College Football Odds Week 4: Picks Against the Spread for Updated Top 25 Games
It's taken a few weeks for the 2020 college football season to get rolling, but the action in Week 4 will more closely resemble what fans expect from a Saturday in the fall. While ACC and Big 12 teams continue their seasons, the SEC campaign will begin Saturday.
All 14 teams from the SEC will be playing, which includes a trio ranked in the top five of the AP Top 25 poll—No. 2 Alabama (at Missouri), No. 4 Georgia (at Arkansas) and No. 5 Florida (at Ole Miss). The national champion, No. 6 LSU, will also be making its season debut, hosting Mississippi State.
There are also three matchups featuring a pair of ranked teams. No. 8 Auburn is hosting No. 23 Kentucky, No. 21 Pittsburgh is hosting No. 24 Louisville and No. 14 Cincinnati is hosting No. 22 Army.
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Here's a look at the Week 4 schedule for Top 25 teams, along with odds and picks, followed by a preview of those three ranked matchups.
Week 4 Top 25 Schedule, Odds and Picks
Saturday, Sept. 26
Kansas State at No. 3 Oklahoma (-28), noon, Fox
No. 5 Florida (-13.5) at Ole Miss, noon, ESPN
No. 23 Kentucky at No. 8 Auburn (-7.5), noon, SEC Network
No. 13 UCF (-27.5) at East Carolina, noon, ABC
Georgia Southern at No. 19 Louisiana-Lafayette (-13.5), noon, ESPN2
No. 24 Louisville at No. 21 Pittsburgh (-3), noon, ACC Network
Mississippi State at No. 6 LSU (-16.5), 3:30 p.m., CBS
No. 8 Texas (-18.5) at Texas Tech, 3:30 p.m., Fox
No. 22 Army at No. 14 Cincinnati (-14), 3:30 p.m., ESPN
West Virginia at No. 15 Oklahoma State (-7.5), 3:30 p.m., ABC
No. 4 Georgia (-26.5) at Arkansas, 4 p.m., SEC Network
No. 2 Alabama (-28) at Missouri, 7 p.m., ESPN
Vanderbilt at No. 10 Texas A&M (-30.5), 7:30 p.m., SEC Network Alternate
Florida State at No. 12 Miami (-11.5), 7:30 p.m., ABC
No. 16 Tennessee (-3.5) at South Carolina, 7:30 p.m., SEC Network
NC State at No. 20 Virginia Tech (-7), 8 p.m., ACC Network
Troy at No. 18 BYU (-14), 10:15 p.m., ESPN
All times ET. Picks made against the spread. Odds obtained via DraftKings.
Ranked Matchups Preview
No. 23 Kentucky at No. 8 Auburn
Over the past four seasons, Kentucky has turned things around under head coach Mark Stoops. The Wildcats had six consecutive losing campaigns from 2010-15 (which included Stoops' first three years at the helm), but they have since had four straight winning seasons, ending each of them with a bowl appearance.
But that doesn't change the fact that Kentucky has never played well against Auburn. The Tigers lead the all-time series between the programs 26-6-1, including victories the past two times they faced off in 2010 and 2015. The Wildcats beat them in 2009, but that's their only victory against Auburn in the teams' past 18 meetings, dating back to 1967.
Kentucky should have another solid season in 2020. Senior quarterback Terry Wilson is back, and the Wildcats should be strong on the offensive line. But Auburn is a difficult matchup to open the season, especially on the road. The Tigers have won eight or more games in six of their past seven seasons, and sophomore quarterback Bo Nix is likely to take steps forward in his second year as the starter.
This Saturday afternoon matchup could be competitive. But don't be surprised if Auburn starts to pull away late, continuing its dominance against Kentucky to get off to a strong start this season.
No. 24 Louisville at No. 21 Pittsburgh
This is the second week in a row that Louisville is going up against a ranked ACC rival. In Week 3, the Cardinals hosted Miami, which is now ranked No. 12 in the AP poll, and lost 47-34 to fall to 1-1. The Hurricanes jumped out to a 20-6 lead and led by at least seven points the rest of the way.
That was also Louisville's last home game for more than a month. It begins a three-game stretch on the road with a trip to face No. 21 Pittsburgh on Saturday. If the Cardinals are going to stay ranked, they will need to start with a win over the Panthers.
Pittsburgh has opened the season with a pair of wins over Austin Peay and Syracuse, but this will be its first true test. It has some challenging games ahead, and if it wants to have a successful season, a win over Louisville could keep it on the right track early.
The Panthers lead the all-time series against the Cardinals 9-8 (including wins in five of the past six meetings), but they haven't met since 2015. Although Louisville is a three-point underdog on the road, it could pull off the upset. Junior quarterback Malik Cunningham is off to a strong start (650 yards, six touchdowns, two interceptions), and he will be leading the best offense that Pittsburgh has faced this year.
No. 22 Army at No. 14 Cincinnati
These are two programs that don't have much history with each other. The all-time series is tied 3-3, with Army winning the most recent matchup, but that took place in 2004. And this game wasn't scheduled until late August because Cincinnati needed to find some new opponents after having three of its four non-conference games canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Because the Bearcats and Black Knights scheduled this game, we get another ranked matchup to watch. Neither team has been tested this season, though, as Army opened with back-to-back wins over Middle Tennessee and UL Monroe, while Cincinnati won its season opener against Austin Peay in Week 3.
Army has a lot it could prove with a win in this matchup. The Black Knights are 0-20 against ranked teams dating back to 1996, and they are looking to have a better season than last year, when they went 5-8. But Cincinnati is a strong team that has aspirations of winning the AAC title for the first time since 2014.
It's likely that the Bearcats will defeat Army at home. But if the Black Knights build off their success from their first two games, they could be poised to be a surprise team in 2020.
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