The Sunday Slate’s Week 5 Preview for Saturday, October 3 (ET)

Week 4 gave us Florida knocking off Ole Miss, Iowa stunning Michigan, and a Texas-Tennessee thriller, in a hard-to-follow manner. Luckily there is still much intrigue in Week 5. Three Top 25, ranked-against ranked  games teams against each other, Iowa City hosts College GameDay for the first time in two decades, and two undefeated SEC teams led by young phenoms at Quarterback meet in Starkville. Here’s The Sunday Slate’s TV Guide for Saturday, October 3rd.

1. No. 7 Alabama at No. 16 Mississippi State (Noon ET, ABC) · Alabama -6

Both teams are 4-0, but Mississippi State hasn’t beaten the Tide since 2007. Super Kamario Taylor has been unreal this year, but while he completes 74% of his passes when he isn’t blitzed, only 58% of passes are complete when he is. That’s gonna matter with an Alabama team that blitzes on 47% of snaps. The Rolling Tide are led by Keelon Russell who threw for 365 yards and four touchdowns against South Carolina. These are two of the nation’s brightest young stars head-to-head. It is also home to our Prospect Matchup of the Week (WR Ryan Coleman-WIlliams vs. CB Kelley Jones). If you’re going to watch one game this week, make it this one.

2. No. 3 Notre Dame at North Carolina (Noon, ESPN) · Notre Dame -21

UNC is 3-1 under Bill Belichick this season. The question is how competitive the Tar Heels can keep this game against. Notre Dame. The Irish have looked as good as CJ Carr, marching to the beat of the young QB who is easily in Round 1 discussions. The Irish also have a strong defense headlined by stars at all levels – nine players from this defensive unit would get drafted if all eligible declared.

3. No. 5 Ohio State at No. 14 Iowa (3:30, CBS) · Ohio State -14.5

College GameDay is in Iowa City for the first time in 20 years, a week after Iowa beat Michigan on a last-second passing touchdown. This should be a good game, and another Jeremiah Smith showcase.

4. No. 8 Florida at No. 25 Missouri (3:30, ABC) · Florida -5

Florida is 4-0 for the first time in seven years, and its 18 rushing touchdowns lead the FBS. Last Week’s TV Guide Cover Athlete, Jadan Baugh leads the nation with 11 of those rushing touchdowns and 34 forced missed tackles. The clear RB1 should take advantage of a struggling Tiger defense. Missouri is 118th in yards after contact allowed and missed 12 tackles last week. Its own run game is 113th at 4.4 yards per carry without Ahmad Hardy healthy.

5. Auburn at No. 17 Tennessee (3:30, ESPN) · Tennessee -7

Both teams are 3-1. With Auburn coming off a win over Vanderbilt, but they have a rough schedule ahead: at Tennessee, at Georgia, LSU, then at Ole Miss. A loss here would start that stretch on a bad note.

6. No. 24 Kentucky at South Carolina (4:15, SEC Network) · South Carolina -3

Kentucky (3-1) is still ranked, though its road win at Texas A&M looks weaker as A&M struggles. South Carolina (2-2) got blown out at Alabama, and edge rusher Dylan Stewart is suspended indefinitely after a punch to an opposing tight end and a run-in with the whole SC staff.

7. No. 10 BYU at TCU (7, ESPN) · BYU -6.5

BYU leads the Big 12 with 7.9 yards per play and is beating teams such as Utah Tech by 28 on average. BYU QB Bear Bachmeier had 355 total yards and two touchdowns against TCU last year.

8. No. 4 Miami at Clemson (7:30, ABC) · Miami -17

Clemson has the second-worst pass offense in the nation by EPA per pass, and true freshman Tait Reynolds is starting. Miami has the best run defense in the Power Four by EPA. Mensah still has more touchdowns (14) than incompletions (12), with 88.7% completions. Mensah is an elite 2027 option, and he’s up against a Clemson secondary that has allowed just 4.8 yards per attempt since Week 2.

9. Washington at No. 18 USC (7:30, NBC) · USC -10

Washington (3-1) lost to Minnesota after Demond Williams Jr. threw two costly interceptions. USC (4-1) is coming off a home loss to Oregon. Linebacker Desman Stephens II is suspended for this game after a penalized hit on Oregon’s Dante Moore, and Lincoln Riley’s hot seat is heating up. This will be another good opportunity for QB Jayden Maiava to build upon his draft stock.

10. No. 12 Texas Tech at Colorado

Texas Tech has struggled to match last season’s quality of play, which explains how BYU has become the Big 12 favorite. A road win would help the Red Raiders’ case, but a loss would add to the doubts.

11. Vanderbilt at No. 2 Georgia

Georgia is the second-ranked team in the country. Vanderbilt is coming off a loss to Auburn and heads to Athens as a heavy underdog.

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