This Week 4 college football slate is a good one, but it's not over yet.
Our NCAAF writers came through with five best bets for Saturday evening's games, including picks for Georgia Tech vs. Wake Forest, Arizona vs. Stanford, James Madison vs. Utah State and more.
So, read on for all five best bets for Saturday evening's college football games — and be sure to check out our best bets for the noon, afternoon and late-night kickoff windows.
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Saturday Evening College Football Best Bets
The team logos in the table below represent each of the matchups that our college football betting staff is targeting from Saturday evening's slate of games. Click on the team logos for any of the matchups below to navigate to a specific bet discussed in this article.
| Game | Time (ET) | Pick |
|---|---|---|
  | 6:30 p.m. | |
  | 6:30 p.m. | |
  | 7 p.m. | |
  | 7 p.m. | |
  | 8 p.m. | |
Specific betting recommendations come from the sportsbook offering preferred odds as of writing. Always shop for the best price using our NCAAF Odds page, which automatically surfaces the best lines for every game. | ||
Georgia Tech vs. Wake Forest
By John Feltman
This is a terrific spot for the Yellow Jackets, who should have covered last weekend.
I know people may feel snake-bitten when picking a side in this matchup, but there are way too many advantages for the Jackets on the offensive side of the ball.
Georgia Tech enters this matchup seventh in Rushing Success Rate, ninth in Line Yards and 42nd in Havoc Allowed.
Wake Forest has been gashed through the ground thus far this season, so it will be crucial for the Jackets to get the rushing attack going early.
Although the Deacons are decent against the pass defensively, quarterback Haynes King has been extremely impressive for Georgia Tech thus far. I think he’ll be able to find some success despite the Wake secondary being a bit stingy.
Not only do I think this Wake team is a fraudulent 3-0, but it nearly lost to a miserable Old Dominion team last weekend as two-touchdown favorites.
I think GT head coach Brent Key has this Yellow Jackets team trending in the right direction, and I would not be stunned to see them win outright in this spot.
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Liberty vs. FIU
Keyone “Lights Out” Jenkins has been a revelation for FIU at quarterback.
The lefty true freshman was a legend in the Miami-Dade area, carrying Miami Central to three straight state titles. He won Miami-Dade Player of the Year last fall and flipped from Auburn to FIU for a chance to play right away. He’s now 3-0 as a college starter and has won 29 straight starts dating back to his time in high school.
Jenkins has established chemistry with Kris Mitchell, who has 18 receptions for 368 yards and four scores since Jenkins became FIU’s QB1. This offense still has balance and ranks 33rd in yards per carry when facing FBS opponents.
That will come in handy against a Liberty run defense that’s extremely vulnerable. The Flames are 92nd in run defense, and their underlying metrics are far worse. For example, Liberty ranks 123rd in PPA on the ground.
Then there’s the Coach Mac factor. Mike MacIntyre has earned his reputation as a turnaround specialist. He led SJSU to 10 wins, guided Colorado to a Pac-12 South title and has already helped FIU improve by three wins in his first season. His work at Colorado earned him National Coach of the Year honors.
When Coach Mac is a home dog, as a G5 head coach, he’s 10-4 against the spread. The fact that I’m getting the hook at 10.5 is enough to push me into the Panthers’ camp in this surprisingly interesting CUSA game.
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Arizona vs. Stanford
By Mark Harris
There are fantastic college football games happening all around the country this weekend … and then there’s Stanford hosting Arizona.
While this matchup won’t grab the headlines, it presents a betting opportunity because the Wildcats are only favored by 12 points.
Fresh off of a loss to Sacramento State, the Cardinal are in the running for the worst team in the Power Five, and I don’t see how they stop Arizona’s passing attack.
Stanford didn’t respond well to a high-level offense two weekends ago when it fell to USC 56-10, and it only gets a little bit easier this Saturday.
The Wildcats may not be as good as the Trojans, but they’re 12th in Offensive Success Rate and have a dangerous passing game with talented receivers.
Tetairoa McMillan leads the team with 315 receiving yards and three touchdowns, followed by Jacob Cowing with 153 yards, three scores and a team-leading 20 receptions.
Arizona has also done a good job running the ball early this season, averaging 6.2 yards per carry as a team.
Meanwhile, Stanford’s defense feels very getable for U of A. It gave up 30 points to Sacramento State and has a lot of the same personnel as its bad defense from last year. The program didn’t add many players from the transfer portal, too.
Stanford can’t find much success on the offensive end either, and the combined passing attack between Ashton Daniels and Justin Lamson has produced three touchdown passes and three interceptions.
That’s not an ideal ratio.
The only thing that concerns me about Arizona in this spot is Jayden de Laura turning the ball over – since he already has five interceptions.
Still, I think the Wildcats can overcome a mistake or two from de Laura and cover the spread anyway.
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Appalachian State vs. Wyoming
By Doug Ziefel
Our Action Network PRO projections show a massive edge on this total. They project this total to be 49.4, and for good reason.
Starting with App State, the Mountaineers will have a big edge up front. This will not only allow for a consistent push in the running game, but it will give Joey Aguilar plenty of time to throw against a Wyoming secondary that ranks 76th in opponent completion percentage and 69th in pass play Explosiveness Allowed.
On the other side, Wyoming will also have a tremendous edge in the trenches, but it will use it to dominate on the ground. App State ranks 132nd in Defensive Line Yards and 130th in Rushing Success Rate.
The Cowboys will also get a boost as Andrew Peasley is expected to return, and his dual-threat capabilities will add another element that App State will have to worry about.
While these teams contrast in tempo – App State being 33rd and Wyoming being 116th – it will only amplify their edges in this matchup.
Expect the Mountaineers to move up and down the field, while the Cowboys respond with methodical drives that could be sped up by big gains on the ground.
So, take the over and enjoy a classic western shootout.
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James Madison vs. Utah State
James Madison picked up a really impressive road win at Troy in a defensive slugfest on Saturday.
The Dukes completely shut down Troy's rushing attack, with the Trojans racking up a grand total of -12 rushing yards on 19 carries.
JMU's front seven remains stacked after proving to be stout against the run last season. The Dukes returned five starters in the front seven, including their top three tacklers from a season ago.
Playing solid run defense will be a major key against a Utah State team that's averaging just over six yards per carry this season.
However, a lot of the Aggies' rushing success came against Idaho State in Week 2, when they ran for 380 yards and 9.3 yards per carry.
In fact, they averaged only 2.1 yards per carry against Air Force, so even though they're 10th in EPA/Rush, I have a hard time seeing how they're going to consistently run the ball against one of the better front sevens in the Group of Five.
Utah State quarterback Cooper Legas has really struggled through three games — so much so that head coach Blake Anderson benched him on Friday night in favor of McCae Hillstead.
Hillstead actually played really well, throwing for three touchdowns and 7.5 yards per attempt against the Air Force secondary.
It's an extremely small sample size, so take it with a grain of salt. And as you'd imagine with a true freshman quarterback, he struggled when facing pressure.
Utah State also has one of the least experienced offensive lines in the country, so going up against a James Madison front seven that has a top-40 pass-rushing grade won't be a good matchup for the Aggies.
On the other side, new JMU quarterback Jordan McCloud was really effective in his last game against Troy — even if the Dukes scored only 16 points. McCloud has an 86.6 PFF passing grade with three big-time throws despite attempting only 25 passes.
The Dukes haven't graded out well in a lot of offensive metrics, but they'll be facing a Utah State defense that ranks 126th in Success Rate Allowed and 120th in Finishing Drives Allowed through three games.
I have James Madison projected at -13.2, so I like the value on the Dukes at -5.5.
