Top NCAAF Pick: Washington -19.5 (-115) at Bovada (visit our Bovada Review)
Despite our picks going 2-2 ATS last week, it sure as hell was a fun Saturday to watch football! From Noon, with the Seminoles on upset alert up in Boston, until midnight with the Rocky Mountain Showdown going into overtime, we got to enjoy an action-packed Week 3.
With that said, the unofficial start of conference matchups takes place in Week 4, so we have some tasty games lined up for this Saturday, including a couple of Top 25 ranked teams clashing amongst them, but most notably #6 Ohio State vs. #9 Notre Dame and #19 Colorado vs. #10 Oregon.
Which games made it into our College Football Week 4 Editor’s Picks? Find out below as we break down the NCAAF odds.
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets vs. Wake Forest Demon Deacons
Saturday, September 23, 2023 – 06:30 PM EDT at Allegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium
Better Than Expected
True. Georgia Tech is 1-2 so far but after taking a deeper look at their two losses, we can tell that the Yellow Jackets are not as bad as they were last season. Last week, they were demolished by Ole Miss but they were still able to score 23 points on the Rebels.
Going back to Week 1, Georgia Tech looked good against Louisville. True, they ended up losing (39-34) but that turned out to be their only cover ATS after three weeks.
Now they face a Wake Forest squad that has not been able to find a suitable replacement for Sam Hartman (now with Notre Dame), but that’s not the only transfer that matters in this equation.
More on this from our Week 4 upset alert article from our expert Rainman.
The Pick
“The Yellow Jackets are benefiting from the arrival of Haynes King, a transfer from Texas A&M. King is clearly thriving in Georgia Tech’s power-spread offense: relative to last year, he has upped his completion percentage by 11% and has thrown nine touchdowns to one interception, whereas he threw seven touchdowns and six interceptions last year.
“The Demon Deacons’ quarterback, Mitch Griffis, is much more prone to turning the ball over than King. Griffis helps explain why the Demon Deacons rank 97th at limiting turnovers on offense and likewise struggle to convert red zone opportunities.” Rainman
NCAAF Pick: Georgia Tech +3.5 (-104) at BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review)
UCLA Bruins vs. Utah Utes
Saturday, September 23, 2023 – 03:30 PM EDT at Rice-Eccles Stadium
Action Packed
It seems like the 3:30 p.m. slate is packed with some of the best games, which will surely demand a multi-tv setup. Logistics aside, one of the games I’m more interested in was chosen by my colleague Willie Bee for his Week 4 best bets article.
I’m talking about the #22 UCLA Bruins heading to Utah to take on the #11 ranked Utes. This is one of the six games on Saturday that will pit two ranked teams against each other and it should be exciting as both me and WB are expecting a Bruins upset. I’ll let him explain more, but before I must confess I also like the under 51.5 in this game… which is weird since it’s a Chip Kelly game.
The Pick
“This matchup pits two of the eight PAC-12 teams sporting 3-0 records entering Week 4. The Bruins routed North Carolina Central of the MEAC with a 59-7 final, and those 59 points were scored in just 56 snaps from scrimmage while averaging almost 11 yards per play.
“Utah didn’t go up against much tougher competition in a 31-7 bashing of Weber State. While it wasn’t quite enough to cover the 26.5 for Utes’ bettors, it really was no contest as the Utah defense limited the Wildcats to 127 yards of offense and a measly 5 first downs.
“Play the Bruins in an outright upset, UCLA wins it 28-23.” Willie Bee
NCAAF Pick: UCLA ML (+165) at Bovada
Boston College Eagles vs. Louisville Cardinals
Saturday, September 23, 2023 – 03:30 PM EDT at Cardinal Stadium
Follow the Money
Oddly enough, we already mentioned both teams before getting to this matchup but, in retrospect, that might be one of the reasons why I like this matchup so much. The other one? It seems the public is on the Eagles for this one but the money is on the Cardinals.
As we talked about before, Boston College almost pulled off a shocking upset last week, at home, against Florida State. However, besides that game, the Eagles have not looked good this season.
That’s the opposite of Louisville. While they didn’t manage to cover the spread against GA Tech, the Cardinals have looked much better than BC. But hey, don’t take my word for it, our college football computer picks for Week 4 suggest a big win for Louisville on Saturday, as our expert Jason Radowitz points out.
The Pick
“The Eagles have earned under 400 yards of offense and have a loss to Northern Illinois and a narrow win (31-28) against FCS opponent Holy Cross before that close matchup against Florida State.
“Thomas Castellanos has a QBR of 52.1 and has thrown for 644 yards this season. He played much better in his last game. But overall, the receivers at Boston College aren’t playing at a high level. On defense, the pass rush has been weak and not creating havoc.” Jason Radowitz
NCAAF Pick: Louisville -14 (-110) at BetAnySports (visit our BetAnySports Review)
Colorado Buffaloes vs. Oregon Ducks
Saturday, September 23, 2023 – 03:30 PM EDT at Autzen Stadium
What can we say about Colorado that hasn’t already been repeated ad nauseam by mainstream media? Nonetheless, in my humble opinion, what Deion Sanders is accomplishing up in Boulder is not only great for the sport but also for our best bets.
In less than a month, the Buffaloes have become one of the darlings of America. That “household name” status means this will be a very public team.
With Oregon embarking on a Heisman campaign of their own for quarterback Bo Nix, this is a great place to fade Colorado. I personally like the Ducks laying the points, although I would buy the hook to -20.5.
However, it seems our football guru, Donnie RightSide, has an even better betting angle for this matchup.
The Pick
“70.5 is the total in this game, but I’m looking at it like this: Oregon, as we know, is looking at saying, okay Colorado’s leaving the Pac-12. Colorado has a lot of bravado so they want to be the first team to knock Colorado off of their high pedestal.
“If you are Oregon and you have a chance to put your foot down and with Bo Nicks looking sensational in that Ducks offense, you’re going to do that. I’m not going to lay the 21 and we’re not going to go over. How about this (Oregon) team total at 45.5. Oregon is not going to stop scoring and we know Colorado is going to keep coming. I look for Oregon to post close to 50 points in this game.” Donnie RightSide
NCAAF Pick: Oregon Team Total Over 45.5 (-110) at BetOnline
California Golden Bears vs. Washington Huskies
Saturday, September 23, 2023 – 10:30 PM EDT at Alaska Airlines Field Stadium
Michael Penix Jr. is a man on a mission and it seems that mission is taking the Washington Huskies to the College Football Playoffs. Will he be successful? I doubt it, hell he might not even make it to the Heisman shortlist but there’s a lot of football left to be played between now and December so let’s break down this game.
California has been playing the Huskies very well as of late, going 4-0 against the spread in their last four games. However, as my grandpa used to say, “Then is then, now is now”, and this Washing offense is currently on fuego.
The Pick
Penix Jr. is averaging about 40 passes per game, and about 12 yards per pass. This late-night matchup could be just what the Huskies need to get the name of their quarterback in the Heisman conversation. That should be enough motivation.
And don’t worry about Cal. They looked very bad against Idaho and I doubt it’s because they were looking ahead to this week. The Golden Bears offense won’t be able to hang with the Huskies.
Another good reason is that the line is moving in our favor, despite most of the early money hitting Washington, which means the public is banking on the Cal “household name” status.
NCAAF Pick: Washington -19.5 (-115) at Bovada
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.
Calculators
