The college football world was shaken up by a key piece of injury news this week when it was revealed that starting Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer, a prime Heisman contender, is out for the foreseeable future due to a broken bone in his throwing hand. The Sooners are off this week, so we won't see his backup, Michael Hawkins Jr., for another week. Mateer's injury is far and away the biggest college football injury news of the 2025 season, but there are some key injuries for some of this week's top games that bettors should be monitoring before locking in any bets.
We now have access to injury reports for conference games, though how and when those reports are released is different depending on the conference, as we'll explain later. If you're interested in college football betting, here are some college football injuries to keep in mind before placing any Week 5 college football bets at top sportsbooks.
Ohio State at Washington
- Washington CB Tacario Davis (questionable)
- Washington LB Taariq Al-Uqdah (out)
The Huskies will try and pull off a massive upset when they welcome No. 1 Ohio State, the reigning champs, to town on Saturday. Washington will be without starting linebacker Taariq Al-Uqdah, who injured his ankle against Washington State last week. The bigger question for UW's defense isn't who will take over for Al-Uqdah, but rather what the status of cornerback Tacario Davis, who was injured making an interception in Week 2 and missed last week, is for Week 5.
The Huskies will already have their hands full with OSU's star receiver tandem of Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate, and defending those two will be even tougher if Davis is out. Lines have trended Washington's way as the Huskies are now 8-point underdogs, but winning outright or covering is much more difficult if Davis is sidelined.
The Big Ten doesn't require teams to release injury reports until the day of a game, so we won't know more about Davis' status, or any other surprise injuries on either side, until Saturday morning and afternoon.
Alabama at Georgia
- Georgia OT Earnest Greene III (doubtful)
- Alabama RB Jam Miller (will play)
- Alabama DL Tim Keenan III (probable)
The Crimson Tide have bounced back from a tough Week 1 loss to Florida State, winning out since, while the Bulldogs are undefeated and again look like a prime College Football Playoff contender. Alabama won this game last year in a shootout that was the premier win of Kalen DeBoer's first season with the Tide, while Georgia owns the longest active home winning streak in the nation.
The good news is both teams are pretty healthy here. Georgia will likely be without starting offensive tackle Earnest Greene III, who is doubtful. The Tide always boast tremendous talent on defense, so how the Bulldogs mitigate that injury will be worth watching. As for Alabama, the Tide will have Jam Miller back for the first time this year. He had a solid 2024 campaign and was expected to be the team's lead back, but he missed the start of the year with a collarbone injury. Additionally, top defensive lineman Tim Keenan III may also make his 2025, as he's questionable after missing the Tide's first three games.
LSU at Ole Miss
- LSU RB Caden Durham (questionable)
- Ole Miss QB Austin Simmons (will play)
This battle of undefeated SEC squads has a fun wrinkle, as Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin's daughter is dating LSU linebacker Whit Weeks. Whether that will impact Kiffin's play-calling remains to be seen, but Kiffin does have a big decision to make this week at quarterback.
Austin Simmons was QB1 to begin the year for the Rebels, but he suffered an injury in Week 2. Since then, Trinidad Chambliss has stepped in admirably, leading Ole Miss to a pair of wins as the starter. Kiffin has yet to announce who will start, but Simmons is off the injury report this week.
As for LSU, the top injury to watch here is with Tigers running back Caden Durham, who is questionable to play this week. Durham leads the team with 213 rushing yards, and he also has a pair of rushing touchdowns so far this year.
Notre Dame at Arkansas
- Notre Dame CB Leonard Moore (questionable)
- Notre Dame CB DeVonta Smith (questionable)
- Arkansas CB Kani Walker (questionable)
The Irish got their first win of 2025 after losing to Miami and Texas A&M to kick off the season. They now face a different SEC team in Arkansas, which is rebounding from a heartbreaking loss to Memphis that saw the Razorbacks lose a fumble when they were in scoring position in the game's final moments.
The biggest injuries to note with this matchup are all in the secondary. Notre Dame listed both starting cornerback Leonard Moore and nickel corner DeVonta Smith as questionable, while Arkansas starting cornerback Kani Walker left last week with a concussion, so it's not yet clear if he'll be cleared to play. Both teams have been able to put points on the board early this season, so if multiple starting defensive backs are ruled out, the odds of this turning into a shootout only increase.
