College Football Week 5 Picks, DFS & Podcast: FSU-SMU, Georgia-Alabama, Louisville-Notre Dame and more

As we enter week five of the 2024 college football season, we’re finally into “multiple games with plenty of storylines” territory, and boy does it feel good to live in the era of the four-box YouTube TV setup. First, the game of the week: Georgia, shunted from its perch atop the AP rankings, has finally gotten the “they don’t believe in us!!!” motivation that Kirby Smart has previously had to pull out of thin air in an effort to keep them invested. Alabama has had the Bulldogs number in year’s past, but Nick Saban ain’t walking through that door — Jalen Milroe, however, is. The Crimson Tide haven’t looked anywhere near what people perceive Alabama to be (though, last year, that didn’t stop the committee from....I’m sorry, I’m sorry), and Georgia is much more capable of taking advantage of opportunities than Wisconsin and USF. Then, we’ve got FSU, with an albatross of an offense dangling around its neck as the defense tries to claw its way from the depths. There’s a chance that they can shake things off and find some production for the first time this season, but combine the lack of evidence this offense is capable with the soft factor angle of SMU coming to the table eager to prove it deserves its spot in a power conference after being specifically targeted in lawsuits showing why the ACC can’t be taken seriously, and it’s hard to see things going pretty there. In Louisville and Notre Dame, it’s a chance for Marcus Freeman to shake off the perception that Notre Dame isn’t built to contend under his leadership while Jeff Brohm is looking to build off an impressive win against Georgia Tech and elevate Louisville to actual threat from potential. The same goes for Penn State, who has a chance to prove itself a legitimate contender in the Big 10 while facing off against an Illinois team riding the high of last week’s Nebraska win. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices