Frogs O’ War Staff Picks: College Football Week 5

Big 12

Houston Cougars at Oregon State Beavers – Fri. Sept. 26, 9:30 PM, ESPN

Anthony: I think this is actually a sneaky dangerous spot on Friday night for the Cougars, but Houston just has a much better roster and Willie Fritz draws up another win as UH keeps flying under the radar undefeated.
Austin: The Houston Cougars secure a fourth-straight victory before taking on the Texas Tech Raiders. Oregon State is just about as pushover as a Power 5(?) opponent can get. The Beavers are 0-4 this season, but their schedule has been anything but a cakewalk.

Caleb: Ordinarily this should be the kind of trap game that trips up a team like Houst0n, and they’ll no doubt have their eyes on Texas Tech for their first game in October. Fortunately enough, OSU has barely fielded a viable team to this point and they’re playing on a short week. With the bye, and wind under their sails, Houston takes it but OSU covers.
Drew: Willie Fritz looks to have Houston on the way up and Connor Weigman is playing solid at quarterback while Oregon State has really struggled to start the year. I’ll take Houston on the road.
Russ: Houston is off to a nice start and I’ll take the Cougars to beat the Beavers in Corvallis.

Cincinnati Bearcats at Kansas Jayhawks – Sat. Sept. 27, 11:00 AM, TNT

Anthony: If this were in Nippert, I’d give the Bearcats a healthy chance at the upset, but the new Booth Memorial has some juice and Jalon Daniels keeps the Jayhawks rolling.
Austin: Kansas wins. The Jayhawks have looked strong this season, suffering their only loss to Missouri despite holding a 21-6 lead. Cincinnati is 2-1, but its wins have come against Bowling Green and Northwestern State. Kansas’ tougher schedule gives them a clear edge, especially at home in Lawrence.
Caleb: Cincinnati hasn’t allowed a sack all season and they’ve had a bye week to prep for this one. Sorsby’s receiving corps caught 15 of 15 passes in their last outing so it seems they’ve shaken the yips they had in week 1. Kansas has dominated in games where there was a signicant talent gap, but waned against Mizzou when the playing field was level. Give me the Bearcats.
Drew: Kansas is looking like a potential contender in the Big 12 this season with a blowout win over West Virginia last week and a very close loss to a Missouri team that looks more impressive each week. I have the Jayhawks at home in this one.
Russ: Could this finally be the year that Jalon Daniels and the Jayhawks pull things together? Kansas over the Bearcats.

UCF Knights at Kansas State Wildcats – Sat. Sept. 27, 11:00 AM, FS1

Anthony: As terrible as KSU has looked to open the season and as great as UCF looked smashing Belichick on Saturday, EMAW gets the win in Manhattan to return to .500 in league play ahead of a Big 12 gauntlet of Baylor, TCU, KU, and TTU.
Austin: The Wildcats couldn’t have asked for a better bye week after suffering back-to-back losses to Army and Arizona. UCF, on the other hand, is coming off an impressive 34-9 defeat against the North Carolina Tar Heels. The Knights ride the momentum and knock off the Wildcats in Manhattan.
Caleb: K State is in a get-right spot here after a Bye week. Beating Scott Frost and his unbeaten Knights will be a tall task but I have faith that Matt Wells remembered that Avery Johnson has legs. EMAW.
Drew: Coming off a desperately needed bye week, I think Kansas State picks up a win at home over UCF. The Knights are 3-0, but I think that speaks more to their lack of competition up to this point in the season more than anything.
Russ: At the start of the season, I’d say Kansas State dominates this one. I’m not so sure this time, though. I’ll pick the Wildcats to escape and earn a desperately needed win.

Baylor Bears at Oklahoma State Cowboys – Sat. Sept. 27, 2:30 PM, ESPN2

Anthony: Baylor fans having PTSD seeing an opponent fire its legendary head coach ahead of its game vs. the Bears; looking across the field and seeing Doug Meacham staring back ready to cook up the nastiest gameplan you’ve ever seen. Can Zane Flores pull off the Chandler Morris?? No, no he can’t, Bears win.
Austin: Are the Oklahoma State Cowboys even pickable at this point? There’s no sugar-coating it: Mike Gundy’s squad has struggled mightily and ranks among the weakest in the Power 4. Baylor has the talent and consistency to win convincingly.
Caleb: Baylor has looked like a solid team despite their record and Oklahoma State looks worse than their 1-3 record indicates. I expect a Sawyer Robertson heyday here as the Pokes get steamrolled for their first game of the Meacham experience.
Drew: As much as I would love for Oklahoma State to summon some Jerry Kill/Shad Banks magic and knock off Baylor after firing a legendary head coach, I think Baylor has too much talent to lose this game. I’ll take the Bears by a wide margin.
Russ: Oklahoma State could be the worst FBS team in the country. Baylor by a million.

Utah Utes at West Virginia Mountaineers – Sat. Sept. 27, 2:30 PM, FOX

Anthony: The cross country travel after a tough loss could set up for a major letdown in a game it should otherwise dominate, but give me Kyle Whittingham to get the Utes straightened out and back on track with a win in Morgantown.
Austin: Utah suffered an ugly defeat at the hands of the Red Raiders, but the Utes get back on track against a much weaker West Virginia Mountaineers squad.
Caleb: Utes get right after getting schooled by Tech. Morgantown is hostile but the talent gap here is too wide and Utah has something to prove.
Drew: I think Utah lets out some frustration from the Texas Tech game in this one and hands West Virginia a loss. Utes by at least two touchdowns.
Russ: I’ll overlook the Texas Tech loss for Utah because, like Oklahoma State, West Virginia is among the worst teams in both the conference and the country. Utes win.

Arizona Wildcats at Iowa State Cyclones – Sat. Sept. 27, 6:00 PM, ESPN

Anthony: A battle of unbeatens in the Big 12! But not all undefeated records are created equal. Arizona heads to Ames and gets pushed around as ISU delivers its first dominant performance vs. an FBS foe. Hot take: Cyclones will be undefeated when visiting Fort Worth in November.
Austin: Iowa State hasn’t looked dominant through four games, but that changes against Arizona. The Cyclones earn a statement win at home in Ames against a solid opponent.
Caleb: This is the best run defense Arizona has faced and Noah Fifita will have to overcome that if the Wildcats have a chance. Expect this one to be low scoring, right into Iowa State’s wheelhouse. Cyclones roll.
Drew: Arizona appears to have bounced back from a bad 2024 season and should be a solid team this season. However, Iowa State should contend for a Big 12 title this season and I have them taking down Arizona at home in this one. Cyclones by a touchdown.
Russ: This could be the game that proves how good Arizona really is. I think their early success has been a mirage, though. Iowa State wins.

BYU Cougars at Colorado Buffaloes – Sat. Sept. 27, 9:15 PM, ESPN

Anthony: This is going to be a wild Big 12 After Dark event and the CFB world will stay up all night to see Coach Prime pull off the upset of the ranked Cougars. Buffs win.
Austin: Deion Sanders may have jumped the gun in benching Kaidon Salter. The senior quarterback bounced back, throwing for over 300 yards and three touchdowns against Wyoming. Despite Salter and the Buffaloes keeping it close, BYU manages a narrow win on the road.
Caleb: Kaidon Salter is back in the QB driver seat where he should be but it won’t be enough to overcome the Brigham Bachmeier’s this week. BYU keeps rolling through their early slate.
Drew: Benching Kaidon Salter after two games was a strange move to me as it appears he is clearly the best option at quarterback right now. I am not sold on BYU this season and I think Salter leads Colorado to an upset win at home here.
Russ: I could see this one being closer than people think, but I’ll take the unbeaten Cougars.

Top National Games

USC Trojans at Illinois

Illini – Sat. Sept. 27, 11:00 AM, FOX

Anthony: That performance from Illinois is as bad as it gets, a disgusting unforgivable display. I expect USC and Lincoln Riley fall flat on their face at some point this season, but it won’t be in Champaign. Trojans win.
Austin: Who would’ve expected the Illinois Illini to lose by 53 points to Indiana? Well… not me, at least. After that trouncing, it’s almost impossible to side with Illinois, even at home. The USC Trojans win their fifth straight to open the 2025 season.
Caleb: Surely Illinois can’t play worse than last week. Remember when Bret Bielema was thought of as the giant slayer in Arkansas? I think he enjoys coaching without expectations and they sneak up on USC this week. Give me the Fighting Illini.
Drew: Lincoln Riley and Jayden Maiava have quietly been putting up great offensive numbers for USC while the Illinois defense got beat up last week against Indiana. I’ll take the Trojans on the road here.
Russ: Illinois gets back with a victory over the Trojans in Champaign.

LSU Tigers at Ole Miss Rebels – Sat. Sept. 27, 2:30 PM, ABC

Anthony: College football is incredible. The primary story going into this huge SEC game is that Rebels coach Lane Kiffin’s daughter has announced a relationship with LSU linebacker Whit Weeks. Kiffin’s reaction was to ““take the over”….implying there would be lots of scoring? He’s correct, but the points come from the Tigers as the Nuss Bus runs over the Lane Train. LSU wins big.
Austin: LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier hasn’t thrown for 300 yards yet, a mark he hit regularly last season. That gives some pause, especially after Ole Miss’ Trinidad Chambliss dominated the box score in back-to-back weeks. Still, the fourth-ranked Tigers prevail, in part because of a stout defense.
Caleb: Trinidad Chambliss has looked better than Austin Simmons so far, in the pleasant surprise department. Lane Kiffin’s daughter is reportedly dating an LSU linebacker so I’d assume he brings his a-game this weekend. Give me Ole Miss to defend home turf.
Drew: I think this could be a get right game for LSU’s offense that will face off against an Ole Miss defense that gave up 35 points to Arkansas two weeks ago. I have the Tigers picking up a big road win here.
Russ: The Tigers have been off to a slow start offensively. I think that bites them against the Rebels. Give me Lane Kiffin’s bunch.

Auburn Tigers at Texas A&M Aggies – Sat. Sept. 27, 2:30 PM, ESPN

Anthony: The Norman to College Station back-to-back road trips for the Tigers is brutal. Maybe I’m a sucker, but I’m buying the Aggies and believe it will remain at one-loss or fewer into the season finale at Austin. That one loss will not come at the hands of Hugh Freeze. Texas A&M wins and might jump up into the Top 5.
Austin: Auburn deserves credit for nearly knocking off Oklahoma last week. This weekend, the Tigers face a similar outcome, narrowly falling to another top-tier SEC opponent in Texas A&M.
Caleb: A&M has looked surprisingly solid to start the season and they’re playing this one at home. Jackson Arnold seems to have the same development curve that Avery Johnson does, as neither have put it together as a passer. I think A&M wins and covers.
Drew: I really like Auburn’s receiving room and think A&M’s secondary will have their hands full with Cam Coleman and Eric Singleton. Unfortunately for the Tigers, Jackson Arnold has not taken the necessary steps as a passer for their offense to fully hit its stride. I have the Aggies at home winning this one.
Russ: Marcel Reed continues to play good football and the Aggies edge out the Tigers in College Station.

Oregon Ducks at Penn State Nittany Lions – Sat. Sept. 27, 6:30 PM, NBC

Anthony: Penn State has played no one and showed nothing while Oregon has beaten the brakes off of anyone in its path. However I see Drew Allar going off at home and finding a way to put all those fancy new weapons to good use, scoring enough to outlast the Ducks in a shootout.
Austin: Oregon edges out Penn State in a clash of top-10 teams. The Nittany Lions have looked solid, but their three wins came against weaker competition. Meanwhile, the Ducks aren’t fully battle-tested, though facing three straight Power 4 opponents has at least prepared them for this marquee matchup.
Caleb: Oregon looks like a well-oiled machine to this point and I have a lot of confidence in Dan Lanning to keep it between the buoys. For some reason I can’t buy into Penn State, even playing in the madhouse of a stadium they have, and I expect their offense to come out flat now that they’re playing against more solid competition. Go Ducks.
Drew: Dante Moore has this Oregon offense rolling but I am concerned about an Oregon defense that gave up 178 yards on the ground to Northwestern. I still think Oregon picks up a road win in this one with Moore outpacing the Penn State offense.
Russ: Oregon is a team I felt at the start of the season could be a dark house CFP finalist candidate. That run starts with a win in Happy Valley.

Alabama Crimson Tide at Georgia Bulldogs – Sat. Sept. 27, 6:30 PM, ABC

Anthony: Kirby Smart and the Dawgs may hope to pounce on Ty Simpson, but the Bama offense finds a way to create explosive plays with Ryan Williams and that incredible WR group. The Tide roll back into the top 10 with the big time road win.
Austin: This game feels like a coin flip, with both teams evenly matched. In the end, the Crimson Tide pull off a hard-fought victory.
Caleb: Georgia has been waiting at home for two weeks for Alabama to come to town and I think Georgia is in the middle of a rebound year after ending 2024 poorly. They’re a program that has high standards and that will shine over an Alabama squad that still hasn’t fully reset their culture under DeBoer.
Drew: Ty Simpson has looked very good the last two weeks after a bad week one game against FSU. I think Bama creates a couple of turnovers and picks up a huge win on the road.
Russ: I don’t think I can pick against Georgia at home. Dawgs over the Crimson Tide.