It’s time to start separating the contenders from the pretenders in college football. This week, there are two games between teams ranked inside the Associated Press Top 10. Ohio State will travel to Happy Valley to take on Penn State in the first battle between Big Ten East juggernauts, while Stanford looks to keep its dreams of an undefeated season alive on the road against Notre Dame.
College Football Week 5 Opening Odds (Courtesy of BetDSI)
Ohio State Buckeyes -4.5
Penn State Nittany Lions +4.5
The Buckeyes have looked like an unstoppable juggernaut through the first four weeks of the season, but this will be their first true road test. Ohio State played three of their first four at home, and the one non-home game the Buckeyes played was a neutral site game against TCU in Arlington with plenty of Buckeyes fans.
Related: College Football Betting Guide
Happy Valley has not been a great place for opposing quarterbacks. No team has won in Penn State since 2015, but Dwayne Haskins is off to a phenomenal start as a freshman. He has to be considered a Heisman Trophy contender at this point with a 16-to-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio
Stanford Cardinal +4
Notre Dame Fighting Irish -4
Stanford certainly had some luck of the Irish last week in its win over Oregon. The Cardinal have no business being undefeated headed into this week’s game, but David Shaw and company will certainly take it. Now, Bryce Love will look to get going for the first time all year. He is averaging just 4.3 yards per carry this season, and he has not lived up to his Heisman billing with opponents stacking the line to shut him down.
Brian Kelly made the decision to start Ian Book over Brandon Wimbush against Wake Forest on Saturday, and that move paid off in a big way. Book torched the Demon Deacons defense for 368 total yards and five total touchdowns, and he certainly earned a second start this week against the Cardinal. If he can provide stability to the passing game, Notre Dame could make it to the College Football Playoff this year.
BYU Cougars +17
Washington Huskies -17
After a disastrous 2017 campaign, BYU fans are once again all-in with head coach Kalani Sitake. Sitake has BYU off to a 3-1 start, with the lone loss coming at the hands of a ranked Cal team. The Cougars know they will have a rough time getting a win in Seattle, but if they do, the sky’s the limit with their schedule over the next month.
Washington continues to squeak out wins. The Huskies weren’t particularly impressive against either Utah or Arizona State over the last couple weeks, but they keep chalking up games in the win column. They need to win out to keep their national championship aspirations alive.
College Football Week 5 Opening Odds 9/27/18 – 9/29/18
North Carolina +17.5
Miami (FL) -17.5
Memphis -13.5
Tulane +13.5
UCLA +11
Colorado -11
Army +7
Buffalo -7
Central Michigan +28
Michigan State -28
Northern Illinois +2.5
Eastern Michigan -2.5
Kent State +8.5
Ball State -8.5
Rice +25.5
Wake Forest -25.5
Old Dominion +6
East Carolina -6
Bowling Green +26
Georgia Tech -26
Temple +14.5
Boston College -14.5
Syracuse +23
Clemson -23
South Alabama +23
Appalachian State -23
UL Monroe -8
Georgia State +8
Pittsburgh +14.5
Central Florida -14.5
South Carolina -1.5
Kentucky +1.5
Virginia +6.5
North Carolina State -6.5
Indiana -17
Rutgers +17
Nevada +6.5
Air Force -6.5
Utah +1.5
Washington State -1.5
Oregon State +23
Arizona State -23
BYU +17
Washington -17
Toledo +10
Fresno State -10
Western Michigan +2.5
Miami (OH) -2.5
Florida State -5.5
Louisville +5.5
Ohio State -4.5
Penn State +4.5
Arkansas State -4
Georgia Southern +4
Southern Miss +27.5
Auburn -27.5
Iowa State +11
TCU -11
UL Lafayette +49
Alabama -49
Baylor +22.5
Oklahoma -22.5
UTEP +10
UTSA -10
Purdue -3.5
Nebraska +3.5
Texas -7
Kansas State +7
West Virginia -4.5
Texas Tech +4.5
Louisiana Tech +6.5
North Texas -6.5
Charlotte +17
UAB -17
Oklahoma State -18.5
Kansas +18.5
Florida +7.5
Mississippi State -7.5
Mississippi +13
LSU -13
Coastal Carolina +14
Troy -14
Florida Atlantic -4
Middle Tennessee State +4
USC -3.5
Arizona +3.5
Boise State -16.5
Wyoming +16.5
Hawai’i -10.5
San Jose State +10.5
Stanford +4
Notre Dame -4
Michigan -13
Northwestern +13
Arkansas +17.5
Texas A&M -17.5
Oregon -3.5
California +3.5
