Dan Mullen makes six Week 5 picks, including surprising SEC upset

The 2024 college football season has delivered so far, but with conference play entering full bloom, the matchups are just getting better. That’s certainly the case in Week 5, and Dan Mullen is getting in on the action.

Mullen made six predictions Friday, even penciling in a surprising SEC upset. Here’s who the former SEC coach-turned-ESPN analyst is taking this week.

Dan Mullen’s Week 5 Picks:

NOTE: Bold team denotes Mullen’s predicted winner.

• No. 19 Illinois (+19.5) at No. 9 Penn State
• No. 23 Kansas State (-5) vs. No. 20 Oklahoma State
• No. 16 Notre Dame (-7) vs. No. 15 Louisville
• UCF (-14) vs. Colorado
• Arkansas (+6) at No. 24 Texas A&M
• No. 2 Georgia (-1) at No. 4 Alabama

Mullen thinks Penn State will hold off Illinois in Beaver Stadium, but he’s taking the points. Mullen believes the Fighting Illini, off to just their second 4-0 start since 1951, will cover. Quarterback Luke Altmyer has posted a 10:0 touchdown-to-interception ratio, and the Illini have already taken down two ranked opponents this season.

Mullen has Kansas State bouncing back from last week’s 38-9 defeat at BYU and covering against Oklahoma State. The Wildcats-Cowboys head-to-head has major implications on the Big 12 race, considering Oklahoma State also suffered a loss last week, a 22-19 setback to now-No. 10 Utah.

Notre Dame and Louisville are squaring off in a matchup that could also have College Football Playoff ramifications. With how relatively easy the Fighting Irish’s schedule is from here on out, and how Notre Dame lost to Northern Illinois in Week 2, Saturday’s clash in Notre Dame Stadium might just be a must-win for head coach Marcus Freeman’s team. Mullen is picking the Irish to win, and he’s expecting them to cover against the ACC Championship hopeful Cardinals.

Colorado is coming off a dramatic win over Baylor, except Mullen is picking UCF to beat the Buffaloes and cover the spread in the process. The Knights are still undefeated with early-season victories over New Hampshire, Sam Houston and TCU.

The pick that stands out the most from Mullen’s bunch is his selection of Arkansas over Texas A&M. Mullen has the Aggies taking their second loss of the year, this time to a Razorbacks squad that he believes will improve to 4-1 on the road with an upset win in College Station.

Mullen’s got Georgia winning the game of the week, a top-five showdown between Georgia and Alabama. He’s picking the Bulldogs to cover the narrow, 1-point spread, too. The Bulldogs have beaten the Crimson Tide just once since 2007, and that was in the national title game at the end of the 2021 season.