Latest College Football Odds and Picks Factoring in New Weather Forecasts for Week 5 Schedule

A handful of the biggest brands in college football hit the road for potentially tricky matchups in Week 5.

The Alabama Crimson Tide and Ohio State Buckeyes each have Top 20 matchups on the road within their conference against opponents with a ton to prove on the national stage.

Seven of the top 10 teams in the AP Top 25 will play on the road in Week 5.

Alabama's trip to face the Mississippi State Bulldogs is fascinating because of the quarterback battle.

Ohio State's visit to Iowa City to play the Iowa Hawkeyes kicks off a stretch of four games against ranked foes in the next five.

All of the forecasts for Week 5's college football slate can be found here on The Weather Channel.

No. 3 Notre Dame (-21.5) at North Carolina

Prediction: Notre Dame 37, North Carolina 13

No. 7 Alabama (-5.5) at No. 16 Mississippi State

Forecast: Chance of Showers, High of 86°F

Prediction: Alabama 34, Mississippi State 27

Forecast: Chance of Showers, High of 85°F

No. 24 Kentucky at South Carolina (-2.5)

Forecast: Chance of Showers, High of 87°F

Prediction: South Carolina 26, Kentucky 23

Utah State at No. 22 Boise State (-20.5)

Schedule: 7:30 p.m. ET, CBS Sports Network

Prediction: Boise State 41, Utah State 17

You'd be hard pressed to find a better quarterback matchup than the one on display in Starkville on Saturday.

Alabama's first-year starter Keelon Russell accounted for 11 touchdowns in the first four games. The Crimson Tide eclipsed the 40-point mark in all of those contests.

Mississippi State's Kamario Taylor has taken the college football world by storm with his 14 touchdown passes and dual-threat ability.

Saturday presents Taylor and Mississippi State with a massive opportunity to announce itself as a College Football Playoff contender.

Alabama's already gone on the road and won in the SEC with Russell at the helm. The Crimson Tide used a fourth-quarter surge after a tight three quarters to beat the Kentucky Wildcats 45-17 in Week 2.

Russell likely learned a decent amount from that game about what life on the road in the SEC is like. That will be valuable to him in Starkville amid the loud clanging of the cowbells in the stands.

Alabama is the toughest defense Taylor faced in his young career. Sure, he has three wins against power-conference opponents, but none of them carried the quality of Alabama's defense.

Alabama held three of its four opponents under 20 points. Mississippi State let up 34 and 24 points in its first two SEC contests.

The quarterbacks will absolutely make some jaw-dropping plays, but the defense that gets one or two key stops will deliver the victory. Right now, the Crimson Tide have the more trustworthy unit on that side of the ball.

The Ohio State Buckeyes have one of the toughest five-week stretches in the sport upcoming.

The run that includes four Top 25 opponents begins at Kinnick Stadium against an Iowa Hawkeyes team that surged up to No. 14 following its last-second road win over the Michigan Wolverines.

Iowa is still a tier below Ohio State in the Big Ten in terms of potential playoff contenders, but its got a shot at the Buckeyes at home on Saturday.

The Hawkeyes, by the way, could be a playoff team even with a loss because they don't have any other ranked opponents on their schedule.

Iowa hasn't allowed an opponent to score over 20 points yet this season. Its defensive resolve will be tested by the Jeremiah Smith-led Buckeyes offense that scored over 40 points on three occasions.

Ohio State needs a win in Iowa City to kick off a stretch that includes trips to face the Indiana Hoosiers and USC Trojans and the Oregon Ducks at home.

The winning formula could be something as simple as overwhelming Iowa with Smith, Bo Jackson and the rest of the star power inside the Ohio State offense.

Smith put up over 150 receiving yards in three of his four games and is coming off a four-touchdown performance. He's borderline unstoppable at the moment, even for an Iowa defense that is typically sound as a unit.

Iowa might not be able to slow down Smith for four quarters, but it has the potential to contain him for stretches of the game, which is why the Hawkeyes are a fascinating underdog on the spread.

The Hawkeyes are capable of keeping the game within two scores, and as long as the spread hangs a half-point over 14, it's worth biting at Iowa to cover.

Expert CFB Locks for Week 5's Biggest Games 🔒