2026 College Football Week 4 Best Bets: Three picks for Sept 25 including Indiana, Clemson vs Cal

Week 3 was a thriller and it brought us Ole Miss knocking off LSU, West Virginia beating Virginia, and so much more! It also brought those who followed my best bets some more money for your piggy banks. After an 8-1 +6.8 unit week, let's try and do it again!

Game odds are courtesy of DraftKings. Here are my three best bets for Friday night of the Week 4 slate in College Football. Best of luck!

Howard at Rutgers (-43.5): O/U 55.5

After a disastrous 0-3 start from Rutgers, I expect a smack down. Rutgers looked like they started to turn the corner in the second half of a 28-21 loss to Boston College and the Scarlet Knights never went away when hosting #12 USC in a 42-35 loss last week. Rutgers has scored in six-straight quarters and has 49 points in that stretch, which is a green flag ahead of this matchup.

This will be the seventh all-time meeting between the programs and Rutgers has won all six and outscored Howard, 261-60. These two last met in 2024 and Rutgers won 44-7. Howard lost last week 55-0 at Indiana, so this is a physical back-to-back for the Bisons. I like Rutgers to cover the -43.5 out to -44.5. The Team Total Over would be my second choice.

Pick: Rutgers -43.5 (1 unit)

Peacock offers one of the most comprehensive live sports streaming lineups available today, bringing together the NFL, NBA, MLB, WNBA, Premier League, NCAA football, NCAA basketball, golf, motorsports, and major global sporting events in a single service.

Clemson (-1.5) at California: O/U 50.5

If you go across the board and look at rushing or passing grades, tackling, coverage, or pressure rates, blocking — all of it, California is legit ranked ahead of Clemson in 90% of them. I don't get why Dabo Swinney and Clemson are favored in this game against a sneaky good Cal team. The end is near for Dabo.

This will be Clemson's latest kickoff since 11/29/1982 and only the fourth time the Tigers have ever played a game in California. This is a tough spot for Clemson. Last week was an emotional win following two weather delays and a last-minute touchdown that resulted in a backdoor cover for the Tigers. Cal came back and beat a spunky Syracuse team after crossing the country and the Golden Bears were tied with UCLA before getting blown out 21-0 in the fourth quarter.

I like California to win this game, so I will take the +1.5. I have strong leans to Cal 1Q ML (-110) and Clemson's Team Total Under 25.5 (-125).

Pick: California +1.5 (1 unit)

NBC Sports is your home for all the latest updates on this matchup, featuring live odds, player news, expert analysis, and predictions.

Northwestern at #5 Indiana (-20.5): O/U 49.5

Indiana is 0-3 ATS this season and falls into an interesting spot as a -20.5 point favorite versus Northwestern. It doesn't happen often that a team won their first three games of the season and went 0-3 ATS, then lay more than a touchdown in their fourth game. Per Jared Smith, those teams are 13-6-1 ATS (68.4%) all time. That makes sense it's so rare since conference scheduling has changed and non-conference cupcakes get scheduled early for tuneup games.

Indiana shut out Western Kentucky and Howard in their last two games outscoring opponents 93-0. Aidan Chiles won't know what hit him. Chiles led Michigan State to a 38-13 loss versus Indiana last year and he lost in 2024 as well, 47-10.

I think Indiana gets their first cover as Big Ten play begins for Curt Cignetti and company. I like Indiana -20.5 out to -21. Cignetti might take Josh Hoover off the shelf for this game and let him sling it, but honestly, the defense has allowed 244 total yards in the last two games are in midseason form.

Pick: Indiana -20.5 (1 unit)

Week 4 Picks

1 unit: Rutgers -43.5 (-112)
1 unit: Indiana -20.5 (-115)
1 unit: California +1.5 (-115)

Season Record: 19-12 +5.22 units
Week 0 Record: 1-2 -1.57 units
Week 1 Record: 6-5 +0.99 units
Week 2 Record: 3-4 -1.0 unit
Week 3 Record: 8-1 +6.8 units
Week 4 Record:

Week 4 Articles

Week 4 Top 25 Poll
Week 4 Heisman Rankings
#1 Texas at #14 Tennessee Game Preview
#4 Ole Miss at #21 Florida Game Preview
#17 Iowa at #18 Michigan Game Preview
#3 Notre Dame at Purdue Game Preview
#20 Oregon at #14 USC Game Preview

Please bet responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700.

Follow our experts on socials to keep up with all the latest content from the staff:

• Jay Croucher (@croucherJD)
• Drew Dinsick (@whale_capper)
• Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports)
• Trysta Krick (@Trysta_Krick)