No. 5 Oregon at No. 2 Penn State is an early referendum on the Big Ten conference race.
Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer faces pressure to secure a win against No. 3 Georgia after a recent loss.
LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier is under pressure to improve his performance against No. 11 Mississippi.
The 2024 Big Ten season ended with Oregon beating Penn State in the conference championship game, capping an unbeaten run through the regular season and earning the Ducks the top seed in the College Football Playoff.
There’s a little less on the line when No. 5 Oregon heads to Beaver Stadium to take on the No. 2 Nittany Lions. Not so much a winner-take-all matchup as an early referendum on the Big Ten race, the loser will still be in position to win the conference and earn an opening-round playoff bye.
In fact, there’s more at stake in Athens, where No. 3 Georgia hosts No. 16 Alabama in a rekindled SEC rivalry that would have felt dramatically different had the Bulldogs not pulled out an overtime win at No. 15 Tennessee earlier in September.
Had they lost to the Volunteers, Saturday would’ve basically served as an elimination game for these two heavyweights. Instead, the pressure shifts onto the Crimson Tide and coach Kalen DeBoer, who already have a loss to No. 8 Florida State on their résumé.
Occurring simultaneously in prime time, these games will at a minimum reframe the playoff race as the regular season heads into October and the heart of conference play.
These games are front and center as USA TODAY Sports looks at the team, game, coach and quarterback facing the most pressure in Week 5 of the regular season:
Team: No. 12 Indiana
There would seem to be some similarities between Illinois and the Hawkeyes, mainly the way both teams attempt to establish control of the line of scrimmage and keep the Hoosiers’ high-powered offense on the sideline.
That didn’t work out well last weekend: Indiana had possession for early 40 minutes and ran for 312 yards on 6.4 yards per carry. Quarterback Fernando Mendoza completed 21 of 23 throws for 267 yards and five scores.
The blowout was a reminder that last year’s memorable playoff run wasn’t smoke and mirrors; there’s clearly some major substance to the Hoosiers, and reason to think this team can make a similar march into late December.
But now that they have recaptured our undivided attention, the Hoosiers have to deliver on Saturday against an Iowa opponent that unearthed some rhythm on offense in last Saturday’s 38-28 win against Rutgers.
Game: No. 5 Oregon at No. 2 Penn State
It’s a statement game, for sure. That’s true for the Ducks, still unbeaten in Big Ten play since joining the league last season. Oregon was the nation’s best team in last year’s regular season and may very well be the same in 2025, given sweatless wins against Montana State, Oklahoma State, Northwestern and Oregon State.
But the pressure feels much more intense for Penn State.
On paper, this is the best team — or at least the most complete team — of coach James Franklin’s tenure, especially on the offensive side. The Nittany Lions have surrounded quarterback Drew Allar with the complementary skill talent and offensive line to dictate the terms against anyone, including the Ducks.
A win should lift PSU to No. 1 in the US LBM Coaches Poll, replacing Ohio State. The Buckeyes’ win against No. 7 Texas may be impressive, but beating Oregon would give the Nittany Lions a stronger case for the top spot.
A loss would be incredibly damaging from a reputational perspective, casting Penn State down the Big Ten pecking order and, unfairly or not, reigniting longstanding questions about Franklin’s ability to lead this program back to the top of the Bowl Subdivision.
And looking ahead, a loss would put the Nittany Lions in a bind just one game into the Big Ten season. PSU still gets the Buckeyes and Hoosiers later this season and would need to split those games and avoid any unexpected stumbles to guarantee an at-large playoff bid.
Coach: Kalen DeBoer, Alabama
Alabama has gone 7-5 since that win against Georgia last season and just 5-5 in games against the Power Four. While they’ve gotten back on track against Louisiana-Monroe and Wisconsin, the Crimson Tide are still dealing with the fallout of a 31-17 loss to the Florida State and coach Mike Norvell, one of the leading candidates for the post-Nick Saban opening that eventually went to DeBoer.
One important point to remember: DeBoer is not in a Billy Napier-like must-win situation, even if you can see that on the horizon should the Tide fail to navigate one of the toughest remaining schedules in the Bowl Subdivision.
Georgia followed by No. 20 Vanderbilt, No. 19 Missouri and Tennessee. After a road trip to South Carolina, Alabama takes on No. 4 LSU and No. 7 Oklahoma.
On one hand, Saturday’s road trip presents an awesome opportunity to rewrite the narrative. Beating the Bulldogs would vault the Tide up the Coaches Poll and back into prime SEC contention. On the other, a loss could portend a brutal run through ranked SEC competition and spell major trouble for DeBoer’s tenure.
Quarterback: Garrett Nussmeier, LSU
There should still be some healthy skepticism about LSU given how the Tigers’ current reputation is built on the season-opening win against Clemson. That looks increasingly meaningless given how Dabo Swinney’s team has cratered in September.
In three games against FBS teams, the Tigers are averaging 345.7 yards per game and 5.3 yards per play. They’ve scored five offensive touchdowns in these games, including just one in a 20-10 win against Florida.
That type of production won’t cut it against No. 11 Mississippi, which has won three in a row against solid competition — Kentucky, Arkansas and Tulane — despite using backup quarterback Trinidad Chambliss in the last two victories.
LSU needs more from Nussmeier, who came into the year in contention to be the first quarterback off the board in next year’s NFL draft. The numbers haven’t been there: Nussmeier ranks second to last in the SEC in yards per attempt and had half of his six passing touchdowns in last week’s 56-10 rout of Southeastern Louisiana.