College Football Picks Week 4: Top 4 Best Bets
owboys quarterback Alan Bowman (7) makes a pass attempt in the first half during the game between the Oklahoma State Cowboys and the UCF Knights on Saturday, November 11, 2023 at FBC Mortgage Stadium, Orlando, Fla. (Photo by Peter Joneleit/Icon Sportswire)
September 19th, 2024
Week 4 will feature a quartet of games between top 25 teams, and YouBet.com has included a pair of among its five best bets of Week 4. All lines courtesy of BetMGM, times listed are Eastern.
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Tennessee at Oklahoma (7:30 p.m.): TENNESSEE
Nico Iamaleava made a case for the Heisman with a brilliant showing in the opener, and the star quarterback hasn’t had to do much as Tennessee’s defense dominated NC St. and Kent St. the last two weeks (Vols won by a combined 122-10 margin). There’s a significant difference between Oklahoma's and Tennessee’s offensive capabilities. With running back Dylan Thompson and a deep receiving corps, sixth-ranked Tennessee will strike early and often, and Oklahoma doesn’t have the firepower to stay with them, scoring 16 points versus Houston two weeks ago and leading Tulane 24-19 with less than seven minutes remaining last week. Oklahoma and Texas brought plenty of bravado to the SEC this year, but Texas is the only one who can hold their own versus top-ranked teams. Tennessee realizes the opportunity to make a statement for the rest of the conference, and we love the Vols by a double-digit margin. Best bet of the week!
Houston at Cincinnati (12 p.m.): UNDER
Houston relies more on defense these days. The Cougars tallied seven points in their home opener versus UNLV and have scored only a combined 50 points (10.25 per game) in their last four road games. This match-up went comfortably Under last year, with Cincinnati winning by a 24-14 margin, and expect more of the same Saturday. The Bearcats are 1-8 ATS in their last nine home games and Cincinnati led Miami (Ohio) by a 17-10 margin in the fourth quarter last week. Brendan Sorsby wasn’t sharp (21 of 24 for 186 passing yards) and Houston will be able to slow down the Cincinnati quarterback in an expected low-scoring affair.
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Utah at Oklahoma St. (4 p.m.): UTAH
Alan Bowman leads a prolific passing offense, but Oklahoma St.’s inability to run the ball effectively will hurt them versus Utah, which features terrific balance with running backs Micah Bernard and Mike Mitchell and star quarterback Cam Rising, who returns from a hand injury sustained in a comfortable road win over Baylor in Week 2. Don’t overreact to Utah’s lethargic performance versus Utah St. last week with a back-up quarterback; Oklahoma St. doesn’t play their best football in September and the Cowboys were forced to rally from a 21-7 deficit at home in Week 2 to defeat an Arkansas team that won four games last year. Head coach Kyle Whittingham considered retiring last year, but Utah insiders speculate he returned because the legendary coach believes this senior-laden team will be his best yet. Look for 12th-ranked Utah to put it all together in a strong showing.
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Arizona St. at Texas Tech (3:30 p.m.): ARIZONA ST.
After squeaking past Abilene Christian 52-51 and sustaining a beatdown to Washington St. 37-16, Texas Tech discovered an offensive rhythm last week, jumping out to a 47-0 halftime lead over North Texas. But don’t be fooled by that cupcake victory; the Red Raiders still have issues and must face an up-and-coming Arizona St. Following wins over Mississippi St. and Texas St., the Sun Devils are performing with confidence, and they’ve already reached last year’s win total (three) under second-year coach Kenny Dillingham, a former top offensive coordinator at Oregon who has changed the culture in Tempe. Power rankings haven’t caught up with Arizona St., who should be favored in this match-up, and Texas Tech won’t be able to match points with the high-scoring Sun Devils (36.3 points per game).
Bowling Green at Texas A&M (7:30 p.m.): BOWLING GREEN
Bowling Green covered as a 34-point favorite at 10th-ranked Penn St. last week, leading 24-20 at halftime before coming up short by a 34-27 margin. Connor Bazelak completed 25 of 39 passes for 254 yards and a pair of touchdowns and the Falcons ran the ball effectively (121 rushing yards) versus arguably the top defense in college football, but a pair of costly turnovers ultimately cost them. Texas A&M's Marcel Reed played well in place of injured quarterback Conner Weigman last week, leading his team to a 33-20 win over hapless Florida, and the Aggies now have a quarterback controversy, with Weigman being listed as “day-to-day” this week and a rabid fanbase speculating on the best fit. We like Bazelak and expect Bowling Green to hold their form. The Falcons won at Georgia Tech and trailed eventual national champion Michigan 14-6 at halftime last year, and Bowling Green is more formidable with 32 seniors this year. We love the points in this spot.
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