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Behold, a spectacular slate of college football games. For those who lamented the lack of horsepower over the past couple of weeks, you were wrong, but there is nothing to grumble about this weekend. We get a top-10 clash in the Big Ten, a pair of SEC blockbusters and a ton of high-stakes action in conference play.

Here are the top 10 games of Week 5, starting with a few honorable mentions and counting down.

Honorable mentions: Cincinnati at Kansas, No. 16 Georgia Tech at Wake Forest, Rutgers at Minnesota, Duke at Syracuse, Louisville at Pitt, No. 15 Tennessee at Mississippi State, Arizona at Iowa State, Appalachian State at Boise State, BYU at Colorado.

(All point spreads are courtesy of BetMGM. All kickoff times are Eastern and on Saturday unless otherwise noted.)

10. No. 8 Florida State (3-0) at Virginia (3-1), Fri., 7 p.m., ESPN

It was a Thursday night, 30 years ago, when Virginia claimed one of the most iconic wins in program history, upsetting No. 2-ranked Florida State 33-28 in Charlottesville. The Cavaliers stopped FSU running back Warrick Dunn just short of the goal line as time expired, handing the Seminoles their first-ever ACC loss and snapping their conference winning streak at 29 games. That historic night will be commemorated Friday as the Hoos, off to an encouraging 3-1 start, don 1995-inspired throwback uniforms and look to pull off another upset. Florida State, which hasn’t had to break a sweat since the opening win over Alabama, will try to ensure history does not repeat itself.

Line: Florida State -7

𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐬.

’95 Throwbacks 🔥#GoHoos 🔶⚔️🔷 pic.twitter.com/SpubWHZbXW

— Virginia Football (@UVAFootball) September 23, 2025

9. No. 11 Indiana (4-0) at Iowa (3-1), 3:30 p.m., Peacock

It was a resounding message, for the haters, from Indiana and coach Curt Cignetti in last week’s 63-10 demolition of No. 9 Illinois. A few doubters will linger until the Hoosiers knock off a more traditional power — and they will have their chances with Oregon and Penn State on the schedule — but coach Cig has his team looking like a College Football Playoff contender once again in just his second season. Quarterback Fernando Mendoza is now the favorite in the Heisman race, and the defense leads the FBS in tackles for loss at 43. Iowa got a nice road win over Rutgers last Friday, and the Hawkeyes always have a tough defense, but the offense will have to break out in a big way as home underdogs.

Line: Indiana -7.5

8. No. 1 Ohio State (3-0) at Washington (3-0), 3:30 p.m., CBS

The top-ranked Buckeyes head to the Pacific Northwest off an idle week against a Washington team that has flown under the radar. The Huskies have won 22 in a row at home in Husky Stadium, with the last loss coming way back in November 2021. Ohio State has the talent advantage and, unlike Washington to this point, was tested in the Week 1 win over Texas — even if that victory is a little less impressive than we all thought at the time. With most of the national and Big Ten attention focused on Happy Valley this weekend, Huskies quarterback Demond Williams Jr. will attempt to lead an upset on the opposite side of the country.

Line: Ohio State -8

7. No. 22 Notre Dame (1-2) at Arkansas (2-2), noon, ABC

The win-loss records suggest this game shouldn’t be on the list, but it’s a fascinating matchup between two teams that can’t play defense. The over/under is 64.5 points, the highest in the nation this weekend, and that still feels too low. Notre Dame’s CFP hopes are on life support after early losses to Miami and Texas A&M, and the Irish now face a dangerous yet mistake-prone Arkansas squad. The Razorbacks have fumbled the ball away on potential game-winning drives each of the past two weeks, but the Irish can’t afford to let Arkansas keep it close and tempt that fate again.

Line: Notre Dame -4.5

6. Auburn (3-1) at No. 9 Texas A&M (3-0), 3:30 p.m., ESPN

The Aggies will be the more rested team, coming off an idle week after the dramatic road win over Notre Dame. Auburn, however, got battered around — and fleeced by the officials — in a close loss to Oklahoma. The Sooners sacked Tigers quarterback Jackson Arnold nine times, which should give coach Mike Elko and his A&M defense plenty of reason and motivation to pin its ears back and get after Arnold. Texas A&M’s dynamic quarterback Marcel Reed is putting up nearly 300 passing yards a game, with 10 total touchdowns and only one interception, but he’s completing only 58.6 percent of his throws.

Line: Texas A&M -6.5

5. No. 24 TCU (3-0) at Arizona State (3-1), Fri., 9 p.m., Fox

Another marquee Friday nighter, this one between a pair of Big 12 contenders that are coming off nice wins. Arizona State kicker Jesus Gomez drilled a 43-yard walk-off field goal to beat Baylor on the road. TCU won the Iron Skillet rivalry against SMU, during which receiver Eric McAlister had eight catches for 254 yards and three touchdowns. The Horned Frogs are humming on offense, averaging 7.4 yards per play, and quarterback Josh Hoover already has 1,000 passing yards through just three games. He’ll look to outduel Sun Devils QB Sam Leavitt and star receiver Jordyn Tyson, the latter leading the Big 12 with 357 receiving yards and five touchdown catches.

Line: Arizona State -3

4. No. 21 USC (4-0) at No. 23 Illinois (3-1), noon, Fox

Is USC for real? The competition hasn’t been tough, but the wins have been convincing, and it may be that coach Lincoln Riley finally has a team that can compete in the Big Ten. Quarterback Jayden Maiava continues to display machine-like efficiency — leading FBS in yards per attempt (12.7) and passing efficiency (208.8) with zero interceptions — and running back Waymond Jordan is electrifying. The Trojans are on the road against an Illinois team that entered the season with great expectations but got boat raced by Indiana and needs to bounce back to avoid falling out of the Big Ten conversation.

Line: USC -6.5

3. No. 17 Alabama (2-1) at No. 5 Georgia (3-0), 7:30 p.m., ABC

It’s a rematch of one of the best games of the 2024 season: the thrilling 41-34 Alabama win, featuring receiver Ryan Williams’ iconic catch-and-spin move to take a late lead. Kalen DeBoer’s squad desperately needs another win before kicking off a brutal stretch of four straight ranked opponents, plus LSU and Oklahoma waiting in November. It’s a chance for quarterback Ty Simpson to earn some recognition after Georgia’s secondary struggled against Tennessee. The Dawgs escaped Knoxville with a win and flashed a potent offense behind quarterback Gunner Stockton. They might need it again inside a rowdy Sanford Stadium on Saturday.

Line: Georgia -3

The stars will shine Saturday night ⭐️#GoDawgs pic.twitter.com/zA92Uni6sG

— Georgia Football (@GeorgiaFootball) September 24, 2025

2. No. 4 LSU (4-0) at No. 13 Ole Miss (4-0), 3:30 p.m., ABC

It should be a good-on-good battle between the LSU defense and the Ole Miss offense. The Tigers have a top-10 scoring defense, averaging single digits in points allowed per game, while the Rebels offense averages nearly 45. Division II transfer quarterback Trinidad Chambliss is expected to start again for Ole Miss after back-to-back games with 300-plus passing yards, going against the Weeks brothers and a star-studded LSU unit. It’s also a chance for LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier and the offense to finally kick into gear (“You’re spoiled! You’re spoiled!”) against an Ole Miss team that gave up 35 points to Arkansas a couple of weeks ago.

Line: Ole Miss -1.5

1. No. 6 Oregon (4-0) at No. 3 Penn State (3-0), 7:30 p.m., NBC

A massive game, but it feels as if the lion’s share of the pressure is on Penn State: night game, White Out, top-10 matchup, with head coach James Franklin’s 4-20 record against top-10 opponents front and center all week. Can Franklin notch a big win? Can quarterback Drew Allar play at a Heisman, first-round NFL level? It seems as if the goal posts are always moving for Penn State — the Playoff wins over SMU and Boise State were quickly deemed insufficient after the loss to Notre Dame — but it comes with the hype. The stakes are high for Oregon as well, which has Indiana on the schedule in a couple of weeks. Neither of these teams faced much resistance in nonconference play, but the winner will justify contender status in the national title race.

Line: Penn State -3.5

(Photo of Dante Moore: Troy Wayrynen / Imagn Images)