Naps and caffeine will likely come in handy Saturday for college football fans seeking to bask in the full glory of a Week 5 slate that delivers the goods from noon until the middle of the night for viewers in the Eastern time zone. With conference action heating up around the country, there are an abundance of quality games to monitor, including a couple of marquee matchups in the evening slate.
The highlight is No. 2 Georgia's trip to No. 4 Alabama as first-year Crimson Tide coach Kalen DeBoer puts his team in the national spotlight against the UGA dynasty. It will be an early measuring stick for DeBoer as the Crimson Tide take on a Georgia team that should be eager for revenge. The last time they met, Alabama beat the Bulldogs in the 2023 SEC title game, knocking the Bulldogs out of the College Football Playoff as legendary coach Nick Saban claimed one final victory over pupil Kirby Smart.
Another top-20 matchup will be occurring in Big Ten country as No. 9 Penn State hosts No. 19 Illinois. The surging Illini have already beaten two ranked teams this season and will be eager to pick off a third inside what figures to be a raucous Beaver Stadium
But when those games end, the action will be far from over. The day's fourth window includes three more solid matchups involving ranked teams out west as No. 8 Oregon, No. 10 Utah and No. 25 Boise State will each be in action with games that begin at 10 p.m. Eastern or later.
Here's a viewer's guide to help you navigate through all of Saturday's action.
All times Eastern
The best games
No. 20 Oklahoma State at No. 23 Kansas State -- noon on ESPN, fuboTV (try for free): Kansas State was picked to finish second in the Big 12, and Oklahoma State was picked to finish third. Both are coming off humbling losses and need wins to stay in the conference title hunt. Can the Oklahoma State offensive line do enough to finally get star running back Ollie Gordon going?
No. 15 Louisville at No. 16 Notre Dame -- 3:30 p.m. on Peacock: Is Louisville legit? We'll find out as the Cardinals try for a repeat of last season's 33-20 win over the Fighting Irish. Notre Dame has home-field advantage this time and plenty to prove as it continues cleansing the palate from a Week 2 loss against Northern Illinois.
Wisconsin at No. 13 USC -- CBS, CBSSports.com, CBS Sports App (Free), Paramount+ with Showtime: USC is searching for its first Big Ten victory after coming up just short at Michigan last week. The Badgers are coming off a bye and trying to regroup after losing starting quarterback Tyler Van Dyke for the season in a blowout Week 3 loss to Alabama.
No. 19 Illinois at No. 9 Penn State -- 7:30 p.m. on NBC, fuboTV (try for free): Winning at Nebraska at one thing. But if Illinois really wants to make a statement, taking down Penn State would get the nation's attention. The Nittany Lions need an authoritative win to prove they belong among the nation's upper echelon.
No. 2 Georgia at No. 4 Alabama -- 7:30 p.m. on ABC, fuboTV (try for free): Beating Alabama was a struggle for Georgia coach Kirby Smart when the Crimson Tide were led by his former boss, Nick Saban. Now, Smart will try his hand against first-year Crimson Tide coach Kalen DeBoer, who can send the hype around his tenure into overdrive by knocking off the ballyhooed Bulldogs.
No. 8 Oregon at UCLA -- 11 p.m. on Fox, fuboTV (try for free): What used to be a Pac-12 matchup is now a Big Ten battle as both schools look for their first league victory in their new conference. If the Ducks can replicate what they did in the second half against Oregon State in Week 3, then this should be an authoritative win that legitimizes their standing as a national-title contender.
Best of the rest
- No. 22 BYU at Baylor -- noon on FS1, fuboTV (try for free)
- Buffalo at UConn -- noon on CBS Sports Network, CBSSports.com, CBS Sports App (Free)
- Minnesota at No. 12 Michigan -- noon on Fox, fuboTV (try for free)
- Kentucky at No. 6 Ole Miss -- noon on ABC, fuboTV (try for free)
- Colorado at UCF -- 3:30 p.m. on Fox, fuboTV (try for free)
- San Diego State at Central Michigan -- 3:30 p.m. on CBS Sports Network, CBSSports.com, CBS Sports App (Free)
- Fresno State at UNLV -- 3:30 p.m. on FS1, fuboTV (try for free)
- No. 21 Oklahoma at Auburn -- 3:30 p.m. on ABC, fuboTV (try for free)
- Liberty at Appalachian State -- 3:30 p.m. on ESPN+
- North Carolina at Duke -- 4 p.m. on ESPN2, fuboTV (try for free)
- Mississippi State at No. 1 Texas -- 4:15 p.m. on SEC Network, fuboTV (try for free)
- No. 18 Iowa State at Houston -- 7 p.m. on FS1, fuboTV (try for free)
- Stanford at No. 17 Clemson -- 7 p.m. on ESPN, fuboTV (try for free)
- No. 3 Ohio State at Michigan State -- 7:30 p.m. on Peacock
- South Alabama at No. 14 LSU -- 7:45 p.m. on SEC Network, fuboTV (try for free)
- Air Force at Wyoming -- 8 p.m. on CBS Sports Network, CBSSports.com, CBS Sports App (Free)
- Washington State at No. 25 Boise State -- 10 p.m. on FS1, fuboTV (try for free)
- Arizona at No. 10 Utah --10:15 p.m. on ESPN, fuboTV (try for free)
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