined 6-2 to the over this season.
New Mexico State vs. New Mexico
- New Mexico leads the Rio Grande Rivalry, 74-35-5. It is the 31st-most-played rivalry in college football and the 25th-longest-running active rivalry. This rivalry dates back to 1894.
- Both teams come off a bye week.
- Tony Sanchez is just 1-7 straight up coming off a bye week as a head coach (0-2 at New Mexico State).
- The Aggies play a short week ahead, hosting Sam Houston State (coming off a bye) on Thursday.
- The home team is just 1-6 ATS in the last seven meetings.
Liberty vs. Old Dominion
- Liberty leads the all-time series, 4-1 (last: 2023), and has won each of the last four (4-0 ATS).
- Watch the weather here! Early forecasts suggest rain on Saturday in Norfolk.
- This is the third road game in four weeks for Liberty, whose only home game in that stretch came in a loss to James Madison last week. Liberty set a new stadium capacity record in the game.
- Old Dominion comes off a bye, the second straight Liberty opponent to enter with a rest advantage.
- Liberty starting quarterback Ethan Vasko left Week 4 in a sling and is unlikely to play.
Memphis vs. FAU
- First regular-season meeting ever. Teams split the first two matchups (2007, 2020), both of which took place in bowl games.
- Watch the weather here! Early forecasts suggest rain and thunderstorms in Boca Raton on Saturday.
- Memphis comes off a major upset over Arkansas at home.
- The Tigers play their third road game in four weeks while FAU comes off its first bye week.
- FAU runs the fastest tempo in the country, averaging just 18.7 seconds per play; the Owls also throw the ball with the third-highest frequency in the country (65.2%).
- Ryan Silverfield is 6-9 ATS as a road favorite while at Memphis (2-0 this year at Georgia State, Troy).
- Since 2020, Memphis is 4-8 ATS as a road favorite against conference foes.
Impact Injuries on Week 5 Odds
Florida State vs. Virginia
Florida State starting quarterback Thomas Castellanos exited the Seminoles’ Week 4 win over Kent State with an injury. Though he did not return to the game, Castellanos remained dressed and was likely held out of the 66-10 blowout as a precaution.
He should be good to go, but it's best to monitor the news anyway. Virginia is still without a key defender, linebacker Kam Robinson, and starting tackle Makilan Thomas, both of whom were hurt before the season began.
Duke vs. Syracuse
Syracuse lost starting quarterback Steve Angeli for the remainder of the season. Angeli suffered a torn Achilles tendon in the Orange’s 34-21 upset win at Clemson last week.
LSU transfer Rickie Collins went 3-for-8 with a touchdown pass in cleanup duty against the Tigers. Starting defensive back Duce Chestnut was seriously limited in the win, playing just five snaps.
Notre Dame vs. Arkansas
Notre Dame’s injury luck continues into 2025. Starting end Jordan Bothelo and tackle Charles Jagusah are both recovering from long-term injuries that may cause them both to miss a second consecutive season. Tight end Kevin Bauman stepped away from football in August and was expected to see time.
In addition, two starting defensive backs, Leonard Moore and DeVonta Smith, sat out last week (Smith hasn’t played since Week 1). Kicker Noah Burnette also missed the win over Purdue. This is a banged-up team already struggling defensively.
Tulane vs. Tulsa
Tulsa starting quarterback Kirk Francis was a late scratch from Friday’s win over Oklahoma State due to a concussion. Baylor Hayes played in his place, completing 23-of-36 passes for 219 yards and a touchdown.
Tennessee vs. Mississippi State
Tennessee is still without both starting cornerbacks this season. Jermod McCoy remains a week-to-week player while Rickey Gibson III is out for an extended period of time. The Vols have been worse against the pass than the run in the short season.
Other Impact Injuries for College Football Week 5
- Jam Miller, RB, Alabama
- Kani Walker, CB, Arkansas
- Conner Lew, C, Auburn
- Amari Jackson, CB, Boston College
- Owen Stoudemire, DT, Boston College
- Dorian Pringle, LB, Bowling Green (season)
- Will Heldt, DE, Clemson
- A’Khoury Lyde, CB, Delaware
- Zach Marker, QB, Delaware
- Caleb Banks, DT, Florida
- Machai Boireau, DT, Florida
- George Gumbs Jr., DE, Florida
- Nick Cenacle, WR, Hawaii
- David Ndukwe, LT, Houston (season)
- A’tiq Muhammed, CB, Kent State
- Ethan Vasko, QB, Liberty
- Stanquan Clark, LB, Louisville (season)
- Dequan Finn, QB, Miami (OH)
- Cayden Green, LT, Missouri
- Christo Kelly, C, North Carolina
- Gio Lopez, QB, North Carolina
- Michael Fasusi, OT, Oklahoma
- Victor Gabalis, QB, Tarleton State
- Bryce Anderson, SAF, Texas A&M
- Brandon Rose, QB, UMass
- Ja'Kobi Lane, WR, USC
- Rabbit Evans, DB, Utah (season)
Staff & Roster Impacts on College Football Week 5
Despite strong calls for Mike Gundy, Billy Napier, Chris Ash, and Luke Fickell to be canned, no additional coaching changes have been made as of Monday. These coaches are unlikely to be fired, at least for another week.
As the season progresses, prepare for changes in play callers and head coaches.
College Football Situational Spots to Watch in Week 5
USC vs. Illinois
USC plays this game at 9:00 a.m. internally (Pacific Time). Since 2013, USC is 1-12 outright and just 1-13 ATS when playing in Central and Eastern time.
Illinois comes off a potentially deflating 63-10 blowout loss to Indiana last week and now must host the Big Noon Kickoff, which was chosen and announced before the Indiana game.
Duke vs. Syracuse
Syracuse comes off an emotional upset win over Clemson (though “upset” may be debated in retrospect, we’ll see), and it will tackle the rest of the season without starting quarterback Steve Angeli, who suffered a torn Achilles in the victory.
That kind of injury could be deflating to the team, especially after such a big program win. Duke took care of business against NC State last week at home.
Cal vs. Boston College
Cal travels across the country fresh off an embarrassing 34-0 home loss to San Diego State.
Boston College comes off a bye — the second straight Cal opponent to have a rest advantage — and has the benefit of playing at home. This is Cal’s longest road trip of the season.
San Diego State vs. Northern Illinois
The Aztecs head east for their only game not played in Central or Eastern time. This is a future conference matchup as NIU is set to join the Mountain West next season.
SDSU comes off a massive 34-0 upset over Cal from last week, while NIU returns home from a loss at Mississippi State.
Tulane vs. Tulsa
Tulsa comes off its first win over rival Oklahoma State last week, down its starting quarterback. This emotional win came on the road and marked the Golden Hurricane’s first win over the Pokes since 1998.
Tulane comes in after losing big to regional rival Ole Miss. Watch for a major get-right spot for Tulane as it begins conference play and a letdown spot for Tulsa, which lost its other two FBS games.
Liberty vs. Old Dominion
Liberty plays its third road game in four weeks and its second straight opponent with a rest advantage. Last week, Liberty lost starting quarterback Ethan Vasko to injury, who was seen in a sling and did not return to the game.
The Flames are 0-3 over their last three games (at Jacksonville State, at Bowling Green, vs. James Madison). Old Dominion enters with a rest advantage at home.
Memphis vs. FAU
Memphis comes off its big upset win over Arkansas at home last week. This is also the Tigers’ third road game in four weeks.
Ryan Silverfield is 6-9 ATS as a road favorite during his tenure at Memphis, though he is 2-0 this year. FAU runs the fastest tempo in the country (18.7 seconds per play).
Appalachian State vs. Boise State
Boise State returns home after a wild 49-37 win at Air Force, and will go on the road next week to play Notre Dame.
Appalachian State comes off a bye week and is an easily-overlooked opponent at just 2-1 (1-1 against FBS foes).
Louisiana Tech vs. UTEP
Louisiana Tech is 0-8 outright in its last eight games as a road favorite. This is the first time the Bulldogs will leave the state of Louisiana this season.
Louisiana Tech heads on bye next week and then plays just one game in 24 days!
UTEP comes off a loss to ULM but remains at home.
