College Football Picks Week 4: Latest Top 25 Odds and Final-Score Predictions
There's no rest for the weary in college football. Even if the sport is coming off of a Week 3 that saw two teams in the top six go down with other ranked sides receiving plenty of scares.
A new team makes its way into the top four after Ole Miss, ranked 15th last week, went into Tuscaloosa and defeated No. 2 Alabama. The Rebels are now tied with TCU at No. 3, with Michigan State one spot behind Ohio State.
Here's a look at the current AP poll entering Week 4:
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
| 1 | Ohio State | 3-0 | 1 |
| 2 | Michigan State | 3-0 | 4 |
| 3 | Ole Miss | 3-0 | 15 |
| 3 | TCU | 3-0 | 3 |
| 5 | Baylor | 2-0 | 5 |
| 6 | Notre Dame | 3-0 | 8 |
| 7 | Georgia | 3-0 | 7 |
| 8 | LSU | 2-0 | 13 |
| 9 | UCLA | 3-0 | 10 |
| 10 | Florida State | 3-0 | 9 |
| 11 | Clemson | 3-0 | 11 |
| 12 | Alabama | 2-1 | 2 |
| 13 | Oregon | 2-1 | 12 |
| 14 | Texas A&M | 3-0 | 17 |
| 15 | Oklahoma | 3-0 | 16 |
| 16 | Arizona | 3-0 | 20 |
| 17 | Northwestern | 3-0 | 23 |
| 18 | Utah | 3-0 | 21 |
| 19 | USC | 2-1 | 6 |
| 20 | Georgia Tech | 2-1 | 14 |
| 21 | Stanford | 2-1 | Unranked |
| 22 | Wisconsin | 2-1 | 24 |
| 22 | BYU | 2-1 | 19 |
| 24 | Oklahoma State | 3-0 | 25 |
| 25 | Missouri | 3-0 | 22 |
Stanford makes its way back into the Top 25 after defeating No. 6 USC, which might have just seen its playoff hopes fly away after the loss. The Trojans dropped 13 spots to 19th.
The largest mover in the rankings other than Ole Miss, which hopped up 12 spots, is Northwestern—the team that originally knocked Stanford out of the rankings during Week 1.
Starting the season unranked, Northwestern moved into the Top 25 with the win over the Cardinal, and it has continued to ascend. The Wildcats moved up six spots this week to No. 17 after a 19-10 win over Duke.
While the Wildcats seem to have an easier matchup waiting for them this week against Ball State, other teams in the Top 25 are not so lucky. Let's take a look at the Top 25 schedule, latest odds and what I think the final score will be. Odds are courtesy of OddsShark.com:
| Friday, Sept. 25 | |||
| No. 21 Stanford at Oregon State | 10 p.m. | Stanford -16.5 | Stanford 34-17 |
| Saturday, Sept. 26 | |||
| No. 22 BYU at Michigan | 12 p.m. | Michigan -6 | Michigan 23-20 |
| Central Michigan at No. 2 Michigan State | 12 p.m. | MSU -28.5 | MSU 45-14 |
| No. 20 Georgia Tech at Duke | 12 p.m. | GT -10 | GT 24-17 |
| Southern at No. 7 Georgia | 12 p.m. | N/A | UGA 55-10 |
| No. 8 LSU at Syracuse | 12 p.m. | LSU -24 | LSU 49-13 |
| Rice at No. 5 Baylor | 3 p.m. | Baylor -33 | Baylor 66-31 |
| No. 24 Oklahoma State at Texas | 3:30 p.m. | OK St. -5 | OK St. 30-21 |
| UMass at No. 6 Notre Dame | 3:30 p.m. | ND -28.5 | ND 35-14 |
| Western Michigan at No. 1 Ohio State | 3:30 p.m. | OSU -27 | OSU 42-10 |
| Louisiana-Monroe at No. 12 Alabama | 4 p.m. | Alabama -39 | Alabama 52-7 |
| No. 3 TCU at Texas Tech | 4:45 p.m. | TCU -9.5 | TCU 55-42 |
| No. 14 Texas A&M at Arkansas | 7 p.m. | TAMU -3.5 | TAMU 38-31 |
| Vanderbilt at No. 3 Ole Miss | 7 p.m. | Miss -28 | Miss 49-17 |
| No. 25 Missouri at Kentucky | 7:30 p.m. | UK -2.5 | Mizzou 27-20 |
| No. 9 UCLA at No. 16 Arizona | 8 p.m. | UCLA -4.5 | Arizona 31-24 |
| Ball State at No. 17 Northwestern | 8 p.m. | NW -18 | NW 24-10 |
| Hawaii at No. 22 Wisconsin | 8 p.m. | Wisconsin -28 | Wisconsin 34-7 |
| No. 18 Utah at No. 13 Oregon | 8:30 p.m. | Oregon -14 | Oregon 38-27 |
| No. 19 USC at Arizona State | 10:30 p.m. | USC -6 | USC 41-38 |
Game of the Week
No. 18 Utah at No. 13 Oregon
When one thinks of the Pac-12, the usual suspects tend to come up first whether it be Oregon, USC, UCLA or Arizona. But in Week 4, another team, Utah, has an opportunity to make its claim as one of the elite teams in the conference.
While a Week 1 win over Michigan could prove helpful if the Wolverines pick up a win against No. 22 BYU, a win over Oregon could further solidify the notion that the Utes are the real deal.
They'll be tested against the high-powered offense of the Ducks, whose only loss of the season came against now-No. 2 Michigan State. Even then, they managed to score 31 points against them. In their two wins this season, the Ducks scored 61 points.
It remains unclear if Oregon will have its starting quarterback, Vernon Adams, ready for the game, as he is dealing with a finger injury, per Kevin Gemmell of ESPN.com. Oregon had to go with Jeff Lockie last week against a weaker Georgia State squad. He managed to put up 61 points, but Utah's defense proves a bit more of a challenge.
However, Oregon has had an easy time with Utah in the past as the Pac-12 Networks show:
Utah so far has proven to be a bit more difficult to break down this year, ranking second in the Pac-12 in rushing defense, only allowing 3.5 yards per carry. But it'll be facing a running back in Royce Freeman who has averaged 6.8 yards per carry.
I think Oregon's offense, even if Adams doesn't go, will be too much for the Utes to stop in what will surely be an entertaining game that will have an air of desperation about it. Utah wants to prove that it belongs, while Oregon will fight for its playoff hopes.
Prediction: Oregon wins 38-27
Stats courtesy of Pac-12.com
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
