Best College Football Bets Week 4 | CFB Picks & Predictions

We’re already a quarter of the way through the season in college football, and Week 4 marks the biggest slate of the season. Florida State vs Clemson, Alabama vs. Ole Miss, Colorado vs. Colorado State, and many more mega matchups are on the calendar this week. 

We break down our best bets every week on WSN. Make sure to check back every Friday for the best college football bets on the slate!

#15 Ole Miss @ #13 Alabama 

• Date: Saturday, September 23
• Time: 3:30 pm EST
• Moneyline: Ole Miss (+210) | Alabama (-269)
• Spread: Ole Miss +7 (-115) | Alabama -7 (-105)
• Total: Over 55.5 (-110) | Under 55.5 (-110)

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

PICK: Ole Miss +7 (-115)

September 19, 2015, was the last time Ole Miss beat Alabama in Tuscaloosa. Since 2015, the Rebels have been close on a few occasions, but this is their best chance to beat the Tide. Ole Miss is a seven-point underdog, which is too big considering Alabama doesn’t have the star power that we have seen in years past. 

Jalen Milroe was horrendous against Texas, but it went further than just not executing his assignments. He wasn’t even going through any reads or progressions. The moment was too big, but he will start and needs to improve because the backups aren’t ready. 

Ty Simpson and Tyler Buchner are underclassmen, and they were a combined 10 of 23 for 107 yards against South Florida. Nick Saban has three inexperienced options at quarterback, and I don’t believe any of them can cover a touchdown, even in Tuscaloosa. 

Alabama’s defense is good, but I don’t think they will do enough to tame Jaxson Dart over four quarters. Ole Miss is averaging 526 yards of total offense. If they start clicking through the air, Alabama’s sub-200 yards per game through the air won’t stack up to the Rebels. 

Dart has 85 yards through the air and 200 on the ground, with nine total touchdowns. The spread is seven because Ole Miss hasn’t beaten Alabama in a long time, but it’s just too big, considering Ole Miss is a more talented team. 

#6 Ohio State @ #9 Notre Dame

• Date: Saturday, September 23
• Time: 7:30 pm EST
• Moneyline: Ohio State (-164) | Notre Dame (+136)
• Spread: Ohio State -3.5 (-110) | Notre Dame +3.5 (-110)
• Total: Over 55.5 (-110) | Under 55.5 (-110)

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

PICK: Under 55.5

Ohio State beat Notre Dame last September 21-10. This was obviously a different Irish team because they didn’t have Sam Hartman, but we believe the game will follow a similar trajectory. Both defenses are tremendous in this game; each team will lean on the run to set up their passing game. 

Neither the Buckeyes nor the Irish have faced any legitimate competition. Off this alone, we should see a relatively slow start where both teams feel out their opponents. Limited risks early result in a lot of punts. 

The talent is so good on defense that they will both have trouble when the offenses start to get going. The Buckeyes allow just 223 yards per game, while Notre Dame allows 234. Ohio State averages under 100 rushing yards per game, which will give the Irish offensive line a lot to handle. 

Notre Dame’s best bet coming into this game is shutting down Marvin Harrison Jr. over the top. I think we will see an emphasis in the secondary on limiting his production. If Ohio State doesn’t hit the big play, they love to grind out games behind an offensive line loaded with NFL prospects. 

This approach, combined with the unknown of how the 2023 Notre Dame team will perform in the big game, is making me lean towards the under. This game ends in a nailbiter right around 50 points. 

#4 Florida State @ Clemson

• Date: Saturday, September 23
• Time: 12:00 pm EST
• Moneyline: Florida State (-134) | Clemson (+112)
• Spread: Florida State -2.5 (-110) | Clemson +2.5 (-110)
• Total:Over 55.5 (-105) | Under 55.5 (-115)

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

PICK: Florida State ML (-134)

There are reasons to be concerned about betting on Florida State because they haven’t shown consistency this season. They looked bad in the first half of their season opener against LSU, despite Brian Kelly’s team trying to hand them the game. They came out in the second half and looked unstoppable. 

They dominated Southern Miss and then survived against a bad Boston College team on the road. However, we’re not betting this game on consistency. We’re betting this game on talent, and the Seminoles may be overhyped, but they’re more talented than the Tigers. 

Clemson lost 28-7 to Duke in their season opener, which was unacceptable. The Blue Devils are good, but the Tigers played very badly. We expect Clemson to come out firing on all cylinders, but the Seminoles will find a way to win. The Tigers have also shot themselves in the foot too much this season for comfort. 

They have a fantastic defense, and I do expect this to be a relatively low-scoring game, but Jordan Travis will take over down the stretch. Travis has made big throws in crunch time, and he may need a game-winning drive, but we trust him to deliver, especially with the frequent mistakes we’ve seen from Clemson. 

Florida State is competing for a national title, and we should see them play with a different intensity than last week.