Ohio State head coach Ryan Day is preparing for his second top-five college football matchup of the season when his No. 4 Buckeyes visit No. 5 Indiana on Saturday. Since succeeding Urban Meyer in 2019, Day has faced 13 games featuring top-five ranked opponents, second only to Georgia’s Kirby Smart, who has coached in 14 such contests over the same period.
Indiana will host its first-ever top-five game at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, marking a milestone for the program under second-year coach Curt Cignetti. This weekend’s game represents the Hoosiers’ fourth top-five encounter since Cignetti took over in 2024 and their third against Ohio State. The series under Cignetti began with a 38-15 loss on the road to the Buckeyes. Last season, Indiana defeated Ohio State 13-10 to capture the Big Ten championship and went on to beat Oregon 56-22 in a College Football Playoff semifinal.
Day’s top-five record stands at 5-8, though some analysts suggest he might be 6-7 if not for a narrow 24-23 defeat to Texas last month, a game in which Ohio State surrendered a 20-point lead in the fourth quarter. Of the 13 games Day has coached in this category, eight were decided by seven points or fewer, including all four true road games.
Saturday’s slate includes several other notable top-25 matchups. No. 2 Notre Dame visits No. 8 BYU in a game that tests BYU quarterback Bear Bachmeier, who has shouldered much of the offensive load since running back LJ Martin’s injury. Notre Dame is favored by 10 points, with projections favoring the Fighting Irish to win 26-14.
In the SEC, No. 6 Alabama faces No. 14 Tennessee, where Volunteers quarterback Faizon Brandon remains recuperating from injury. Backup George MacIntyre will start again, but Alabama remains an 8.5-point favorite and is projected to win 28-14.
Unbeaten No. 12 UCLA hosts Wisconsin, but the Bruins will be without their starting quarterback Nico Iamaleava. Wisconsin is favored in a close contest, with a predicted 23-20 final score.
Other marquee matchups include No. 18 Oklahoma State taking on No. 20 Houston in the first Top 25 game hosted by Houston since 1990. Analysts anticipate a high-scoring affair, predicting Oklahoma State to edge Houston 45-42.
Among the rest of the top-ranked teams, No. 1 Georgia is heavily favored by more than 20 points against Auburn, a team that has not defeated Georgia in Athens since 2017 and has struggled on offense. Georgia is projected to win 42-21. No. 3 Miami, fresh off recent strong performances, is favored by 21 points against Florida State and expected to dominate 44-19.
Other selections include Texas overcoming Florida 26-17 at home, Texas Tech topping Arizona State 31-14, and Utah continuing its strong run, favored to beat Colorado 35-10.
The weekend’s lineup features several key storylines and critical matchups that could impact conference standings and College Football Playoff positioning as the season intensifies heading into November.