College Football Week 5 Preview & Picks Recap
The College Football Experience (@TCEonSGPN) on the Sports Gambling Podcast Network continues its 2026 season coverage with College Football Week 5 picks for the full slate. Pick Dundee aka (@TheColbyD) and Ryan McIntyre (@Moneyline_Mac) are joined by CJ Sullivan (@CJSullivan_), and all three lock Tulsa minus 1.5 against North Texas. Does Syracuse get its revenge at UConn? Can West Virginia cover 3.5 at Iowa State with Mac driving to Ames? Is Iowa plus 14.5 too many points against Ohio State? Why does Marshall plus 19.5 at JMU climb to a quadruple lock? Who makes the Mac in the Box contest card?
Before the picks, Mac gets ready to drive to Ames in his coonskin cap, and CJ is back from a standup set at the Tacoma Comedy Club. Mac in the Box also brings a four-game contest lead into the week. Then Colby builds a five-leg MAC parlay, the guys dig into the San Diego State mumps report, and TCU plus 6.5 against BYU becomes the triple lock nobody wants. We talk it all and more on this episode of The College Football Experience.
Mac In The Box Brings A Four-Game Lead Into Week 5
Colby Dant (@thecolbyd) opens with Ryan McIntyre (@Moneyline_Mac), better known as Moneyline Mac. He leaves for Ames, Iowa in four hours, and the coonskin cap is riding along. CJ Sullivan (@CJSullivan_), the Bet Detective, is back from standup at the Tacoma Comedy Club. A fan named Coke Booker yelled out for the Clemson-Cal score during his late Friday set, because he left his phone at home. Then the contest talk starts. Mac in the Box went 4-3 last week and now owns a four-game lead after four weeks. CJ also chalks that gap up to chemistry. Colby owns up to last week’s Georgia State mixup too. He bet the Panthers off a question mark on his sheet, though the crew had gone Northern Illinois. It worked out anyway.
Our College Football Week 5 Picks For Thursday And Friday
The weekday slate gets the full treatment, because Colby squeezes those games in wherever he can. Baylor Hayes is back under center for Tulsa after the Arkansas blowout. So the Golden Hurricanes lay 1.5 against North Texas with a 57.5 total, and it’s a triple lock at H.A. Chapman Stadium. CJ figures Tulsa basically punted last week to line up for this one. Meanwhile, New Mexico State slid from 2.5 to 1.5 as a favorite over Western Kentucky. CJ says New Mexico State shouldn’t be favored at all, so he likes the Hilltoppers. That one is also a TMZ contest play, which Colby pushed in because the weekday games deserve love.
Friday brings a fight. Virginia Tech lays 3.5 to Pitt, and Colby and CJ both ride the Hokies at home. CJ admits he wishes the hook weren’t there. But Mac goes the other way on Pitt, and CJ notes Pitt is 13-3 against the spread in the last 16 meetings. Then Liberty dropped from 7.5 to 6.5 at Delaware with a 49.5 total, with Nick Mannucci listed as questionable. Mac points out both teams wore out Coastal in the second half. So Colby and Mac lock up the Blue Hens as a home dog. CJ takes Liberty without a bet, because he thinks Liberty is finally starting to roll.
Penn State lays 2.5 at Northwestern, which is opening its new stadium, with a 45.5 total. Colby and CJ both think the wrong team is favored. CJ says the Penn State offense is trash without that receiver, and he thinks Northwestern should have beaten Indiana. Mac takes Penn State anyway and calls it an emotional hedge next to his Pitt ticket. Then the late kick is Montana State at Idaho, which moved from 14.5 to 15.5 with a 58.5 total. Because Idaho is 0-4, Colby lays it and expects a three-touchdown win. CJ grabs the Vandals instead and calls it a sleepy spot for Montana State.
Saturday Starts With Triple Locks On Domonique Orange And Mountaineers
Saturday opens with Syracuse laying 6.5 at UConn, total 50.5, and all three lock the Orange. The revenge angle is real. Last year UConn led 20-3 and blew a 17-point second-half lead before Syracuse won in overtime. CJ hammers how bad the UConn secondary is. Mac also likes the Orange off a bye after two straight losses. Then comes the personal one. Mac is driving to Ames for West Virginia at Iowa State, and the Mountaineers get 3.5. Colby’s case is simple. West Virginia has a bottom-seven pass defense, but Iowa State brings a bottom-20 pass offense that can’t exploit it.
CJ admits the history leans Iowa State, with favorites 8-2 straight up and against the spread in the last 10 meetings. But Jimmy Rogers has surprised him, and 3.5 is too much. So that makes another triple lock. Next, Houston dropped from 12.5 to 11.5 against UCF with a 51.5 total, and Alonzo Barnett is still out with a hamstring injury. Mac points to Fritz laying eggs as a big favorite, and he notes UCF lost by only three last year. So UCF is a triple lock too. CJ also adds a first-half moneyline on the Knights at +275.
Hail State, Stanford And The Service Academy Total
Alabama at Mississippi State moved from 5.5 to 6.5 with a 60.5 total, and Colby and Mac double lock Hail State. Mac trusts Kamario Taylor as the better quarterback. He also says DeBoer is 4-7 against the spread on the road at Alabama. Colby’s angle is Keelon Russell, whose only road start went 16 of 23 for 188 yards. That line also carried one touchdown, two picks and a 43 QBR. And Stark Vegas with the cowbells is way different from Lexington. CJ sees Alabama winning a 45-31 type shootout but takes them without a bet. Then he makes the under 60.5 his lock, and Colby joins him.
Stanford catches 13.5 at Wake Forest, and CJ and Mac call it a double lock. Wake is off an outright win at Louisville as a 13.5-point dog, so Mac sees a letdown. NC State is also up next for Wake. Colby takes Stanford without a bet, since Stanford lost 35-7 on its last North Carolina trip two weeks ago. Then Navy at Air Force splits the room. Colby and Mac double lock the Mids at +3.5 and lean under. But CJ calls the over one of his favorite plays of the weekend. His reasoning is simple, because this Air Force defense can’t stop anyone and last year’s game finished 34-31.
A MAC Parlay And A Kinnick Battle
Colby builds a MAC parlay as the board rolls on. Western Michigan -13.5 at Buffalo, Ball State +19.5 against Toledo, Ohio -2.5 and UMass -6.5 make up the first four legs. Then Bowling Green gets added as a fifth leg once the crew sees Miami quarterback David McComb is doubtful. That leaves Miami on its third-string quarterback in a rivalry, so BG becomes a triple lock with a moneyline sprinkle. Mac sits out Western Michigan because he won’t lay double digits in the MAC on the road. But he is all over UMass to roll by 10 plus. CJ battles there, locking Eastern Michigan +6.5 with a live moneyline around +195.
College GameDay heads to Iowa, where Ohio State moved from 13.5 to 14.5. Colby calls that number disrespectful and backs Iowa with the points plus a first-half moneyline. He also points to an Iowa offense that currently ranks top 50. Mac piles on, arguing Ohio State hasn’t beaten anybody with a pulse in almost a year outside Michigan. But CJ takes the other side hard. He locks Ohio State, says Iowa won’t score, and calls it a 27-3 type game. And when the crew checks, Iowa turns out to be the final pick on the TMZ contest card, exactly as CJ guessed.
Mumps, Marshall And The Late Window
The wildest note of the night is San Diego State. Colby retweeted a report, which he admits he hasn’t fact-checked, saying 14 players have mumps. Texas State moved from 4.5 to 6.5, and the total jumped 11 points. But CJ liked the Bobcats before the news, so it’s a triple lock at -6.5. Marshall +19.5 at JMU gets even more love. All three lock the Herd with a first-half moneyline sprinkle, and it climbs to a quadruple lock. Then UTEP +22.5 at New Mexico is a triple lock too, because CJ notes Eck is 7-16 against the spread as a home favorite over the last decade.
TCU +6.5 against BYU is the gross one nobody wants, which is exactly why it’s a triple lock. Mac points out the Frogs outgained UCF and North Carolina and just lost the turnover battle. Colby also likes Utah State +20.5 against Boise State as a double lock with Mac. And he calls the Temple moneyline at +200 in Tampa his smash play. Then the night ends in Hawaii. Colby lays 2.5 with the Rainbow Warriors and bets the over 51.5. Mac backs Niumatalolo and San Jose State, while CJ takes the under, so there are battles everywhere on the last game of the board.
The Mac In The Box Contest Card
The episode closes with the Mac in the Box contest card, and CJ and Mac open with a Texas two-step. Texas State goes in on the dead contest number of 4.5, then Texas A&M lands in the kill spot over Arkansas. Next, Marshall gets the dirty dog slot. West Virginia joins it, so the card carries a West Virginia parlay of the Herd and the Mountaineers. Then Louisville and TCU go on, because nobody else will have the Frogs. Finally, South Carolina rounds it out against a Kentucky team neither of them can believe is ranked. That makes seven picks, and the coonskin cap heads to Ames on a two-game losing streak.
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Podcast Chapters
00:00 Download the SGPN App Today!
01:02 Mac in the Box Contest Recap
16:36 West Kentucky vs. New Mexico State Picks
17:58 North Texas vs. Tulsa Picks
19:08 Auerbach Rankings, USC Hit & Slide Rule
25:56 Pitt vs. Virginia Tech Picks
28:53 Liberty vs. Delaware Picks
32:07 Penn State vs. Northwestern Picks
34:09 Montana State vs. Idaho Picks
39:20 Syracuse vs. UConn Picks
43:08 West Virginia vs. Iowa State Picks
51:30 UCF vs. Houston Picks
55:02 Middle Tennessee vs. Kansas Picks
56:21 Alabama vs. Mississippi State Picks
1:06:08 Colombia Donation & Thrown Microwave
1:10:19 Stanford vs. Wake Forest Picks
1:13:05 Navy vs. Air Force Picks
1:17:50 Minnesota vs. Michigan Picks
1:24:46 Boston College vs. SMU Picks
1:26:54 Notre Dame vs. North Carolina Picks
1:29:35 Michigan State vs. Wisconsin Picks
1:31:20 Vanderbilt vs. Georgia Picks
1:33:11 Western Michigan vs. Buffalo Picks
1:35:16 Toledo vs. Ball State Picks
1:36:58 Ohio vs. Kent State Picks
1:38:09 Florida vs. Missouri Picks
1:40:50 Cal vs. UNLV Picks
1:43:29 Louisville vs. NC State Picks
1:45:47 Wyoming vs. North Dakota State Picks
1:47:03 Old Dominion vs. Georgia State Picks
1:48:38 Eastern Michigan vs. UMass Picks
1:52:04 Ohio State vs. Iowa Picks
1:59:14 Auburn vs. Tennessee Picks
2:01:53 Bowling Green vs. Miami Ohio Picks
2:04:18 Akron vs. Central Michigan Picks
2:06:00 Memphis vs. Charlotte Picks
2:06:35 Samford vs. UAB Picks
2:08:09 Virginia vs. Florida State Picks
2:11:08 Marshall vs. JMU Picks
2:13:21 UTEP vs. New Mexico Picks
2:16:38 Maryland vs. Nebraska Picks
2:18:22 Kentucky vs. South Carolina Picks
2:20:58 Purdue vs. Illinois Picks
2:22:43 ACU vs. Del Boca Vista Picks
2:23:18 Oregon State vs. Colorado State Picks
2:24:46 BYU vs. TCU Picks
2:27:07 Georgia Southern vs. Coastal Carolina Picks
2:29:37 Arkansas vs. A&M Picks
2:31:02 UTSA vs. Rice Picks
2:33:33 ULM vs. South Alabama Picks
2:35:36 Utah State vs. Boise State Picks
2:36:58 Temple vs. South Florida Picks
2:38:49 Texas Tech vs. Colorado Picks
2:41:25 Miami vs. Clemson Picks
2:44:36 Army vs. LaTech Picks
2:47:22 Washington vs. USC Picks
2:50:58 McNeese vs. LSU Picks
2:53:17 Indiana vs. Rutgers Picks
2:56:40 Arkansas State vs. Raging Cajuns Picks
2:57:19 Fresno vs. Washington State Picks
2:58:42 Baylor vs. Arizona State Picks
3:00:50 Texas State vs. San Diego State Picks
3:03:14 Cincinnati vs. Arizona Picks
3:04:44 San Jose State vs. Hawaii Picks
3:09:24 Contest Card & Dirty Dog Parlay
3:12:03 Sign-Off & Socials
