The 2025 College Football season rolls on with a full Saturday slate of Week 5 games. Welcome to our CFB Best Bets as we break down CFB picks for this week’s action. Let’s focus on two matchups for our top CFB predictions. Plus, check out more college football bets below.  

Saturday’s Week 5 college football slate lasts all day and all night. That means we have plenty of ways to go for our CFB picks. Note that all bets below are for one unit unless otherwise noted. Without further ado, let’s dive into our CFB Best Bets. 

CFB Picks, Predictions & Best Bets: Week 5 Saturday, 9/27

Let’s kick off Saturday’s Week 5 CFB Best Bets with an SEC matchup between Kentucky and South Carolina. Plus, we take a shot on an underdog as Florida Atlantic hosts Memphis in an AAC battle. Be sure to check out more CFB picks below for other Week 5 games. Good luck!  

 

 


 

Kentucky vs. South Carolina Prediction: Saturday, September 27th

Saturday night features some marquee matchups like Oregon vs. Penn State and Alabama vs. Georgia. Let’s focus instead on a different game going on at the same time. South Carolina hosts Kentucky in an SEC showdown, with some value on the over.

South Carolina’s run defense got exposed last week against Missouri. The Gamecocks were gashed for 285 rushing yards on 5.9 yards per carry en route to a 29-20 loss. Those struggles to stop the run could be a problem against Kentucky this week. 

The Wildcats boast an excellent two-headed backfield of Seth McGowan and Dante Dowdell, who are both averaging over 5.0 yards per carry this year. They lead a Kentucky run game that ranks 28th in the country, with 214.7 rushing yards per game. UK should have success on the ground in this matchup to string together productive drives. 

Kentucky’s offense also has some more upside with redshirt freshman Cutter Boley now starting at quarterback. Though his inexperience is one thing, Boley should be a passing upgrade over Zach Calzada. Plus, he’s shown some dual-threat ability in limited action this season. That would test the South Carolina rush defense even more.

Meanwhile, the Gamecocks’ offense can prevail through the air in a favorable matchup as well.  Kentucky ranks 125th in the FBS in passing yards allowed per game this season (278.3). The UK defense also gave up 455 total yards to Ole Miss in its lone game against a power-conference team thus far. The Wildcats even allowed 330 passing yards and 23 points to Eastern Michigan last week. 

South Carolina QB LaNorris Sellers can take advantage and exploit Kentucky’s struggles against the pass. He might be the first quarterback selected in next year’s NFL Draft, with an elite arm talent and real running threat. Sellers was banged up to start the season, but he looked better last week, throwing for 302 yards on the road at Mizzou. 

 

 


 

Memphis vs. Florida Atlantic Prediction: Saturday, September 27th

Memphis is riding high. The Tigers are 4-0 and just pulled off a home upset of Arkansas. They’re now one of the favorites to earn the Group of Five’s coveted College Football Playoff bid. As impressive as this start has been, a road matchup at FAU presents a prime fade opportunity. 

A letdown for Memphis is certainly understandable after what it just accomplished against an SEC foe last week. The Tigers were losing 28-10 in the second quarter and even trailed by 11 points late in the third quarter. Yet, they came all the way back, scoring a touchdown in the final 5 minutes to ultimately send Arkansas packing. It was a massive win at home that instantly ignited Memphis’ playoff odds. 

We’re not taking anything away from what Memphis just did or how good it’s looked this season. Still, going on the road to face Florida Atlantic is a classic trap spot following a monumental upset win. FAU has a notable rest and prep advantage after having its bye last week. Conversely, the Tigers are playing their third road game in four weeks. 

There are also these interesting betting nuggets. Memphis head coach Ryan Silverfield was 4-9 ATS as a road favorite before this season. He’s 2-0 ATS in the role this year, but some negative regression is likely coming, considering those previous struggles. Silverfield is also just 8-16 ATS (33%) as a conference favorite. 

As for this game itself, Florida Atlantic’s offense will present a tough challenge for Memphis defensively. The Owls play at the fastest tempo in college football, averaging 18.7 seconds between snaps. That quick pace could be taxing on the Tigers’ defenders, who just competed in a high-scoring game with nearly 1,000 combined total yards of offense. 

On that note, the Memphis pass defense can allow FAU to hang around and make things interesting. The Tigers just allowed 325 passing yards to Arkansas last week, and the secondary even gave up 340 yards to Georgia State earlier this season. Meanwhile, the Owls feature a pass-happy offensive attack led by an under-the-radar quarterback in Caden Veltkamp. Speaking of Veltkamp, he’s due for positive regression in the turnover department. 

Let’s back Florida Atlantic to keep it close enough and cover as the home underdog. The double-digit spread is a bit too big for Memphis’ situational disadvantages, in addition to the exploitable matchup for FAU.

 

 


 

Best CFB Prop Bets & Other Picks: Saturday, 9/27

 

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