College Football Best Bets for Week 4

The college football landscape has been reset for the 2024 season. The College Football Playoff (CFP) will have 12 teams for the first time, which features the five conference champions paired with the next seven highest-ranked teams. Conferences underwent major changes, as well. The Pac-12 is virtually no more while the SEC added two major brands and the Big Ten, Big 12, and ACC all acquired several squads.

As if a shakeup in conference play wasn't intriguing enough, the stakes will also be heightened on a week-to-week basis with far more teams in contention for the CFP. Higher stakes could also generate more competitive games throughout the season, potentially impacting how we bet the sport.

Entering Week 4 of the college football season, there are four matchups between top-25 teams, beginning with the No. 24 Illinois Fighting Illini traveling to take on the No. 22 Nebraska Cornhuskers on Friday. Showdowns on Saturday involving the No. 12 Utah Utes and No. 14 Oklahoma State Cowboys, and No. 6 Tennessee Volunteers and No. 16 Oklahoma Sooners could have playoff implications.

Using the college football odds at FanDuel Sportsbook as a guide, what are the best college football bets for this week?

All college football odds via FanDuel Sportsbook. Lines may change after this article is published.

College Football Betting Picks

Buffalo at No. 23 Northern Illinois

Northern Illinois -13.5 (-118)

The No. 23 Northern Illinois Huskies got a bye week in Week 3 following an upset win over the No. 17 Notre Dame Fighting Irish in Week 2 of the college football season. In the win over Notre Dame, Northern Illinois out-gained the Fighting Irish 388-286, and they were +2 in the turnover margin while QB Ethan Hampton wasn't sacked and didn't turn the ball over.

The Huskies got an extra week to prepare to face the Buffalo Bulls, who have been unimpressive through the first three weeks. While the Bulls have secured lopsided wins over the Lafayette Leopards and the Massachusetts Minutemen, they also suffered a 38-0 defeat to the No. 7 Missouri Tigers in Week 2.

On the other hand, Northern Illinois has earned their spot in the top-25 rankings with a rushing offense that is producing the 14th-most rushing yards per game (251.0) and 28th-most passing yards per game (296.0). As for their defense, the Huskies are limiting teams to just 14.5 points per game while the Bulls are registering only 4.1 yards per play.

With Northern Illinois looking to maintain their spot in the rankings at home, they'll cruise to an easy victory over a Buffalo squad that doesn't have the pieces to keep this close.

No. 8 Miami (FL) at South Florida

Miami (FL) Over 41.5 Total Points (-106)

Quarterback Cam Ward has the offense of the No. 8 Miami (FL) Hurricanes operating smoothly early in the season. Ward -- who now has the shortest odds to win the Heisman Trophy (+450) -- leads the nation in QBR (94.4) and expected points added (26.8) while the Hurricanes haven't had any close games through the first three weeks of action.

Entering Week 4, Miami is posting the fifth-most points per game (53.0), third-most total yards per game (609.3), and most yards per play (9.1). The Hurricanes have the ability to beat teams in a variety of ways, and their defense shouldn't go overlooked.

Even though Miami has beaten the Florida Gators, Florida A&M Rattlers, and Ball State Cardinals by a combined 133 points, the South Florida Bulls don't present much more competition. The Bulls are 2-1 ahead of Saturday's home bout with the Hurricanes, but they surrendered 28 fourth quarter points to lose to the No. 4 Alabama Crimson Tide 42-16 in Week 2, and they allowed plenty of yards in their 49-24 victory against the Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles in Week 3.

While Southern Miss racked up 487 yards versus South Florida last week, it went 1-10 on third downs, which limited their scoring output. Miami has the 10th-best third-down conversion rate (57.14%), and they have the offense to move the ball quickly and score against a USF defense that has permitted 237.7 passing yards per game and 13.7 yards per completion.

Iowa at Minnesota

Iowa -2.5 (-110)

The Iowa Hawkeyes undoubtedly came up short in Week 2 in their narrow 20-19 loss to the No. 20 Iowa State Cyclones, but this is still a team that can score points on offense now. For the first time since the 2020 season, the Hawkeyes have two or more games with 38-plus points, and we are only beginning the fourth week of the campaign.

Along with having a much better offense than in recent years, Iowa still has a stout defense under head coach Kirk Ferentz. The Hawkeyes are giving up only 13.3 points per game, 267.7 total yards per game, and 12.3 first downs per game.

Following a 19-17 defeat to the North Carolina Tar Heels in Week 1, the Minnesota Golden Gophers have outscored their last two opponents by a combined score of 75-0. Minnesota's last two opponents were the Rhode Island Rams and Nevada Wolf Pack, so taking on a formidable Iowa team is the Golden Gophers' toughest test yet.

Over the years, this is a matchup the Hawkeyes have typically covered, going 6-1-1 against the spread (ATS) in the last 8 meetings.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.