2025 College Football Week 5 Picks: How Will Penn State Fare Against Oregon?

If there were a weekend where doing nothing but watching college football on the couch was the plan, Week 5 would be it. 

However, when it comes to the marquee matchups, I'm taking a slightly different approach. 

Yes, I've got a pick on one of the week's biggest contests, but I also am eyeing some that might be flying under the radar.

Let's dive into it.

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No. 6 Oregon @ No. 3 Penn State

It’s taken weeks to arrive and it’s here. This is the biggest game in the early part of the season in the Big Ten and the national title picture. 

Oregon travels to Penn State on Saturday night for a White Out night game in Happy Valley. The Ducks are bringing a young team that’s playing well through four games. They only have eight starters in this game who played against Penn State in the Big Ten title game last season. The Nittany Lions are off a bye, they're at home and the pressure is squarely on them to win. 

In fact, I’d argue that Penn State must win this game. 

James Franklin is 4-20 against top-10 teams at Penn State, and with the team's stated goal of being a national title contender this season, they need this win to cement that idea.

I see this game mirroring the Georgia-Tennessee one from a few weeks ago, minus the 70 points. This one will be low-scoring, but the start of it will be the same. Penn State’s offense is going to throw everything it has at Oregon’s defense early. The Nittany Lions have had two weeks to prepare and Oregon just hasn’t faced an offense, offensive line and running back like Penn State's. 

Scheming up early