Week 3 of the 2021 college football season brought some exciting matchups. Alabama went to Florida as two-touchdown favorites and had to hold on at the end with a goal-line stop on a two-point conversion to win, 31-29. SMU went back and forth with Louisiana Tech but ended up winning on a 33-yard touchdown pass that featured an intentional deflection to wide receiver Reggie Roberson Jr…and ended up on SportsCenter.
Going into Week 4, let’s take a look at some of the more intriguing college football betting options on the table.
NCAA News: College Football Expert Predictions for Week 4
#12 Notre Dame (+6) vs #18 Wisconsin (Soldier Field, Chicago)
This will be the first meeting of these programs since 1964, and they play at Soldier Field. Notre Dame quarterback Jack Coan is a graduate transfer who played in Wisconsin for four years, starting 18 games during his time there. Graham Mertz’s rise to take the starting job prompted Coan to finish his eligibility elsewhere. Notre Dame wore down a determined Purdue team at home on Saturday, while Wisconsin comes in off a bye week with a 1-1 record; after losing at home to Penn State, they bounced back with a rout of Eastern Michigan, but it will be interesting to see how they do against ranked competition. Fighting Irish to cover.
#7 Texas A&M (-6) vs #16 Arkansas (AT&T Stadium, Arlington, TX)
The Aggies are six-point favorites despite the fact that they do not have starting quarterback Haynes King, who had to undergo ankle surgery after the team’s Week 2 win against Colorado. Zach Calzada came on to start against New Mexico and looked solid, but the Razorbacks come in with a rousing defense that shut down Texas. Obviously, Texas A&M is a tier or two above the Longhorns, but with a backup quarterback, this is an interesting line. The Razorbacks won’t be able to run the ball at will against Texas A&M like they did against the Longhorns, but I’m going with the value here against a backup quarterback. Razorbacks to cover.
West Virginia (+16.5) at #4 Oklahoma
Oklahoma struggled against a Nebraska team that is not only not ranked but will have a hard time qualifying for a bowl game this year in Week 3. West Virginia led Virginia Tech by 17 at the half on Saturday and then withstood a comeback to win, 27-21. Leddie Brown had an 80-yard touchdown run in the early going to get the Mountaineers rolling. Last year, Oklahoma rolled over West Virginia, 52-14, but Oklahoma does not look as stout this year on either side of the ball. Mountaineers to cover.
Tennessee (+19.5) at #11 Florida
The last time the Volunteers won at Florida, the year was 2004. The Volunteers galloped to a big win over Tennessee Tech and should be expected to give maximum effort in their visit to the Swamp. Florida got so close to tying Alabama late after falling behind big in the first quarter. I’m not sure that I see the Volunteers winning this game straight up, but the Gators will have a target on their back as the defending SEC East champions, and this line is very large right now. Vols to cover.
Rutgers (+19.5) at #19 Michigan
Both of these teams are 3-0. However, Michigan has one impressive win (over Washington), while Rutgers has beaten Temple, Syracuse and Delaware. The win against Syracuse came on the road, but that’s not really close to beating Michigan at the Big House. The Wolverines have to be ready to make a statement after what has basically been an era of futility under Jim Harbaugh. Michigan has the tools to roll not just to a win, but to an emphatic one. Wolverines to win and cover.
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