College Football Week 4 Preview and Predictions: Clemson/Wake Forest, Ark/Tex A&M, Tenn/Fla, USC/Oregon State and more

College Football Week 4 Predictions

Week 3 saw Kansas, Oregon, Washington, & Penn State all making big statements, along with several barnburner-type contests headlined by App State’s Hail Mary victory. Week 4 has three ranked versus ranked matchups but also features many games flying under the radar with some interesting point spreads. Check out the top football betting strategies.

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Marquee Matchups

#5 Clemson vs #21 Wake Forest: We know the Tiger defense will travel fine but can QB DJ Uiagalelei and company put up points? Wake Forest almost got caught looking ahead, narrowly defeating a good Liberty program 37-36. Demon Deacons QB Sam Harford cannot be reckless with the ball this week facing a defense that is very stout. Liberty QB Kaidon Salter hurt Wake Forest thru the air and on the ground so it will be intriguing to see if DJ can do some of that. Clemson winning is my official prediction but the touchdown line had me wondering all week if the Tigers could cover on the road.

The Pick: Clemson -7 

#10 Arkansas vs #23 Texas A&M: The Aggies were able to hold off Miami after losing to App State in Week 2 but now face a stern test against the Razorbacks. Arkansas is a rising program no doubt but key injuries especially on defense has that side of the ball getting gashed. In fact, the Hogs were down 17-0 early and trailed 27-17 until Arkansas was able to kick in high gear winning 38-27 over Missouri State. A&M started a different quarterback but it really didn’t do a whole lot beyond getting them a win. Miami had numerous opportunities but failed to take advantage. Twice Arkansas covered the spread when I picked them, but all these injuries have me skittish.

The Pick: Aggies -2

Under The Radar

#11 Tennessee vs #20 Florida: Everything seems to be pointing to a Vols victory in this rivalry game. The funny thing is the Gators have a current 5-game winning streak in the series. Tennessee’s defense isn’t great by any means, but they can sure light up the scoreboard averaging 52 points per game early in the season. The Gators got a big win over then highly-ranked Utah but turned right around and lost to Kentucky, getting shut out in the 2nd half in the Swamp. The hype after the Utah performance from QB Anthony Richardson has fallen dramatically, and for a good reason. Richardson has 4 interceptions and just 28 yards rushing combined in the last two weeks. All that said, this College Football junkie thinks Tennessee will win however, that 11-point opening spread seemed a little too wide.

The Pick: Florida +10.5

Bet on Florida/Tennessee

#7 USC vs. Oregon State: The Trojans offense is chugging right along, which given the new coaching hire and elite players transferred in is really no surprise. The Beavers had a productive season last year and, now sitting at 3-0 managed to carry that good mojo from 2021. Speaking of 2021, Oregon State beat USC 45-27, and the Beavers have been a tough out playing at home in Corvallis.

The Pick: USC -6 

Saturday Upset Special

Minor upset from Notre Dame as a slight dog +1.5 at UNC. Check out the top football betting sites.

Hardcore Barnburners

#17 Baylor vs Iowa State: This important September matchup in the Big-12 should live up to the close point spread. This is a key spot for both teams if they want to compete for a conference title. Iowa State got a nice win over their in-state rival Hawkeyes and now gets home-field advantage. Baylor will need to cut down on the Bears’ penalties at BYU. The under is a pretty good bet by the way.

The Pick: Baylor +2.5 The Bears kick a late field goal to win. 

Minnesota vs Michigan State: The Spartans had a horrible start at Washington, down 29-8 at the half but did claw their way back to an extent anyways. The Gophers opened as a -2.5 and have looked the part of a team that should have a chance to win this one deep in the fourth quarter. Passing is the major weakness for the MSU defense so Minnesota will have to find a way to make explosive plays which just got harder losing their #1 option at WR Chris Altman-Bell for the season. Something tells me Sparty will bounce back at home.

The Pick: Michigan State +3

Against The Spread

Florida +10.5 covers against Tennessee.

Hawaii +4.5 covers versus NMST.

Quick Hits Recap

-Washington QB Michael Penix Jr. threw for almost 400 yards and 4 TD’s in a convincing victory by the Huskies over Michigan State 39-28.

-Texas stud RB Bijan Robinson rushed for 183 yards on 20 carries scoring 3 touchdowns in a 41-20 win over UTSA.

-The Trojans tandem of Austin Jones and Travis Dye produced 212 rushing yards and 2 TD’s combined in a 45-17 rout of Fresno State.

-Kansas is now 3-0, the last time they scored 159 points thru 3 games the Jayhawks went 12-1 in 2007.

-Minnesota RB Mo Ibrahim broke a school record of 200+ rushing yards in a game for the 4th time in his career. He also tied Daryl Thompson for career rushing TD’s.

-App State’s 53-yard Hail Mary victory touchdown over Troy 32-28 was absolutely insane.  On the Mountaineers previous possession App State turned the ball over on downs after driving the field for almost 9 minutes on 17 plays.

Written by Chris Carlson Host of The College Ball Show Podcast available at blogtalkradio.com/ropeadoperadio & Follow on Twitter @RopeADopeRadio