Best College Football Games Today on TV | Week 5 2025

Watch Oregon vs. Penn State | NBC, Peacock

We’ve got one big takeaway four weeks into the season: preseason predictions are hard! Clemson’s six feet under, Arch Manning’s likely in Austin for another year, and Week 4’s playoff favorites look way different than Week 0’s picks.

For instance, the Nittany Lions were slotted in as this year’s “veteran-laden team coming back for one last playoff run.” They took care of a soft non-conference slate, but quarterback Drew Allar’s streaky play (once again) has fans agitated. He mustered only four total touchdowns against teams like Nevada and Villanova and ranks well behind the competition in efficiency stats like expected points added (EPA) per dropback (94th) and passing success rate (42nd).

By comparison, Dante Moore looks like Oregon’s latest world-beater under center, and the Ducks have the scoring margins befitting of a playoff contender. They’re a perfect 4–0 after nuking teams like Oklahoma State (69–3), Northwestern (34–14), and Oregon State (41–7).

For Penn State, their playoff campaign hinges on its matchups against Oregon, Ohio State, and Indiana. Their defense and running game remain legit, and transfer receivers Trebor Peña and Kyron Hudson have given their wideout room some much-needed juice.

But the Nittany Lions will need Allar to live up to his NFL draft hype if they want to stay in the Big Ten playoff race. If the Ducks can beat Penn State, they’ll have a favorable remaining runway to a spot in Indianapolis and another playoff berth.

Watch Florida State at Virginia | ESPN

What’s better than a good clearance aisle run at the store? Florida State scored a solid deal on their yellow-tagged Transfer Portal Class/Gus Malzahn, as they blew through their non-conference slate post-Alabama and rank in the top 10 by scoring and rushing yards.

Ahead of next week’s potential ACC-deciding matchup against Miami, they’ll have a solid appetizer of a game against a spicy Virginia team. The Cavs’ passing game and Chandler Morris are borderline top ten by the stats, and they’ll be a tricky matchup for the Noles’ secondary.

Watch UCLA at Northwestern | Big Ten Network

If you’re into Sickos-tier rubbernecking, it’s hard to beat the number of storylines going into this matchup. The Bruins’ season is already in the ditch, as they’re still winless and fired coach DeShaun Foster after an uncompetitive loss to New Mexico.

They’ll face off against a similarly hapless Northwestern team that’s scored only 10 non-garbage time points this season against major conference opposition. And most concerningly, Northwestern’s favored by nearly a touchdown^* over UCLA. Legally, this is football, and someone will win this game. But should anyone? That’s a different question.

^{*Fun with stats: the last time Northwestern was favored in a conference home game was 2023. This’ll also be the most Northwestern has been favored by in conference play since a 2020 matchup against Illinois.}

Watch Bowling Green vs Ohio | CBS Sports Network

Firstly: Pudge! Pudge! Pudge!

Secondly, Bowling Green’s been surprisingly solid in Eddie George’s first year in charge. The Falcons are sitting at a 2–2 record with expected Power 5 losses to Cincinnati and Louisville bookending a big upset win over Liberty. They’ll face off against Parker Navarro and a stout Ohio Bobcats squad.

Watch LSU vs. Ole Miss | ABC
Watch Alabama vs. Georgia | ABC

For impartial observers, part of the fun of the current-day SEC is seeing blue-bloods mucking it down here with the rest of us. (Fans of said teams likely want to defenestrate their coordinators, but that’s a different conversation.)

Beyond being a standoff between “Boy, Surely Lane Kiffin’s Got It Going This Year” and “Brian Kelly Dealing With LSU’s Expectations,” the winner of Ole Miss–LSU will land atop the SEC’s standings. LSU’s spotty offense can be partially chalked up to Garrett Nussmeier’s injury, but the Tigers’ defense will have their hands full with the Rebels and Trinidad Chambliss.

Elsewhere in the SEC, Alabama–Georgia should give us a progress report on Alabama’s consistency ahead of a grueling four-game stretch that includes Vandy, Missouri, and Tennessee. We’ll also be tracking the soundness of Georgia’s secondary after Tennessee set it ablaze in the Bulldogs’ narrow 44–41 win earlier this month.

(We’ll give one more mini-shoutout to Arkansas–Notre Dame, which has three things going for it.

1. It’s Notre Dame’s first-ever game against Arkansas.
2. Arkansas’s offense against Notre Dame’s defense is a stellar matchup between two highly movable objects.
3. Sam Pittman’s luck has to bounce back eventually?)
   

Watch Rice vs. Navy | CBS Sports Network

Texas football observers and people watching their carbs have long agreed on one thing: Rice is bad.

But after hiring head coach Scott Abell away from Davidson and installing the option, 3–1 Rice (football) is off to their best start since 2001. They’ll play a Navy squad that’s sitting atop the American’s standings with big wins over UAB and Tulsa.

Watch Ohio State vs. Washington | CBS, Paramount+

Compared to other Big Ten West schools, 3–0 Washington operated fairly under the radar this season. They didn’t have any marquee non-conference matchups, and their most notable win was a 59–24 Apple Cup blowout over Washington State.

But they’ve sneakily become one of this season’s most interesting teams offensively. Quarterback Demond Williams Jr. ranks fourth nationally in quarterback ranking, and the Huskies rank second nationally in net EPA per offensive play. Although the Huskies’ defense is mostly average, their offense will be a tough stress test for Matt Patricia and the Buckeyes defense.

To write this weekly college football schedule page, we consult official sources from the NCAA and individual conferences, cross-referencing broadcast information with each network. Our Game Day Spotlight picks are chosen based on key factors like Top 25 rankings, historic rivalries, and their potential impact on the playoff race. All TV recommendations are backed by the CableTV.com team’s extensive experience and in-depth service reviews.

Check out our How We Rank page to learn more about our methods for reviewing TV services.