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College football picks, Week 5: Penn State heads to Maryland; Notre Dame hosts Virginia

Also, predictions on Georgia Tech at Temple and Ohio State at Nebraska.

Penn State and linebacker Micah Parsons will play their first road game this season Friday at Maryland. They're favored by a touchdown.
Penn State and linebacker Micah Parsons will play their first road game this season Friday at Maryland. They're favored by a touchdown.Read moreAbby Drey / MCT

Here are our staff picks for this week’s top college football games., which are listed in standard Vegas rotational order.

Last week and year-to-date standings are at the bottom.

Thursday

MEMPHIS (-11.5) Navy, 8 p.m. (ESPN)

Memphis (3-0) is third in the nation in defense while Navy (2-0) is fourth. The Middies beat Memphis last year, 22-21, so the under of 53.5 is worth a look.

“We’re playing the best team, probably them and Notre Dame, two of the better teams athletically and size-wise that we’ll play all year,” Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo said. “It’s going to be a really tough game for us.”

Ed Barkowitz
Memphis
Mike Jensen
Memphis
Joe Juliano
Navy
Erin McCarthy
Memphis
Marc Narducci
Navy
Luke Reasoner
Memphis
Jonathan Tannenwald
Navy

Friday

Penn St. (-6.5) MARYLAND, 8 p.m. (FS1)

The Terrapins had a week off to lick their wounds after getting thumped by Temple. Now they get the Nittany Lions, in a game the Big 10 would love to see grow into a rivalry. Only problem is that Penn State holds a 39-2-1 series edge.

»READ MORE: Penn State preparing for a rough environment

“We’ve got some work to do for us to be able to call it a rivalry,” Maryland coach Michael Locksley said. “You can’t wish and make a game a rivalry. The only way it gets to that point is by competing and having success. So I wouldn’t say that it’s a rivalry yet.”

Ed Barkowitz
Maryland
Mike Jensen
Maryland
Joe Juliano
Maryland
Erin McCarthy
Maryland
Marc Narducci
Penn St.
Luke Reasoner
Penn St. (Best Bet)
Jonathan Tannenwald
Penn St.

Friday

CALIFORNIA (-4.5) Arizona St., 10:30 p.m. (ESPN)

If Cal is to be taken seriously, it better not get caught looking ahead to next week’s trip to Oregon. Bears linebacker Evan Weaver tied a school record with 22 tackles in last week’s disputed win at Ole Miss. He said afterward that he’s never seen anyone in red he didn’t want to bring down, an obvious nod to archrival Stanford.

Ed Barkowitz
California
Mike Jensen
Arizona St.
Joe Juliano
California
Erin McCarthy
California
Marc Narducci
California
Luke Reasoner
California
Jonathan Tannenwald
California (Best Bet)

Saturday

TEMPLE (-9) Georgia Tech, 3:30 p.m. (CBSSN)

The Owls welcome former coach Geoff Collins, who explained this week why he left Philadelphia to head south.

“I think the players who are there [at Temple] understand how important Atlanta is to me,” he said. “I made no bones about how much I loved Atlanta, even while I was up there and really at any stop that I’ve been at.

»READ MORE: Temple QB says ‘I won’t let you down again'

"My grandmother, who is 80 years old now, the first three weeks of the season she’s seen me coach more football games than she had in the previous 11 years of my coaching career. She’s seen my 3-year-old daughter more in the last three months more than she had in the previous three years. As you get older in the coaching profession, those things matter.”

Georgia Tech is 0-3 against the spread. The Yellow Jackets are coming off a loss to FCS Citadel when they were laying 27.

Ed Barkowitz
Georgia Tech
Mike Jensen
Temple
Joe Juliano
Temple
Erin McCarthy
Temple
Marc Narducci
Georgia Tech
Luke Reasoner
Georgia Tech
Jonathan Tannenwald
Georgia Tech

Clemson (-25.5) NORTH CAROLINA, 3:30 p.m. (6ABC)

This will be the first meeting between the two since 2015. Top-ranked Clemson has covered six of its last seven.

Ed Barkowitz
Clemson (Best Bet)
Mike Jensen
Clemson
Joe Juliano
Clemson (Best Bet)
Erin McCarthy
Clemson
Mike Narducci
Clemson
Luke Reasoner
Clemson
Jonathan Tannenwald
North Carolina

AUBURN (-10.5) Mississippi St., 7 p.m. (ESPN)

Auburn is the only team in the nation with two wins over ranked teams (Oregon, Texas A&M). The Tigers will get a test this week with Kylin Hill, who leads the SEC in rushing and ran for 126 yards in Mississippi State’s win over Auburn last season.

Ed Barkowitz
Auburn
Mike Jensen
Mississippi St.
Joe Juliano
Mississippi St.
Erin McCarthy
Mississippi St.
Marc Narducci
Auburn
Luke Reasoner
Auburn
Jonathan Tannenwald
Auburn

NOTRE DAME (-11.5) Virginia, 3:30 p.m. (NBC10)

It’ll be interesting to see how the Irish respond to last week’s difficult loss at Georgia. Getting the running game going should be the first priority for Notre Dame, which can play its way back into the playoff conversation.

Ed Barkowitz
Notre Dame
Mike Jensen
Virginia
Joe Juliano
Notre Dame
Erin McCarthy
Notre Dame
Marc Narducci
Virginia
Luke Reasoner
Notre Dame
Jonathan Tannenwald
Notre Dame

Ohio St. (-15.5) NEBRASKA, 7:30 p.m. (6ABC)

First big test for Ohio State, which laid 17 to Nebraska last year and won by just five. The Buckeyes are 3-1 against the spread this year, and Nebraska is 1-3. Ohio State moved up to No. 5 after putting a 76-5 hammer on Miami (Ohio) last week. The Cornhuskers have lost nine in a row to top-5 teams. GameDay will be on campus.

Ed Barkowitz
Ohio St.
Mike Jensen
Ohio St.
Joe Juliano
Nebraksa
Erin McCarthy
Ohio St. (Best Bet)
Marc Narducci
Ohio St.
Luke Reasoner
Ohio St.
Jonathan Tannenwald
Ohio St.

WASHINGTON (-9.5) Usc, 3:30 p.m. (Fox29)

It’s looking like Matt Fink will be USC’s third starting quarterback in five weeks. He had considered transferring when he came into the season buried on the depth chart. “It’s kind of surreal," Fink said, "[but] it’s an amazing opportunity for me and the team to keep moving forward.”

Washington is 2-8 against the spread in its last 10 Pac-12 games.

Ed Barkowitz
USC
Mike Jensen
Washington (Best Bet)
Joe Juliano
USC
Erin McCarthy
Washington
Marc Narducci
Washington
Luke Reasoner
Washington
Jonathan Tannenwald
Washington

ARIZONA (-7.5) Ucla, 10:30 p.m. (ESPN)

Chip Kelly’s Bruins picked up their first win of the season by rallying from 32 down and stunning Washington State, 67-63, in the highest-scoring game in Pac-12 history. It also was their first cover. Arizona, 2-1 straight-up/1-2 ATS, is coming off a bye.

Ed Barkowitz
UCLA
Mike Jensen
Arizona
Joe Juliano
Arizona
Erin McCarthy
Arizona
Marc Narducci
Arizona (Best Bet)
Luke Reasoner
Arizona
Jonathan Tannenwald
UCLA

Last Week

Ed Barkowitz
W-L (Best Bet)
6-4 (1-0)
Mike Jensen
W-L (Best Bet)
7-3 (1-0)
Joe Juliano
W-L (Best Bet)
4-6 (1-0)
Erin McCarthy
W-L (Best Bet)
8-2 (1-0)
Marc Narducci
W-L (Best Bet)
6-4 (0-1)
Luke Reasoner
W-L (Best Bet)
6-4 (1-0)
Jonathan Tannenwald
W-L (Best Bet)
7-3 (1-0)

Year to date

Erin McCarthy
W-L-T (Best Bets)
27-12-1 (2-2)
Pct.
.688
Jonathan Tannenwald
W-L-T (Best Bets)
26-13-1 (2-2)
Pct.
.663
Mike Jensen
W-L-T (Best Bets)
24-15-1 (1-3)
Pct.
.613
Ed Barkowitz
W-L-T (Best Bets)
23-16-1 (4-0)
Pct.
.588
Joe Juliano
W-L-T (Best Bets)
23-16-1 (4-0)
Pct.
.588
Luke Reasoner
W-L-T (Best Bets)
14-15-1 (1-2)
Pct.
.483
Marc Narducci
W-L-T (Best Bets)
18-21-1 (3-1)
Pct.
.463

Note: Luke Reasoner did not pick in Week 1.