The next month is going to be featuring some very big games or that is at least the way it looks after the first third of the season is in the books.
Teams cannot afford to overlook those they are facing before the pivotal games are played and that means a number of unbeaten teams will be putting their record on the line in Week 5 of the College Football season.
Conference games that will begin to separate the contenders and the pretenders are on the schedule for this week and there are six selections from the games to be played.
Alabama Crimson Tide @ Mississippi State Bulldogs Pick: Any team that has a 4-0 record through the opening weeks of the season has to be respected, but the Mississippi State Bulldogs (4-0) will have picked up further confidence from having won two SEC games already this season. One of those was on the road, although beating both the South Carolina Gamecocks and Missouri Tigers will be considered victories over teams that are expected to finish in the bottom half of the Conference.
That is not the case in Week 5 when the Bulldogs host the Alabama Crimson Tide (4-0) who have also produced a 2-0 record in SEC play and who have to be careful about overlooking this opponent to the big game with the Georgia Bulldogs in Week 6.
The Crimson Tide have looked pretty good on both sides of the ball, although the win over South Carolina last week feels like the most complete performance after Alabama started very quickly. Other wins this season have been behind strong second half performances and the Crimson Tide will recognise the importance of beginning this game in the right manner to try and dampen a confident home team and what is expected to be an enthusiastic crowd.
Keelon Russell is very much growing into his role as the starting Quarter Back for Alabama, but Russell is also going to appreciate the strong balance that has been provided for him on this side of the ball.
It is important for the Crimson Tide's Offensive Line to try and establish the run and make sure the Quarter Back is in third and manageable spots on the field.
They will have noted how well the Bulldogs Defensive Line has played early this season and that was clear to see in the way Mississippi State were able to slow down the Gamecocks in that win on the road. It was more of the same when the Bulldogs showed their strength at the Line of Scrimmage in the win over Missouri, although Mississippi State fans will be well aware that the Alabama Offensive Line is the toughest they would have faced so far this season.
However, there is definitely reason to believe the Bulldogs can at least limit the Crimson Tide ability on the ground and that will shift some pressure on Keelon Russell, even if the young Quarter Back has been playing with confidence of late.
Being placed in third and long spots will mean Keelon Russell is going to be feel the heat from the Bulldogs pass rush, although there are holes in this Secondary that can be exploited. Keelon Russell has been efficient when he has dropped back to pass and that will be important in his bid to avoid mistakes that may hand the momentum and impetus to the unbeaten hosts.
Mississippi State will be encouraged by the success South Carolina had when running the ball against Alabama last week, but the Line of Scrimmage on this side of the ball is going to be another battle.
Despite allowing 5.4 yards per carry in the win over South Carolina, Alabama have been pretty stout on the Defensive Line and they will be looking to find a way to slow down what has been a productive Bulldogs rushing attack in 2026. This could also come down to how much Alabama respect Kamario Taylor at Quarter Back for the Bulldogs, although they should respect a player that continues to grow very quickly in the position.
Kamario Taylor will feel he can make some plays against this Crimson Tide Secondary, but playing out of third and manageable is the key with the Alabama Defensive Backs making big plays to turn the ball over.
Turnovers feel like they could be the big factor in the outcome of this SEC game, while the Mississippi State Bulldogs are still in 'prove it' mode, despite the 4-0 start to the season.
Head Coach Jeff Lebby is already on course to help the Bulldogs finish with the first winning season since 2022, while an improvement has been shown in each year under his guidance. However, the Alabama Crimson Tide have shown they have a Defensive unit capable of backing up an improving Offense and ultimately that may see them prevail and cover in a difficult environment on the road.
Michigan Wolverines @ Minnesota Golden Gophers Pick: A loss as time expired will have really hurt, but the Michigan Wolverines (3-1) know there is a lot of Football to be played between now and the College Football Playoff. The walk off loss to the Iowa Hawkeyes has dropped the Wolverines to 0-1 within the Big Ten, but the schedule will offer them plenty of opportunity to earn redemption and that has to begin in Week 5.
As heartbreaking as the defeat will have been for the Wolverines to absorb, the Minnesota Golden Gophers (3-1) were edging to a win over the Washington Huskies on the road to improve to 1-0 in the Big Ten on the same day.
This will have given the Golden Gophers a boost to take into this big home game, but they are still a significant underdog and that is largely down to having an inconsistent Offensive unit going up against a very tough Michigan Defense.
Earlier this season, the Golden Gophers were blown out by the Mississippi State Bulldogs and they are going to have a tough day in the office when it comes to moving the ball with any consistency in this one. The problems begin at the Line of Scrimmage with Minnesota's Offensive Line only helping the team pick up 4 yards per carry on the season and they are not expected to have a lot of room against the Wolverines Defensive Line that has allowed an average of 87 yards per game.
Everything good for the Wolverines begins with the ability to shut down the run and that allows them to unleash what has been a productive pass rush, which in turn has helped the Secondary. No team has managed to score more than 20 points against the Wolverines, but that number has only been reached by the Iowa Hawkeyes with a late play pushing them past the 17 points Michigan had allowed as a season-high in the previous week.
Drake Lindsey has begun the season with positive numbers for the Golden Gophers at Quarter Back, but he will be the first to admit that this is a big challenge coming up and the Wolverines may give themselves a big advantage by continuing to play at their current level on this side of the ball.
Doing so will help an improving Bryce Underwood and Michigan Offensive unit and that may see the road team do enough to win and cover this spread set.
Like the Golden Gophers, the Michigan Wolverines may not be that convinced that they are going to get a lot of joy when it comes to pounding the rock against the opponent's Defensive Line. And like the home team, that will mean there is more pressure on the Quarter Back to make the plays needed to keep the chains moving, although performances in the last two games suggest Bryce Underwood is getting comfortable with what is being asked of him.
The key will be the Offensive Line giving Underwood enough time to make his reads down the field, while the Quarter Back has been a bit more composed in the last couple of games that may give the Michigan Wolverines the confidence to get the job done and by at least a Touchdown lead.
Nothing is ever easy against a PJ Fleck Coached team, but the Wolverines may be able to largely close down what the Minnesota Golden Gophers want to do Offensively and that may open the door for Bryce Underwood and Michigan to bounce back in the best way possible after the Week 4 defeat.
Florida Gators @ Missouri Tigers Pick: Five SEC teams have opened the season with a 4-0 record and it will be something of a surprise that the Florida Gators (4-0) are one of those teams.
One winning season in the last five played has seen the Gators drop away from the top of the SEC, but they have a new Head Coach in place now and Jon Sumrall arrives having put four winning seasons together at the Troy Trojans and Tulane Green Wave. Stepping up into the SEC was expected to be another challenge for the Head Coach, but Florida have won both Conference games played, including blowing out the Mississippi Rebels last time out.
They have also scored 44 points in a row win at the Auburn Tigers and so Florida will be travelling with real confidence.
Next up is a trip to the Missouri Tigers (3-1) who were beaten by the Mississippi State Bulldogs to end the unbeaten start to the season and also drop them to 0-1 in the SEC.
Both of these teams were expected to be bottom half finishers in the SEC in the preseason expectations, but there is a feeling growing around the Florida Gators that they have been underestimated.
It is very important for the Tigers Defensive Line to show much more composure in the tackles when they are facing the Gators having struggled to slow the Bulldogs last week. This time they are facing a Florida Offensive Line that have opened up big holes for Running Back Jadan Baugh and failure to win at the Line of Scrimmage or preventing yards after contact to be racked up is going to put Missouri in a very tough spot in this game.
There is power in the Florida Offensive Line, but the balance on this side of the ball has been a key part of the 4-0 start to the season.
Quarter Back Aaron Philo may not be putting up gaudy numbers, but he knows relying on the Offensive Line and then producing efficiently will put the Gators in a very good position to win games and that is what he has been doing. In the two SEC games played, Aaron Philo has 400 yards with 2 Touchdowns and an Interception, while completing over 68% of his passes to help keep the chains moving when needed.
The Secondary he will be facing in Week 5 is one that can be exploited if the Gators are running the ball as they have been and it could make for another tough day for Missouri and one in which they need their own Offensive playmakers to step up.
Austin Simmons is the Missouri Quarter Back and has experience playing with the Mississippi Rebels before being beaten out for the starting role there and transferring to Missouri. There has been nothing wrong with his performances for the Tigers having thrown 11 Touchdown passes without an Interception, but Simmons will be well aware that this Florida team may be the toughest he has faced in 2026 and he may have to perform without a consistent rushing attack.
It is one thing operating in front of the chains, but Austin Simmons may have to allow some passing routes to develop a little longer than usual and that may see him put under pressure by what has been a strong Florida pass rush.
In saying that, Simmons will note that the Gators Secondary is still a work in progress and he should give the Tigers opportunities to score points, although avoiding becoming one-dimensional with the play-calling is going to be key when the Tigers have the ball. This is going to be a big game for the Quarter Back who struggled in a performance against the Kentucky Wildcats last year and the Gators will believe they are stronger than the Mississippi State Bulldogs against whom Austin Simmons played pretty well last week.
The Florida Secondary have shown they can step in front of throws and turn the ball over and that may end up being the key to the outcome of this Week 5 SEC game.
Missouri will make this tough, but a turnover may be enough to give the Gators an extra possession or two and that may end up being a key reason that Florida are not only able to improve to 5-0, but to do that behind a cover as the road favourite.
MY PICKS: Alabama Crimson Tide - 5.5 Points @ 1.95 Bet Fred (1 Unit)
Michigan Wolverines - 5.5 Points @ 1.86 Bet Fred (1 Unit)
Florida Gators - 5.5 Points @ 1.95 Bet Fred (1 Unit)
Iowa State Cyclones - 3.5 Points @ 2.00 William Hill (1 Unit)
Nebraska Cornhuskers - 14.5 Points @ 1.91 Bet Fred (1 Unit)
Illinois Fighting Illini - 9.5 Points @ 1.83 Bet365 (1 Unit)
Week 4: 4-3, + 0.49 Units (7 Units Staked, + 7% Yield)
Week 3: 1-4, - 3.17 Units (5 Units Staked, - 63.40% Yield)
Week 2: 2-3, - 1.28 Units (5 Units Staked, - 25.60% Yield)
Week 0: 0-3, - 3 Units (3 Units Staked, - 100% Yield)
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