It’s time for Week 4 in college football. And it’s time for predictions. Lots of good football and interesting match-ups. The SEC is back! And be sure to check out the ATS picks at the end.
Thursday
UAB 27 South Alabama 24
Final Score: UAB 42 South Alabama 10
Friday
UTSA 31 MTSU 28
Final Score: UTSA 37 MTSU 35
Saturday
Top 25
(21) Pittsburgh 24 (24)Louisville 20
This game features an excellent defense (Pitt) vs a high powered offense (Louisville). The biggest question is can the Louisville defense stop the Pittsburgh offense? It’s not like the Pitt offense is a powerhouse, but the Louisville defense was shredded by Miami, and Pitt is led by senior QB Kenny Pickett. Give me Pitt in a close one.
(20) Virginia Tech 31 NC State 27
Virginia Tech has been dealing with Covid issues including contact tracing concerns for some players. I imagine a few VT players will be out and that could help keep this game closer than the spread suggests.
(19) Louisiana 34 Georgia Southern 27
Georgia Southern is always tough running the option. They’ll give the Ragin Cajuns defense some concerns, but the Louisiana offense will be too much for the Eagles defense to handle.
(18) BYU 34 Troy 26
BYU looked great vs Navy in Week 1 and Troy looked great last week vs Middle Tennessee. I expect this one will be a good game, but I have BYU pulling away in the 4th.
South Carolina 24 (16) Tennessee 21
I’m going with the upset in this game. 72% of the bets are currently coming in for the Vols and the spread is just Tennessee -3. Something seems off. It could be because the Vols have dealt with so many Covid issues which has affected their practice and preparation.
(15) Oklahoma State 24 West Virginia 21
If Spencer Sanders is OUT, the Mountaineers will have a good opportunity to pull off the upset.
(14) Cincinnati 31 (22) Army 17
I usually regret picking against Army, but Cincinnati is the more complete team.
(13) UCF 42 East Carolina 21
UCF can score in a heartbeat, but let’s not forget about QB Holton Ahlers and the ECU offense as well. Pirate wide receivers C.J. Johnson and Blake Proehl are excellent. Expect the Pirates to stay within the spread (+27).
(12) Miami 31 Florida State 21
The Canes get to 3-0, but the Noles cover the spread.
(10) Texas A&M 42 Vanderbilt 7
If the Aggies are what many think they can be in 2020, they should win this one easily.
(8) Texas 45 Texas Tech 31
The Red Raiders only beat Houston Baptist by 2 points. So 94% of the bets are coming in for Texas -18. Anytime it’s that lopsided, I’m fading the public and going with the opposite team to cover.
(6) LSU 33 Mississippi State 21
LSU lost a TON of players from last year’s team, but I believe they still have enough to get a win here. Tiger QB Myles Brennan will play decent and true freshman TE Arik Gilbert makes a big impact.
(5) Florida 34 Ole Miss 20
The Gators win, but the Rebels put up a fight.
(4) Georgia 42 Arkansas 10
I love what Georgia has on defense, and no matter who plays QB for the Dawgs, they still have a great RB unit and top WR in George Pickens.
(3) Oklahoma 45 Kansas State 14
Last season the Wildcats knocked off the Sooners 48-41 and QB Skyler Thompson led the way. Thompson is back again in 2020, but the Sooners defense will do a better job containing him this year.
(2) Alabama 41 Missouri 7
Alabama is the better team, and they win easily.
Remaining Games
Appalachian State 38 Campbell 14
Campbell won’t win the game, but they’ve already played two games and QB Hajj-Malik Williams has stood out to me with his athleticism running the ball. Expect the Mountaineers to bounce back from their loss to Marshall.
Georgia Tech 24 Syracuse 17
The Syracuse defense hasn’t looked all that bad, but the Syracuse offense hasn’t done them any favors. Georgia Tech has some incredible young talent including RB Jahmyr Gibbs who’s electrifying. Expect the Yellow Jackets to get to 2-0 in the ACC.
Liberty 31 FIU 27
Auburn Transfer QB Malik Willis was SUPERB last week for the Flames. He had 3 rushing TDs and showed off his electrifying athleticism. FIU has yet to play a game which makes them a big unknown.
Iowa State 24 TCU 17
If QB Max Duggan was starting, I’d most likely pick the Horned Frogs here. However, with him being uncertain, I’ll go with Brock Purdy and the Cyclones.
Southern Miss 28 Tulane 24
Both of these teams blew leads last week to lose the game. This week 75% of bets are on Tulane -3, so I’m fading the public and taking Southern Miss +3 and to win straight up.
ULM 28 UTEP 17
UTEP is 2-1, but both wins were close games vs FCS opponents. ULM is 0-2, but has more talent than UTEP. Expect the Warhawks to win by 2 scores.
Virginia 24 Duke 14
Chase Brice and the Duke offense hasn’t taken off like many expected, and this game will be a tough one as the Hoos have a solid defense. Duke will also be without corners Mark Gilbert and Josh Blackwell, but have a formidable D-Line with players like Victor Dimukeje and Chris Rumph II. I expect this to be a low scoring battle, but UVA gets the win.
Boston College 31 Texas State 21
Texas State has been fun to watch this season and WR Jeremiah Haydel has made a SC Top 10 each game it seems. As much as I love the direction Texas State football is heading, Boston College, led by talented QB Phil Jurkovec, will be too much to handle.
Louisiana Tech 42 Houston Baptist 27
Houston Baptist has a spectacular QB in Bailey Zappe who threw for 567 yards vs Texas Tech and three standout receivers. So I expect them to score, but La Tech should win.
SMU 45 Stephen F. Austin 14
SMU and Shane Buechele should roll in this one.
Baylor 34 Kansas 21
There are a lot of unknowns with Baylor on defense, so I’m interested to see how they play.
Free Picks ATS 🤑💰🤑💰🤑
- Miss St / LSU UNDER 57.5
- UGA / ARK UNDER 53
- NC State +7.5
- South Carolina +3.5
- Alabama -27
- Texas Tech +18
- Texas State +17.5
- Southern Miss +3.5
- East Carolina +27
- FIU +7.5
- Campbell +36
Season Total: 10-5
Last Week: 5-1
