Week 4 College Football Predictions: Picks for 10 Best College Football Games This Week

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Week 4 of the college football schedule is pretty loaded for September, with Saturday’s slate headlined by Texas vs Tennessee as part of a weekend delivering plenty of action-packed ranked games.

Let’s dive into our Week 4 college football predictions, focusing on the 10 best college football games this week.

Texas Longhorns 31, Tennessee Volunteers 21

Neyland Stadium will deliver a raucous atmosphere on Saturday afternoon, especially with ESPN’s College GameDay in Knoxville. The Tennessee Volunteers have looked impressive at times this season, especially with how dual-threat freshman quarterback Faizon Brandon has complemented an excellent rushing attack. However, Tennessee’s defense is thin at edge rusher and taking on one of the best offensive lines in the nation. Meanwhile, Texas has a front seven that is better equipped to take advantage of a shaky Volunteers offensive line and rattle an 18-year-old quarterback. Tennessee can keep it close for a while, but Arch Manning, Cam Coleman, and Ryan Wingo will prove too much to overcome. The Volunteers’ youth and inexperience will show in a Week 4 loss.

Related: Bold Predictions for Texas Longhorns vs Tennessee Volunteers

Georgia Bulldogs 24, Oklahoma Sooners 10

The Oklahoma Sooners offense has scored just 24 points in the last two weeks, with quarterback John Mateer throwing 3 interceptions and taking 4 sacks. He has struggled to such an extent seeing the field that he admitted that the fans screaming his receiver was open was responsible for a touchdown last week. He’ll be facing a Georgia Bulldogs defense that has allowed the eighth-lower passer rating (105.1) and the fifth-lowest yards per attempt (5.0) to opposing quarterbacks this season. While we do have some mild concerns about how the Bulldogs offensive line fares in pass protection against Oklahoma’s front seven, there is far more faith right now in Georgia’s offense than Oklahoma’s. As long as Gunner Stockton protects the football, the Bulldogs should win convincingly on Saturday.

Ole Miss Rebels 35, Florida Gators 34

It will certainly come as a surprise to some that the Florida Gators are favored to beat the Ole Miss Rebels in Week 4. It certainly helps that Ole Miss vs Florida is taking place in The Swamp, but there’s another factor at play. Mississippi ranks 72nd in yards-per-carry allowed (4.1), with Louisville’s Keyjuan Brown (56 yards on seven carries) and LSU’s Dilin Jones (106 yards on 23 carries) having plenty of success on the ground. Another key thing to watch will be how much Florida uses Aaron Philo as a runner, since Ole Miss has allowed 132 rushing yards to Power 4 quarterbacks this season.

Philo and Gators running back Jadan Baugh could put up 180-plus rushing yards and multiple scores in Week 4. However, we still question if that will be enough to keep pace with Mississippi’s offense. Florida just allowed Byrum Brown to put up 336 total yards and 4 total touchdowns last Saturday, and he’s not on the same level as Trinidad Chambliss. It helps the Gators’ chances that Kewan Lacy (shoulder) is likely out, but we’ll pick the best player in college football to carry Ole Miss to a win in The Swamp.

Michigan Wolverines 20, Iowa Hawkeyes 17

Credit to Michigan Wolverines quarterback Bryce Underwood for really turning things around after that disastrous showing against Western Michigan. He is still not putting up gaudy numbers, but he is doing a much better job protecting the football and making smarter reads before his throws. He will be tested again in Week 4, facing an Iowa Hawkeyes defense that has allowed the 10th-lowest completion rate (53.5%) and the eighth-lowest yards per attempt (5.3) to opposing quarterbacks this season.

This one figures to look a lot like the Oklahoma vs. Michigan game, with points at a premium. Iowa’s rushing attack, led by Kamari Moulton (240 yards and 9.2 ypc) and Xavier Williams (162 yards and 10.8 ypc), has flashed thus far, allowing quarterback Hank Brown (62.6% completion rate and 473 passing yards) to play efficiently. This should come down to the final drives in the fourth quarter, and we have freshman running back Savion Hitter delivering a big run that sets up the game-deciding score in Ann Arbor.

Boise State Broncos 35, Western Michigan Broncos 27

The Boise State Broncos and Western Michigan Broncos have both rebounded nicely from season-opening losses, making early cases to be the Group of 6 team to make the College Football Playoff. While quarterback Maddux Madsen has delivered some big plays through the air for Boise State, running backs Dylan Riley (454 yards and 7.3 ypc) and Sire Gaines (234 yards and 5.2 ypc) are the engines that make this offense run smoothly. It is a safe bet they will be the focal points in Week 4, as Western Michigan is allowing a 4.6 yards per carry average (93rd in FBS) and 157.5 rushing yards per game (84th). We expect them to carry Boise State to victory on Saturday afternoon in Kalamazoo.

Penn State Nittany Lions 28, Wisconsin Badgers 17

Matt Campbell’s Penn State Nittany Lions are looking good in his first year at the helm, aided by Penn State transfer Rocco Becht (751 pass yards, 11.7 ypa, and 9-0 TD-INT) and standout receiver Koby Howard (344 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns). On Saturday, the Nittany Lions host a Wisconsin Badgers team that got picked apart by CJ Carr in Week 1 and even allowed some big plays to Western Illinois. Penn State has the coaching edge and home-field advantage in Week 4, and we expect to see the Nittany Lions win convincingly with Becht delivering a three-touchdown performance.

Related: Insider Names Potential No. 1 Target to Replace Wisconsin’s Luke Fickell

LSU Tigers 24, Texas A&M Aggies 13

The stakes are suddenly much higher for the LSU Tigers and Texas A&M Aggies than anyone expected entering Week 4. For the victor, winning on Saturday night keeps them firmly in the mix for a College Football Playoff spot while the loser likely begins to realize its aspirations for 2026 won’t be achieved.

Winning on the ground should be the focus in Baton Rouge for Lane Kiffin. Kentucky had modest success (156 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns) running on this Aggies defense, and even Arizona State quarterback Cutter Boley (31 rushing yards) had some success two weeks prior. Sam Leavitt and Dilin Jones should combine for 30-plus carries on Saturday night, limiting how much time Aggies quarterback Marcel Reed spends on the field. With Texas A&M’s receiving corps lacking the true separators who can get open against the Tigers’ secondary, we have LSU rebounding with a win at home.

USC Trojans 35, Oregon Ducks 31

The USC Trojans are simply a different team in the friendly confines of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. That has to be a source of confidence for Lincoln Riley entering this pivotal Big Ten matchup. Trojans quarterback Jayden Maiava should also be feeling good reviewing the film this week, given the Oregon Ducks defense allowed 5 touchdowns to Maddux Madsen and Drew Mestemaker to open the season. Riley will also want to prioritize running back King Miller (338 yards and 5.3 ypc), since the Ducks’ run defense ranks 83rd nationally in ypc allowed (4.3) and 79th in rushing first downs per game (8.5) given up.

It will put even more pressure on Oregon quarterback Dante Moore. He looked rattled two weeks ago at Oklahoma State (20.6 ESPN QBR and 48.3% completion rate) and struggled early versus Boise State. If Moore comes out of the gate slowly and the Ducks fall into an early hole, USC can lean on its ground game for the win.

Mississippi State Bulldogs 31, Missouri Tigers 21

The Missouri Tigers are still without running back Ahmad Hardy, but senior Jamal Roberts (253 rushing yards in last two games) has filled in admirably as the team’s workhorse. The trouble here in Week 4 for Missouri is that the Mississippi State Bulldogs defense has allowed the 13th-fewest rushing first downs per game (5.0) and just a 3.2 yards per carry average (28th).

It could mean more weight on the shoulders of Tigers quarterback Austin Simmons, who looked great against UAPB and Kansas (544 passing yards and 7 touchdowns) and then dropped a dud last Saturday at home against Troy (91 passing yards on 19 attempts). Meanwhile, Mississippi State’s offense is being carried by breakout quarterback Kamario Taylor (1,010 total yards and 12 touchdowns in three games). Give us the superstar quarterback at home on Saturday night.

West Virginia Mountaineers 42, Oklahoma State Cowboys 38

Get your popcorn ready. Fireworks are coming to Morgantown this Saturday night, with the matchup between the Oklahoma State Cowboys and West Virginia Mountaineers projected to be one of the highest-scoring games in Week 4. There is also a very good chance that the winner cracks the AP Top 25 rankings on Sunday morning.

After coming over from North Texas, quarterback Drew Mestemaker (988 total yards and 9 total touchdowns) and running back Caleb Hawkins (304 scrimmage yards) have ignited this Cowboys offense. They’ll need to be at their best on Saturday given that West Virginia quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr (477 passing yards, 322 rushing yards and 11 total touchdowns) has been a one-man highlight reel in September.

We’re inclined to pick the Mountaineers in this one, believing that Hawkins Jr. comes through with 200-plus yards through the air with another 100-plus on the ground. Mestemaker will keep it a tight game, but a second-half interception that sets up a West Virginia touchdown drive proves to be the deciding score.

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