Week 5 of the college football season brought thrilling matchups, with the highly anticipated clash between the No. 2 Georgia Bulldogs and the No. 4 Alabama Crimson Tide taking center stage. This showdown between two powerhouses, boasting a combined five national titles in the past decade, had significant implications for the 2024 College Football Playoff.
The first half seemed destined to be an Alabama rout, but Georgia staged a remarkable comeback, overcoming a 30-7 deficit to take the lead in the fourth quarter. The two teams traded explosive plays and long touchdowns, with freshman cornerback Zabien Brown ultimately sealing the victory for Alabama with an interception in the end zone. Alabama QB Jalen Milroe accounted for an impressive 491 total yards and four touchdowns, while Georgia’s Carson Beck threw three interceptions. The loss marked the end of Georgia’s 42-game regular-season winning streak.
Other notable games saw the Notre Dame Fighting Irish hand the Louisville Cardinals their first loss of the season, and the Kansas State Wildcats dominate the Oklahoma State Cowboys in a crucial Big 12 matchup. In the Big Ten, the Penn State Nittany Lions edged out the Illinois Fighting Illini.
Two top-10 teams faced stiff challenges against unranked conference opponents. The Miami Hurricanes rallied in the fourth quarter to defeat the Virginia Tech Hokies on Friday night, while the Ole Miss Rebels suffered a surprising loss to the Kentucky Wildcats on Saturday. The Rebels, once considered a strong contender for an at-large playoff bid, now face a narrow margin for error to secure a spot in the field.
Our experts weigh in with their top 12 College Football Playoff picks:
Andrea Adelson: 1. Tennessee. 2. Ohio State. 3. Miami. 4. BYU. 5. Texas. 6. Alabama. 7. Oregon. 8. Penn State. 9. Missouri. 10. Georgia. 11. Clemson. 12. UNLV.
Kyle Bonagura: 1. Texas. 2. Ohio State. 3. Miami. 4. BYU. 5. Alabama. 6. Tennessee. 7. Oregon. 8. Georgia. 9. Penn State. 10. Michigan. 11. Clemson. 12. James Madison.
Bill Connelly: 1. Alabama. 2. Ohio State. 3. Miami. 4. Iowa State. 5. Texas. 6. Tennessee. 7. Penn State. 8. Oregon. 9. Georgia. 10. Missouri. 11. Indiana. 12. UNLV.
David Hale: 1. Texas. 2. Ohio State. 3. Miami. 4. Iowa State. 5. Alabama. 6. Tennessee. 7. Clemson. 8. Penn State. 9. Georgia. 10. Oregon. 11. Notre Dame. 12. UNLV.
Eli Lederman: 1. Alabama. 2. Ohio State. 3. Miami. 4. Utah. 5. Texas. 6. Georgia. 7. Oregon. 8. Tennessee. 9. Penn State. 10. Missouri. 11. Notre Dame. 12. Boise State.
Chris Low: 1. Alabama. 2. Ohio State. 3. Miami. 4. Kansas State. 5. Texas. 6. Tennessee. 7. Georgia. 8. Oregon. 9. Penn State. 10. Clemson. 11. Missouri. 12. UNLV.
Harry Lyles Jr.: 1. Alabama. 2. Ohio State. 3. Miami. 4. Iowa State. 5. Texas. 6. Tennessee. 7. Georgia. 8. Penn State. 9. Oregon. 10. Indiana. 11. Missouri. 12. UNLV.
Max Olson: 1. Alabama. 2. Ohio State. 3. Miami. 4. Iowa State. 5. Texas. 6. Georgia. 7. Tennessee. 8. Penn State. 9. Oregon. 10. Clemson. 11. Ole Miss. 12. UNLV.
Adam Rittenberg: 1. Alabama. 2. Ohio State. 3. Miami. 4. Kansas State. 5. Texas. 6. Tennessee. 7. Georgia. 8. Oregon. 9. Penn State. 10. Clemson. 11. Missouri. 12. UNLV.
Mark Schlabach: 1. Alabama. 2. Ohio State. 3. Kansas State. 4. Miami. 5. Texas. 6. Tennessee. 7. Georgia. 8. Oregon. 9. Penn State. 10. Clemson. 11. Missouri. 12. UNLV.
Jake Trotter: 1. Alabama. 2. Ohio State. 3. Miami. 4. BYU. 5. Georgia. 6. Tennessee. 7. Texas. 8. Penn State. 9. Oregon. 10. Michigan. 11. Clemson. 12. UNLV.
Paolo Uggetti: 1. Alabama. 2. Ohio State. 3. Miami. 4. BYU. 5. Texas. 6. Georgia. 7. Oregon. 8. Tennessee. 9. Penn State. 10. Clemson. 11. Utah. 12. Boise State.
Dave Wilson: 1. Texas. 2. Ohio State. 3. Miami. 4. Iowa State. 5. Alabama. 6. Tennessee. 7. Clemson. 8. Penn State. 9. Georgia. 10. Oregon. 11. Notre Dame. 12. UNLV.
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