Welcome to Week 4 — the first quarter of the college football season ticks away on Saturday.
Rather than a morbid statement about how short the college football season is, this is a milestone where teams start to round into form. With now three data points (or four) for most teams, we’re starting to really understand the lay of the land.
Two teams already fired their coaches (UCLA, Virginia Tech), and just three Power Conference teams remain winless (the two aforementioned ones plus Notre Dame).
Conference play opens up for a large portion of the country, and we’re really getting into the meat of the season now.
We get plenty of rivalries, like Washington-Washington State, Oregon-Oregon State, Florida-Miami and Illinois-Indiana.
We have the final installment of the Iron Skillet game between TCU and SMU, at least for now. Plus other rarely played regional showdowns, such as Arkansas-Memphis. Conference showdowns like Boise State-Air Force and Texas Tech-Utah really bolster this into a nice weekend.
Let's dive into the college football odds, NCAAF lines and more for Week 4.
Notable College Football Week 4 Line Movement
- Charlotte dropped from a +6.5 underdog at open to +2.5 by Monday at home vs. Rice.
- Rutgers moved off a key figure, from +3 to +2.5, at home against Iowa.
- SMU took notable movement early in the week, dropping from +7 to +4 at rival TCU.
- Miami (OH) dropped from a +5.5 home underdog to +2.5 against UNLV.
- Arkansas rose through a key betting figure, from -5.5 to -7.5, at Memphis.
- Oregon is now a -35.5 favorite over rival Oregon State after opening at -27.5.
- Eastern Michigan fell from a +6.5 underdog to +2.5 at home against Louisiana.
- UCF moved away from a key number, rising from -3.5 to -6.5 against North Carolina.
- Toledo jumped from -11.5 to -14.5 at Western Michigan.
- Buffalo jumped from a -1.5 favorite to -6 at home against Troy.
- Oklahoma is approaching a key betting figure, up from -4.5 to -6.5 against Auburn.
- FIU rose from a -2.5 home favorite over Delaware to -6.5.
- Missouri re-opened at -13.5 favorite over South Carolina after holding a -3 position this offseason.
- Middle Tennessee moved through a key betting figure, down from +4.5 to +2.5 at home against Marshall.
- Miami (FL) rose through a key figure, from -6.5 to -7.5, but was as high as -9.5, against rival Florida.
- Louisiana Tech moved on to a key betting figure, from -2.5 to -3, against Southern Miss at home.
- Washington now stands as a -20.5 favorite over rival Washington State after being lined at -10.5 this offseason.
- UTEP is up to a -5 favorite against ULM after opening at -1.5.
- USC rose from -14.5 at open to -17.5 at home against Michigan State.
- Hawaii moved onto a key betting figure, from +3.5 to +3, at home against Fresno State.
Impact Injuries on Week 4 Odds
Syracuse vs. Clemson
Clemson is battling injuries to multiple starters again, including left tackle Tristan Leigh and top receiver Antonio Williams. Promising young running back Jay Haynes also hasn’t suited up since tearing his ACL in last year’s ACC Championship game.
Syracuse was without starting safety Devin Grant and running back Yasin Willis last week.
Tulane vs. Ole Miss
Rebels quarterback Austin Simmons missed almost the entirety of Week 3 against Arkansas, a game Ole Miss won at home. He was listed as probable last week and was a very late scratch with the news breaking Saturday morning.
South Carolina vs. Missouri
Gamecocks quarterback LaNorris Sellers suffered an injury during South Carolina’s 31-7 loss to Vanderbilt in the second quarter and did not return. He reportedly suffered a concussion, and his status for Week 4 needs to be monitored.
Troy vs. Buffalo
Troy starting quarterback Goose Crowder suffered a broken collarbone and is out indefinitely. Troy’s coaching staff did not exude confidence in another quarterback during postgame interviews.
Louisiana vs. Eastern Michigan
Louisiana starting quarterback Walker Howard suffered a season-ending injury ahead of Week 3. Howard is a former five-star recruit who transferred from LSU and Ole Miss to Louisiana.
Fresno State vs. Hawaii
Hawaii has been without starting quarterback Micah Alejado and top receiver Nick Cenacle for its last two games. Alejado reactivated an ankle injury that didn’t heal after initially being injured in Week 1.
Other Impact Injuries for College Football Week 4
- Tim Keenan III, DL, Alabama
- Dallan Hayden, RB, Colorado
- Addison Ostrenga, TE, Iowa (season)
- Rod Moore, S, Michigan
- Christo Kelly, C, North Carolina
- Cam Porter, RB, Northwestern (season)
- Luke Hasz, TE, Ole Miss
- Tyler Voltin, OG, Oregon State
- Jermod McCoy, CB, Tennessee
- Rickey Gibson III, CB, Tennessee
- Tre Wisner, RB, Texas
- Bryce Anderson, S, Texas A&M
- Brandon Rose, QB, UMass
- Alex Orji, QB, UNLV (season)
- Rabbit Evans, S, Utah (season)
- Corey Thompson, WR, Utah State
- Kam Robinson, LB, Virginia
- Makilan Thomas, OT, Virginia
Staff & Roster Impacts on College Football Week 4
Wofford vs. Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech fired head coach Brent Pry on Sunday after an 0-3 start to the year and a 16-24 record over four seasons. Pry became the first coach to get fired this season.
Virginia Tech athletic director Whit Babcock reportedly will not lead the coaching search after leading previous ones that resulted in the hiring of Pry and Justin Fuentes.
Ousted Tulsa head coach and current offensive coordinator Philip Montgomery is likely to be the interim coach.
Honorable Mention: UCLA (Bye Week)
UCLA fired head coach DeShaun Foster after another 0-3 start and just over one season. A disastrous 35-10 loss to New Mexico at home triggered the firing.
No interim coach was named as of Monday.
Weather Impacts On College Football Week 4 Odds
Weekly college football weather reports will be released later this week as forecasts become more certain. But here are a few spots to keep tabs on early in the week.
Ohio Valley Storm System
This weekend, a storm system could impact the greater Ohio Valley and Great Lakes regions.
Games potentially impacted include Purdue at Notre Dame, Wagner at Central Michigan, and possibly UNLV at Miami (OH).
The confidence in the system is still low, but it’s worth keeping an eye on throughout the week.
Southern Heat Wave
As summer takes one last gasp, the southeastern U.S. is expected to see an intense heatwave this weekend.
Games like Tulane at Ole Miss, NIU at Mississippi State, and Kent State at Florida State could see highs in the 90s with intense humidity.
Even outside the Dixie region, Gardner-Webb at Ohio, Temple at Georgia Tech, and Nevada at Western Kentucky are expected to be impacted by higher-than-usual temperatures.
College Football Situational Spots to Watch in Week 4
Texas Tech vs. Utah
This blockbuster Big 12 matchup features two conference favorites and two ranked teams, and kicks off at… checks notes… 10 a.m. locally.
North Texas vs. Army
It’s hard to call the game after a 59-10 win a “letdown” spot, but there’s some regression inbound for the Mean Green.
North Texas travels to West Point, and Army comes off a bye.
Watch for a physical game. Last year, Army toppled UNT 14-3 in Denton – a game that broke up the Mean Green's five-game streak of scoring 37-plus points.
UNLV vs. Miami (OH)
UNLV plays at 9 a.m. internal time.
Oxford is one of the more isolated college towns in southwestern Ohio.
First home game for the Redhawks, who averaged just over 50% capacity last season at Yager Stadium.
James Madison vs. Liberty
Liberty returns home after back-to-back road losses at Jacksonville State and Bowling Green.
James Madison, though the road team here, comes off a bye and last played the Friday before in Week 2 (a 28-14 loss at Louisville).
Michigan State vs. USC
Michigan State plays at 11 p.m. internal time.
First road trip of the year for Michigan State.
