Sam Avellone
Week 3 was simply an incredible week of college football, headlined by highly-competitive matchups including Kansas State vs Arizona, Clemson vs Georgia Tech, Pitt vs West Virginia, Georgia vs Tennessee, and Texas A&M vs Notre Dame. As we turn the page to Week 4, we look forward to a brand new slate, full of more compelling matchups ranging from a Big 12 battle between Texas Tech and Utah to Jackson Arnold’s return to Oklahoma with the Auburn Tigers and Florida’s trip to Miami to play the Hurricanes fresh off a loss at LSU’s Death Valley.
The Arizona Wildcats cashed in for us last week at home against Kansas State, improving our record to 1-1 on these opening line best bets as we head into Week 4. Now, let’s shift focus to the upcoming college football slate, deep dive the early lines and odds, and find ourselves another early-week best bet. Don’t forget to check out our NCAAF predictions throughout the week for our thoughts on every notable game on the Week 4 card.
Week 4 opening lines and odds
Odds available at FanDuel at the time of publishing on Sunday, September 14th
- Iowa -1.5 (-115) @ Rutgers – Friday, September 19th
- Arkansas -6.5 (-115) @ Memphis – Saturday, September 20th
- Wisconsin -6.5 (-124) vs Maryland – Saturday, September 20th
- Army -2.5 (-105) vs North Texas – Saturday, September 20th
- TCU -6.5 (-115) vs SMU – Saturday, September 20th
- Clemson -17.5 (-105) vs Syracuse – Saturday, September 20th
- Utah -3.5 (-120) vs Texas Tech – Saturday, September 20th
- Oregon -34.5 (-115) vs Oregon State – Saturday, September 20th
- Oklahoma -5.5 (-115) vs Auburn – Saturday, September 20th
- James Madison -11.5 (-110) vs Liberty – Saturday, September 20th
- Michigan -2.5 (-110) @ Nebraska – Saturday, September 20th
- UCF -6.5 (-105) vs North Carolina – Saturday, September 20th
- Notre Dame -27.5 (-115) vs Purdue – Saturday, September 20th
- Ole Miss -12.5 (-110) vs Tulane – Saturday, September 20th
- Duke -2.5 (-120) vs NC State – Saturday, September 20th
- Kansas -12.5 (-110) vs West Virginia – Saturday, September 20th
- Boise State -9.5 (-110) @ Air Force – Saturday, September 20th
- Missouri -11.5 (-115) vs South Carolina – Saturday, September 20th
- Baylor -2.5 (-120) vs Arizona State – Saturday, September 20th
- BYU -7.5 (-110) @ East Carolina – Saturday, September 20th
- Miami -9.5 (-115) vs Florida – Saturday, September 20th
- Indiana -4.5 (-110) vs Illinois – Saturday, September 20th
- Washington -20.5 (-110) @ Washington State – Saturday, September 20th
- UTSA -4.5 (-105) @ Colorado State – Saturday, September 20th
- USC -15.5 (-110) vs Michigan State – Saturday, September 20th
CFB Week 4 opening line best bet: TCU Horned Frogs -6.5 vs SMU Mustangs (-115)
The 2025 edition of the Battle for the Iron Skillet will be the final meeting between TCU and SMU on the gridiron for the foreseeable future, as both schools have changed scheduling priorities with conference realignment. Dating back to 1915 and separated by fewer than 50 miles, the rivalry between these Dallas-area schools has been controlled by the Horned Frogs since the 1990s, but the Mustangs have taken two of the last three – including last year’s 66-42 victory at SMU.
The Horned Frogs turned the ball over five times in last year’s meeting. Not only were they loose with the ball, but they committed 14 penalties, and SMU scored three special teams/defensive touchdowns. Since then, Brashad Smith, who had 127 yards and 3 touchdowns against TCU last year, was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs, while SMU’s defense regressed. In fact, the Mustangs surrendered 601 yards to Baylor just a couple weeks ago, failing to protect an early 10-0 lead on their home field.
This will be the second consecutive road contest for the Mustangs, who looked flat for a majority of the game last week at Missouri State. While the travel distance is minimal, the environment at a sold-out Amon G. Carter Stadium figures to be very intimidating for SMU quarterback Kevin Jennings, which isn’t exactly comforting for the Mustang offense. Jennings already has 8 turnover-worthy plays through 3 games this season, which includes 2 at home against FCS Texas A&M Commerce. It’s hard to trust the Mustangs to keep up with a high-powered TCU offense (6th nationally in PPA per play) because of his carelessness with the ball – especially against a TCU defense that generates havoc at a top 50 rate nationally.
In what appears to be the end of a rivalry for the foreseeable future, look for TCU to benefit from playing at home in a revenge spot against their cross-city foe. Expect Jennings to make a mistake or two, and for the Horned Frogs win and cover at home.
