College Football Week 4 Top 25 Picks, Odds, Box Score Predictions, Rankings, Schedule

Week 4 of the college football season will separate some contenders and pretenders in the Big Ten, SEC and Big 12.

Three Top 25 matchups will give us a better idea of which teams should be in the College Football Playoff conversation.

The biggest unknown at the moment is which team will run the Big 12. The Texas Tech Red Raiders and Utah Utes each started strong, but Saturday is the first true test for both programs.

The Illinois Fighting Illini and Indiana Hoosiers will fight to be the No. 4 team in the Big Ten behind the Oregon Ducks, Ohio State Buckeyes and Penn State Nittany Lions. The fourth-best team in the Big Ten might be good enough to get into the CFB Playoff.

The Oklahoma Sooners can improve their resume on Saturday against the Auburn Tigers. Both teams need to bank as many quality wins as possible given how tough the SEC slate is.

Week 4 Top 25 Schedule and Odds

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Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Saturday, September 20

No. 17 Texas Tech at No. 16 Utah (-3.5) (Noon ET, Fox)

UAB at No. 15 Tennessee (-38.5) (12:45 p.m. ET, SEC Network)

Oregon State at No. 6 Oregon (-35.5) (3 p.m. ET, BTN)

Kent State at No. 7 Florida State (-43.5) (3:30 p.m. ET, ACC Network)

No. 22 Auburn at No. 11 Oklahoma (-6.5) (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC)

Tulane at No. 13 Ole Miss (-12.5) (3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)

No. 21 Michigan (-1.5) at Nebraska (3:30 p.m. ET, CBS)

Purdue at No. 24 Notre Dame (-28.5) (3:30 p.m. ET, NBC)

Temple at No. 18 Georgia Tech (-23.5) (4:30 p.m. ET, CW)

South Carolina at No. 23 Missouri (-13.5) (7 p.m. ET, ESPN)

Florida at No. 4 Miami (-7.5) (7:30 p.m. ET, ABC)

No. 9 Illinois at No. 19 Indiana (-4.5) (7:30 p.m. ET, NBC)

Georgia State at No. 20 Vanderbilt (-26.5) (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPNU)

SE Louisiana at No. 3 LSU (7:45 p.m. ET, SEC Network)

Sam Houston at No. 8 Texas (-41.5) (8 p.m. ET, ESPN+)

Michigan State at No. 25 USC (-15.5) (11 p.m. ET, Fox)

No. 17 Texas Tech at No. 16 Utah (-3.5)

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Texas Tech made all the flashy moves in the offseason by spending millions of dollars in NIL funds.

The Red Raiders outscored their first three opponents 174-35, but all of those results occurred against weaker opposition.

Texas Tech's first true test comes on the road in Salt Lake City on Saturday against a Utah team that's looked equally impressive behind transfer quarterback Devon Dampier.

Utah owns the altitude advantage at home and it has the better coach in Kyle Whittingham, who has defeated countless Top 25 teams at home during his tenure.

Texas Tech is in more of a prove-it spot on Saturday because it is the road team and its multi-million dollar roster hasn't been tested yet.

The Utes not only have a dynamic quarterback, but they have a strong defense that held each of their three opponents to 10 points or fewer.

The Utah defense could be the key to slow down whatever the Red Raiders throw at that unit.

Prediction: Utah (-3.5)

No. 9 Illinois at No. 19 Indiana (-4.5)

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Illinois and Indiana are playing to be the "Best of the Rest" in the Big Ten.

Even though Illinois is ranked ninth, it is viewed in a different stratosphere as the three national title contenders from the conference.

Illinois already went on the road and handled the Duke Blue Devils in Week 2. Indiana poses a more talented threat, but that was a strong start for the Illini away from home in 2025.

Indiana put up 129 points in the last two weeks, but that won't matter if the Hoosiers can't play well against a top team.

A year ago, Curt Cignetti's team lost by double digits in both of its games versus ranked foes.

Indiana's done a tremendous job rebuilding its program under Cignetti, but it doesn't have a marquee win yet.

Last year's play against Top 10 teams is concerning and that might be the factor that leads you to betting Illinois.

Prediction: Illinois (+4.5)

No. 22 Auburn at No. 11 Oklahoma (-6.5)

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The buildup to Saturday's clash in Norman will be all about Jackson Arnold's return as the Auburn quarterback.

Arnold put up 501 passing yards in his first three games with Auburn. He has one of the best wide receiver tandems in Cam Coleman and Eric Singleton.

In fact, Auburn coach Hugh Freeze needs to utilize them more in the passing game. Arnold comes in with 400 fewer passing yards than Oklahoma's John Mateer.

Mateer generated some early Heisman Trophy buzz with his performance against the Michigan Wolverines in Week 2.

The buzz will only grow if he helps the Sooners take care of Auburn at home.

Both teams eclipsed the 30-point mark in five of their six games, so the Over 48.5 might end up as the best bet in the SEC matchup.

Oklahoma gets the nod on the spread because Mateer has been a more well-rounded playmaker than Arnold through three weeks.

Prediction: Oklahoma (-6.5)

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