The NCAAF Week 4 contest is in the books and we were 1 pick away from a perfect slate. We hit on every pick, including 2 upsets, but missed on our Georgia Tech over Louisville prediction.
In this article, we will take a deep dive into some of the biggest games included in the week 5 contest.
#20 Oklahoma State vs #23 Kansas State – Who Wins?
This Big 12 showdown features two teams sitting at 3-1 and looking to rebound off of a disappointing week 4 performance. It also features two contrasting offenses, with the Cowboys leaning on it’s passing attack and the Wildcats leaning on the run.
Looking at last weeks games for each team, neither result should instill much confidence in either fan base. Oklahoma State could not stop Utah’s rushing attack, and Kansas State lost by 29 points despite rushing for 228 yards against BYU.
So, who do we trust more heading into this week? Oklahoma State. They’ve won 4 of 5 against Kansas State, are getting better quarterback playOur pick: Oklahoma State +1
Will #16 Notre Dame Score 28+ Points Against #15 Louisville?
Notre Dame’s passing attack is a disaster right now. Riley Leonard has been a better runner than passer, and has more interceptions (2) than touchdowns (1) right now. As a result, this contest will come down to how well Louisville stops the Noter Dame rushing attack.
Through their first three games, Louisville has a top 40 run defense (both YPC and YPG) in the country. That said, they have yet to face a team anywhere near the caliber of Notre Dame. We think the Notre Dame offense will find some success here, but 28 points is probably asking too much of its one-dimensional attack.
Our pick: No (+1 point)
Will #13 USC Beat Wisconsin by More than 17 Points?
Both of these teams come into week 5 with a 2-1 record and are looking to rebound from a week 4 loss. USC played Michigan, who may have the best defense in college football, extremely tough in Ann Arbor.
Wisconsin never loses a game like this by 17 points. However, for the first time in decades, this Badgers team has an identity crisis. They are transitioning into a spread offense without the personnel or experience to do so.
On the other hand, USC is finding it’s identity. Lincoln Riley turned the defense over to D’Anton Lynn, while also ushering in an era of accountability. We really like this USC team and think they will blow out the Badgers on Saturday.Our pick: Yes (+1 point)
Will #17 Clemson Double-Up Stanford?
Stanford is coming off of its biggest win since early 2022 after beating a solid Syracuse team last week. The win brought the Cardinal to 2-1 on the season and have them optimistic about being able to pull of an upset in Clemson on Saturday.
After getting blown out by Georgia in their season opener, the Clemson Tigers have looked like a completely different team over the past two weeks. They blew out the App State Mountaineers 66-20 and then beat NC State 59-35 last week. Both scores would have been even more lopsided had Clemson not taken their foot off the gas.
With a confident Cade Klubnik, Clemson will be a tough out moving forward and is absolutely capable of doubling up Stanford. We’ll roll the dice on yes and try to capture the additional 2 points.
Our pick: Yes (+3 points)
Will Colorado Have 3 or More Passing TDs Against UCF?
Sanders has thrown 3+ touchdowns in just 6 of his 15 games at Colorado, however when you look at his per-game averages, we aren’t far off here. He averages 2.5 passing touchdowns per game.
There are two things to consider with this matchup. First UCF is going to score at will. Colorado’s defense is terrible, and Gus Malzahn’s squad comes into this week averaging 46 PPG. That said, the Knights gave up 34 points to a pedestrian TCU offense last week, leading us to believe this game could end up being a shootout.
Back to Sanders’ touchdown numbers, he has thrown 25 touchdowns in 7 games with 52+ total points. We expect this game to hit 60 points, and think Shedeur finds a way to throw 3 touchdowns. Give us yes and the 2-point bonus here.
Our pick: Yes (+3 points)
