College football picks, predictions, odds: LSU-UCLA, Michigan State-Boston College among best bets in Week 4
I can’t wait for conference play to begin. This week, we have three games between ranked teams and they are all conference games. No. 6 Tennessee is at No. 15 Oklahoma, 11th-ranked USC will visit the Big House and No. 18 Michigan and Big 12 favorite No. 12 Utah will travel to visit 14th-ranked Oklahoma State.
Each week, I’ll use this space to tell you what I think are the best bets for the weekend. I’ll also reveal an upset of the week, which will be a team that is at least a touchdown underdog and that I’ll pick to win outright.
I’ll also tell you about other games involving potential College Football Playoff teams. Since almost all of them are technically CFP candidates at this point. So at least for the first few weeks of the season, I’ll go with the current top 12 teams in the AP Top 25 poll. With the expanded playoffs this season, I’ll go deeper into the rankings once we’ve won a few games.
Games played against FCS opponents are not considered.
I’m still reeling from the shock of Purdue’s 66-7 loss to Notre Dame, but there are no excuses. There are picks to be made and here are my favorites.
Odds via SportsLine Consensus
Week 4 selections
UCLA vs. 16th LSU (-24.5): The DeShaun Foster era has gotten off to a rough start at UCLA. The Bruins are 1-1, but the win came on a game-ending field goal at Hawaii. Last week, Indiana ruined UCLA’s home opener by beating them 42-13. No, that wasn’t basketball. The Bruins are now on the second of six long road trips this season to LSU. The Tigers aren’t making waves, but they can’t help themselves. Pick: LSU -24.5
Charlotte at Indiana (-28.5): Indiana isn’t really scoring the basketball – oh, wait – the Hoosiers put up 77 on Western Illinois. They won’t need to score that many in this one, but Indiana’s defense is so good that the Hoosiers will have to do most of the work themselves to get that number. The 49ers have given up 31 ppg to teams as explosive as Indiana. I also like the 28.5-point spread if that’s your preference. Choose: Over 48.5
Toledo (-2.5) at Western Kentucky: Toledo may not have had a win at Notre Dame like fellow MAC member Northern Illinois, but the Rockets still performed well. Last Saturday, Toledo went into SEC country and beat Mississippi State 41-17. This was a week after the Bulldogs lost to undefeated Arizona State by just three. Last week Western Kentucky won at Middle Tennessee, which isn’t bad, but isn’t the same as playing the Rockets. Pick: Toledo -2.5
biggest problem of the week
Michigan State vs. Boston College (-6.5): Michigan State is off to a 3-0 start including a win at Maryland two weeks ago. Oregon State transfer QB Aiden Chiles has played well since a rough start against Florida Atlantic. The Spartans have been able to run the ball to take the pressure off the young QB. Boston College was the first team to win at Florida State this season and was very competitive at Mizzou last week. I think this game is more of a toss-up than this line suggests and I like the Spartans to win. Pick: Michigan State
Other CFP candidates
Which college football team can you confidently pick in Week 4? Visit SportsLine to see which team will win and cover the spread — all from a proven computer model that has produced over $2,000 in profits since its inception — and learn more.
