Week 4 of the college football season features a loaded slate that kicks off on Friday night with a primetime matchup between #24 Illinois and #22 Nebraska. The Saturday slate includes 3 matchups between ranked teams, including #11 USC vs #18 Michigan, #12 Utah vs #14 Oklahoma State, and #6 Tennessee vs #15 Oklahoma.
In this preview, we will take a look at some of the key matchups from this week’s NCAAF contest in the EatWatchPlay app and share our picks.
#11 USC at #18 Michigan
Davis Warren threw three interceptions against Arkansas State last week and almost cost the Wolverines a game they dominated. He’s officially been replaced by Alex Orgi, and this should be a much different looking Michigan attack. Orgi is a really poor passer (sub 50% completion rate in high school), but one of the best athletes on Michigan’s roster.
Styles make fights, and these two teams have drastically different styles. USC wants to play quick and air it out, Michigan wants to run the ball and play field position. Is USC tough enough to go into Ann Arbor and defeat the reigning National Champions? They haven’t been in recent years and will need to prove it on the field here. This will be one of our upset picks this week.
Our pick: Michigan +2
+12 Utah at #14 Oklahoma State
Reports out of Utah have Cam Rising ready to go for the Utes first Big 12 test. If he is in fact active, we love Utah in this one. Rising has only attempted 29 passes this season, but has 18 completions for 346 yards, 7 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions.
For Oklahoma State, this was supposed to be Ollie Gordon’s season. He was a Heisman favorite coming into the year, but has struggled to get anything going and has just 216 rushing yards (3.5 YPC) through 3 games.
If the Cowboys struggled to run the ball against South Dakota State, Arkansas, and Tulsa, they have no shot at running it against this Utah defense. We’re taking Utah to pull of a big road win here.
Our pick: Utah +2
#6 Tennessee at #15 Oklahoma
Everybody wants to talk about Nico Iamaleava and the resurgence of the Tennessee offense, however, it’s the defense that has really impressed us. Through three weeks, the Volunteers have allowed only 13 total points and 462 total yards.
Dylan Sampson and DeSean Bishop come into this week averaging a combined 8.6 YPC, and have racked up 12 touchdowns in 3 games. Brent Venables will certainly make slowing down the Tennessee run game his primary objective this week.
Oklahoma’s defense is impressive, and Venables will have a game plan ready, however, we think it’s the Tennessee defense that steals the show. This will be a dogfight, we don’t expect a ton of points, but do expect Tennessee to find a way to win on the road.
Our pick: Tennessee +1
#8 Miami at South Florida
This is a trap game for Miami and one we were tempted to take as a massive upset in the EWP app, where a USF pick awards +6 points this week.
USF has an extremely talented quarterback in Byrum Brown, who can beat you through the air or on the ground. Brown had 108 yards rushing on 23 carries against Alabama, and USF were leading the game heading into the fourth quarter.
Unfortunately for the Bulls, Miami has little competition left on its schedule, meaning they are able to gameplan for every game like it’s a CFP elimination. We think this one is tighter than expected, but the Hurricanes pull of the win and remain undefeated.
Our pick: Miami +1
Georgia Tech at #19 Lousville
If you are looking for a +3 or better pick in this contest, Georgia Tech is likely your best option. The Yellow Jackets come into this game already tested, having beat Florida State in Ireland and losing at Syracuse in week 2.
Louisville, on the other hand, has cruised through its first two games, crushing Austin Peay and Jax State by a combined score of 111-14. Austin Peay is 0-3 with losses to Southern Illinois and Central Arkansas, while Jax State is 0-3 with losses to Coastal Carolina and Eastern Michigan.
If Georgia Tech can get an elite performance from Haynes King, and it’s defense is able to string together stops against Jeff Brohm’s offense, the Yellow Jackets are a live dog in this one. We’ll take the bait and hope that a Ga Tech win puts us at the top of the leaderboard in this week 4 contest.
Our pick: Georgia Tech
