CFB Pick 'Em: Top Week 5 Games, Including Alabama-Mississippi State, Ohio State-Iowa

Conference play is heating up as college football’s Week 5 gets underway.

The action kicks off Friday night on FOX with a huge Big Ten showdown as Northwestern opens its new $862 million stadium against Penn State.

The SEC also takes center stage with No. 7 Alabama heading to Starkville to face No. 16 Mississippi State. Can Kamario Taylor keep his incredible Heisman Trophy run going and lead the Bulldogs to an upset over the Crimson Tide?

Then on "Big Noon Kickoff," Minnesota hosts Michigan, looking to build off last week’s win over Washington. Can the Gophers keep the momentum going and hand Michigan its second straight loss?

The Hawkeyes are coming off a dramatic win over Michigan, but now get an even bigger test against Ohio State. Can Iowa deliver another stunner at Kinnick Stadium, or will Jeremiah Smith and the Buckeyes continue their conference dominance? 

And at night, Clemson gets an opportunity to re-announce itself to the college football world if it can pull off a huge upset win over No. 4 Miami. Out west, Lincoln Riley and USC face another major test at home. Can the Trojans avoid back-to-back Big Ten home losses and prove the doubters wrong?

Here are our expert picks for the biggest matchups of the Week 5 college football season.

2026 College Football Expert Picks Week 5

College football Saturday in Week 5 kicks off with some notable big games, including No. 7 Alabama at No. 16 Mississippi State (noon ET, ABC), Michigan at Minnesota (noon ET, FOX) and No. 5 Ohio State at No. 14 Iowa (3:30 p.m. ET, CBS).

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