5 College Football Games to Watch: Week 5 Playoff Implications

5. Boise State (-7.5) vs. Washington State

Boise State is one of the primary contenders for the Group of Five automatic bid (which goes to the highest-ranked conference champion so Washington State does not qualify for that spot and would need to grab an at-large spot). They host the Washington State Cougars on Saturday night. Boise State has a superstar at running back but the rest of the offense has not shown much to scare opposing defenses. Washington State has a quarterback capable of putting up points and keeping the Cougs in this matchup. John Mateer is a fun player to watch and he has thrown for 1102 yards with 11 touchdowns plus 425 rushing yards and five touchdowns. This game will likely be a shootout and the Cougars have the better quarterback, making them a live underdog in this game. The news that UNLV's starting QB has decided to redshirt the season has perhaps taken one contender from Mountain West out of the picture and opened the door wider for the Broncos.

2. Notre Dame (-6.5) vs. Louisville

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish have a couple of dominant wins and a shocking loss to Northern Illinois (who lost to Buffalo this past weekend) and have struggled mightily in the passing game with Riley Leonard at quarterback. Do they have a true difference-maker on offense? The Louisville Cardinals just played a strong rushing attack and a mobile quarterback as they hosted Haynes King and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. Leonard and King are quite similar and Louisville limited the Yellow Jackets on the ground (2.6 yards per carry in 37 rushing attempts) very effectively. The Cardinals can be had through the air but Notre Dame does not look capable of exploiting that potential weakness. Louisville won this matchup last season 33-20, and they are now getting nearly seven points against the Irish. A loss for Notre Dame would probably eliminate them from playoff contention while Louisville is a dark-horse contender for an at-large and a real threat to land in the ACC Championship Game.

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3. Penn State (-17.5) vs. Illinois

Penn State remains a bit of a mystery. They have an opening week victory over West Virginia but the Mountaineers have not particularly impressed this season. They followed up that win with a real struggle against a solid Bowling Green squad and then bludgeoned the overmatched Kent State Golden Flashes. Andy Kotelnicki has undoubtedly improved the offense but Illinois will offer a stiffer challenge than they have faced thus far. The defense will also be tested by an efficient and balanced Illinois offense and the Illini have already been road-tested. Penn State is staring at a golden opportunity to make the College Football Playoff if they can reach their projected record of 11-1 (with a loss to Ohio State on November 2). The Nittany Lions don’t play Oregon or Michigan so would 10-2 with losses to Illinois and Ohio State get them into the 12-team field? Probably not. Illinois has begun the season with wins over Kansas and Nebraska and they can begin to dream about a special season in Champaign. Despite entering as a heavy underdog, the Illini are capable of making this really interesting.

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4. Georgia (-2.5) at Alabama

Regardless of the outcome, Georgia and Alabama are both still likely to make the College Football Playoff. This game is still a mammoth clash with huge implications for a spot in the SEC Championship Game and a chance to earn one of the automatic byes. Someone has to be the underdog and in this case, it is the Alabama Crimson Tide. Kirby Smart’s Georgia Bulldogs travel to Tuscaloosa as 2.5-point favorites against Alabama. Alabama being an underdog at home is a rarity: the Crimson Tide have not been in this scenario since November of 2007 (they were 6.5 point dogs to LSU and lost 41-34). This is the beginning of a new era in this rivalry for SEC supremacy as Kalen DeBoer takes on Smart for the first time as the head coach in Tuscaloosa. Georgia looked awesome in the second half of the season opener against Clemson and then they overwhelmed a weak opponent but they were poor on offense and were fortunate to survive at Kentucky before a bye week. Jalen Milroe is comfortable at home and the Crimson Tide has athletes on defense who can match up with UGA’s skill players. Alabama getting points, especially at home, is a rarity and UGA knows they’ll need an “A” game to win.

5. Boise State (-7.5) vs. Washington State

Boise State is one of the primary contenders for the Group of Five automatic bid (which goes to the highest-ranked conference champion so Washington State does not qualify for that spot and would need to grab an at-large spot). They host the Washington State Cougars on Saturday night. Boise State has a superstar at running back but the rest of the offense has not shown much to scare opposing defenses. Washington State has a quarterback capable of putting up points and keeping the Cougs in this matchup. John Mateer is a fun player to watch and he has thrown for 1102 yards with 11 touchdowns plus 425 rushing yards and five touchdowns. This game will likely be a shootout and the Cougars have the better quarterback, making them a live underdog in this game. The news that UNLV's starting QB has decided to redshirt the season has perhaps taken one contender from Mountain West out of the picture and opened the door wider for the Broncos.