Four teams in the AP Top 25, all in the SEC, face one another in College Football Week 5, and upsets could change the race in the conference. Alabama, ranked No. 2, hosts No. 13 Texas A&M, while No. 4 Georgia takes on No. 7 Auburn.
- No. 2 Alabama faces No. 13 Texas A&M, a team they beat by 19 points last season.
- The marquee game of College Football Week 5 is No. 4 Georgia hosting SEC foe No. 7 Auburn.
- Can Oklahoma, LSU bounce back after crippling upsets in Week 4?
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The Crimson Tide faced the Aggies last year and won by 19 points. They are 18-point picks for Saturday’s game. Alabama head coach Nick Saban said while starting running back Najee Harris was solid against Missouri, the senior knows Texas A&M will focus on stopping him.
“They really do a good job of stopping the run,†Harris said. “Their safeties play a huge part in the run game, too… the whole front four they have is all good, including the linebackers and the safeties and the DBs they have. Everybody on that team is like a person that we can’t not include in the game plan.â€
Georgia-Auburn College Football Week 5 Marquee Contest
Georgia has a stiffer test trying to stop Auburn. The Bulldogs are the only AP Top 25 team in the top 10 that has a point spread of single digits. The No. 4 Bulldogs are 6.5-point favorites at home against the No. 7 Tigers. This is the earliest the two teams have faced each other in the season since 1982.
AP Top 25 Games
No. 1 Clemson -28 vs. Virginia
No. 2 Alabama -18 vs. No. 13 Texas A&M
No. 3 Florida -18 vs. South Carolina
No. 4 Georgia -6.5 vs. No. 7 Auburn
No. 9 Texas -11.5 vs. TCU
No. 11 Central Florida -21.5 vs Tulsa
No. 12 North Carolina -14 at Boston College
No. 15 Cincinnati -22 vs. South Florida
No. 16 Mississippi State -18 vs. Arkansas
No. 17 Oklahoma State -21.5 at Kansas
No. 18 Oklahoma -7 at Iowa State
No. 20 LSU -20.5 at Vanderbilt
No. 21 Tennessee -11.5 vs. Missouri
No. 22 BYU -24 vs. Louisiana Tech
No. 24 Pittsburgh -14 vs NC State
No. 25 Memphis -2.5 at SMU
Source: Westgate
Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn told reporters his players feel no different about the date of the game, and want to break a six-game losing streak in Sanford Stadium that dates back to 2005.
“You know, this year is so unique, it is what it is,†Auburn coach Gus Malzahn said. “It feels exactly as it would toward November. So, we know how important it is. This game usually has a direct effect on the East and the West (SEC conferences). So, it doesn’t matter if we’re playing today, November or March. You’re playing them, and that’s that.â€
Oklahoma, LSU Look to Rebound after Upsets
Both Oklahoma and LSU took a huge tumble in the AP Top 25 poll after getting upset last Saturday. Now the two look to bounce back in College Football Week 5.
The Sooners, who fell from No. 3 to No. 18 travel to Iowa State. Oklahoma is a seven-point favorite on the road, but the Cyclones won in Norman in 2017, and lost by 10 in 2019.
LSU should have an easier time against Vanderbilt. The Tigers are on the road as well, but are 20.5-point picks. Tigers head coach Ed Orgeron said the shock of losing to Mississippi State at home still lingered on Monday.
“The truth is we gotta coach better, gotta start with me, gotta prepare our team better, gotta coach our coaches better,†Orgeron said. “We gotta execute better, and we gotta make better in-game adjustments during the game, during halftime. Could have had a better plan on both sides of the football first game.â€
