Betting AP Top 25 Teams | Week 4 of the 2024 college football season brought some surprises. We learned that SMU’s offensive line can open holes for the running game and protect the passer as they torched TCU, 66-42, in their Iron Skillet rivalry.
SMU scored three touchdowns off the field (punt return, pick-six, scoop-and-score) and nearly had a fourth on a kickoff return called back for a minor infringement.
TCU head coach Sonny Dykes was ejected just after halftime due to unsportsmanlike conduct, the first head coach to do so since the rule was implemented before the 2008 season.
We also learned that Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter should be the favorite for the Heisman Trophy. On offense, he might be the nation’s best wide receiver. On defense, he might be the nation’s best cornerback.
He has 17 receptions for 242 yards and three touchdowns in his first two games playing offense this fall, and he also forced the fumble in overtime that helped Colorado shock Baylor.
None of those teams are in the AP Top 25 this week, though, so let’s shift focus and look at the national rankings as well as insights that may help your sports betting choices this weekend.
The Associated Press national player of the week in football for Week 4 of the season is Alonza Barnett III of James Madison. The Dukes' quarterback had a hand in a program-record seven touchdowns in his team's 70-50 win over North Carolina. https://t.co/6OWTYIgs0i pic.twitter.com/RO9Vhv45vI
— AP Top 25 (@AP_Top25) September 23, 2024
Betting AP Top 25 Teams Entering Week 5 in the College Football
Texas Longhorns
The Longhorns brought in a paid tomato can this past weekend as Louisiana-Monroe came to Austin to collect a giant check and a hide-tanning. The 51-3 rout gave the Longhorns four home games in a row in which they have stacked up 50 or more points. The longest such streak in school history is five, dating back to 2007-08.
^Georgia Bulldogs
The Bulldogs were idle in Week 4 ahead of their trip to Alabama to take on the Crimson Tide. It’s the first time Alabama has been a home underdog in almost two decades, and that sports betting line might not recognize just how successful the transition from Nick Saban to Kalen DeBoer has been. Jalen Milroe has been on fire offensively, and while Georgia has been steamrolling opponents also, can Kirby Smart actually outcoach DeBoer in this high-stakes road game?
^Ohio State Buckeyes
The Buckeyes also had a cakewalk in Week 4, bringing in the Thundering Herd of Marshall to town for a 49-14 tattooing. This week they visit a Michigan State team that fought Boston College hard last week before losing down the stretch. It’s fairly safe to say that the Buckeyes should get to Week 6 with a 4-0 record, with the real tests yet to come.
^Tennessee Volunteers
The Volunteers went to Oklahoma and dealt the Sooners a 25-15 loss. In recent years, we haven’t associated the Volunteers with a dominating defense, but that side of the ball has them rolling this year. The Sooners would eventually find the end zone, ending a 19-quarter streak for the Tennessee D without allowing the other team to get into the end zone.
^Ole Miss Rebels
The Rebels have a white-hot offense right now. Quarterback Jaxson Dart has thrown for 1,554 yards through four games. The last SEC player to throw that many yards through four games was Tim Couch (1,577) back in 1998. They welcome Kentucky to town on Saturday, so barring a major upset, I expect to see the Rebels vault past the Alabama-Georgia loser in next week’s AP rankings.
^Miami Hurricanes
So far, the Hurricanes have played Florida, Florida A&M, BAll State and USF. The Florida opener is a respectable opponent, but the others are punching bags, for the most part. Miami has definitely taken advantage, with a +168 point differential after those four contests. No other Hurricane team has posted that large a point differential through four games.
^Oregon Ducks
The Ducks are idle this week ahead of a trip to UCLA at the Rose Bowl next week. This might seem like a marquee matchup, but Chip Kelly’s departure from UCLA has left the team in shambles. They went to LSU last week and were dealt a 34-17 lesson a week after they got shredded by Indiana, of all schools, in their Big Ten opener. Expect Oregon to pick up an emphatic win and make a point with the pollsters.
^Penn State Nittany Lions
The Nittany Lions just gave Kent State their second miserable week in a row. The Nittany Lions stacked up 718 yards of offense, breaking a 98-year-old school record. Next up is a date with a fellow Big Ten unbeaten in Illinois. Why is Illinois so much further down the Top 25 than Penn State, despite the fact that they have one more win? School name and reputation definitely play a part in the voting, at least until teams square off head-to-head. If Illinois can come to Happy Valley and beat the Nittany Lions, maybe we’ll finally stop hearing about how Penn State coach James Franklin just can’t catch a break.
^Utah Utes
The Utes keep winning, even though quarterback Cam Rising hardly ever takes the field. He missed just about the whole 2023 season, only to return and suffer a right ring finger injury in Week 2 against Baylor. He wasn’t able to play in Week 4 against Oklahoma State because of his inability to put velocity on the ball. Likewise, he’s medically cleared to play, but without that velocity problem, Isaac Wilson took the field and led the Utes to a 22-19 win over Oklahoma State. Wilson went 17 of 29 for 207 yards and a score but also threw two interceptions.
Wilson did have a nice stretch during the second quarter, completing nine of ten passes. He also had a 48-yard scramble on a third-and-11, one of three third- or fourth-down conversions he ran for on the day. Tailback Micah Bernard ran for 150 yards, becoming the first Ute to do that against an AP ranked team since 2018, when Zack Moss rumbled for 160 against Stanford. This is a team that grinds out game after game, and that should continue against Arizona this week.
^Missouri Tigers
Why did the Tigers drop so far in the Top 25 despite picking up an SEC win this past weekend? Their SEC opponent was Vanderbilt, and the Tigers needed double overtime to prevail, 30-27. Nate Noel ran for 199 yards for Mizzou, setting a personal career high. His previous high was 193 yards last season against East Carolina. This week, things get much tougher for the Tigers as they head southwest to face the 12th Man and the rest of the Texas A&M Aggies.
^Michigan Wolverines
The Wolverines escaped the USC Trojans, 27-24, last weekend despite picking up just 32 passing yards on a dozen attempts. It had been 28 years since the Wolverines gained that few yards in the passing game. They only averaged 4.6 yards per pass completion, the lowest in school history. The USC defense brought a pass rush and had solid coverage but struggled to contain the run. Michigan continues Big Ten play this week with a visit from the Minnesota Golden Gophers.
^Betting AP Top 25 Teams After Week 4, 2024 Season
| RANK | SCHOOL | POINTS | RECORD | PREV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Texas(44) | 1527 | 4-0 | 1 |
| 2 | Georgia(13) | 1482 | 3-0 | 2 |
| 3 | OhioState(5) | 1432 | 3-0 | 3 |
| 4 | Alabama | 1328 | 3-0 | 4 |
| 5 | Tennessee | 1283 | 4-0 | 6 |
| 6 | OleMiss | 1269 | 4-0 | 5 |
| 7 | Miami(FL) | 1139 | 4-0 | 8 |
| 8 | Oregon | 1073 | 3-0 | 9 |
| 9 | PennState | 1051 | 3-0 | 10 |
| 10 | Utah | 1037 | 4-0 | 12 |
| 11 | Missouri | 1009 | 4-0 | 7 |
| 12 | Michigan | 805 | 3-1 | 18 |
| 13 | SouthernCal | 690 | 2-1 | 11 |
| 14 | LSU | 637 | 3-1 | 16 |
| 15 | Louisville | 553 | 3-0 | 19 |
| 16 | NotreDame | 546 | 3-1 | 17 |
| 17 | Clemson | 540 | 2-1 | 21 |
| 18 | IowaState | 530 | 3-0 | 20 |
| 19 | Illinois | 458 | 4-0 | 24 |
| 20 | OklahomaState | 388 | 3-1 | 14 |
| 21 | Oklahoma | 375 | 3-1 | 15 |
| 22 | BYU | 327 | 4-0 | NR |
| 23 | KansasState | 168 | 3-1 | 13 |
| 24 | TexasA&M | 77 | 3-1 | 25 |
| 25 | BoiseState | 69 | 2-1 | NR |
POLL ALERT: Tennessee rises to No. 5 and Boise State enters the AP Top 25 college football poll for the first time since 2020.
— AP Top 25 (@AP_Top25) September 22, 2024
Full poll: https://t.co/7dTTUiSC1j pic.twitter.com/uhy83tqEMO
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