Things start to heat up in Week 4 of the college football season and we have found a couple of golden opportunities on Saturday’s slate.
The following are our top two plays as well as a look at a few matchups that have caught the eye of the OddsShark Consensus. Lines provided by Sportsbook.
Pick of the Week
It has taken three years but Brian Kelly is finally onto something in South Bend. His No. 11-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish have already knocked off Michigan State in impressive fashion and now take aim at Michigan as 5-point home favorites this Saturday night.
This Irish team is the real deal, especially on defense with one of the best front seven in the nation. The revenge factor is high in this matchup as well after Notre Dame blew a 24-7 third-quarter lead last season in a 35-31 last-second loss the Spartans as a 3.5-point road favorite.
The Irish have actually lost the last three meetings both straight-up and against the spread but still have a slight 3-2 edge both ways in the last five meetings in South Bend. Stick with Notre Dame’s defense to come up big for the second week in a row as it wins and covers the five points.
Notre Dame 23, Michigan 16
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The other game on the schedule that heavily leans to one side is a SEC matchup between Missouri and No. 7 South Carolina with the Gamecocks currently 10-point favorites at home. The old ball coach has his team firing on all cylinders after a close call against Vanderbilt on Sportsbook day behind a balanced offense and a shutdown defense that is ranked seventh in the nation in points allowed.
South Carolina quarterback Conner Shaw has been hampered with a shoulder injury, but Dylan Thompson has done a good job in relief. Look for Marcus Lattimore to have a big day as he continues to regain his form running the ball. Missouri received a rude welcome to the conference in a 41-20 drubbing at the hands of No. 5 Georgia in Week 2 as a 1-point home underdogs and will struggle again in its first road game in the SEC.
South Carolina 27, Missouri 13
The OddsShark Consensus
The No. 20 Louisville Cardinals are the pride of a watered-down Big East and the top pick of the OddsShark consensus this week at 70.5 percent to cover the 14.5 points on the road against the Sun Belt’s FIU Golden Panthers.
The other top picks of the consensus include No. 2 LSU over Auburn as a 20.5-point road favorite at 68.2 percent, No. 19 UCLA covering the 7 points at home against Oregon State at 66.9 percent, and Washington State as a 20-point favorite at home over Colorado at 66.7 percent.
The top play on the total line is the OVER the 57.5 points in a huge Big 12 showdown between No. 15 Kansas State and No. 6 Oklahoma.
The Best of the Rest
The two other matchups on Saturday’s schedule between ranked teams starts with an ACC clash between No. 10 Clemson and No. 4 Florida State that kicks off at 8 p.m. The Seminoles are currently 14-point favorites at home. The night cap is a Pac-12 showdown between No. 22 Arizona and No. 3 Oregon with the Ducks listed as prohibitive 23-point home favorites.
