Life is good when you’re winning. Hopefully life remains good for us as we move into Week 3 of the NFL season and week 4 of NCAA. This week, we’re shifting the focus to college football as we examine the top three teams in the country for our week 4 college football picks.
Top 3 College Football Sports Betting Sites:
All are laying at least double-digits in our week 4 college football picks of the week. And while two should have guaranteed wins, the No. 3 team in the country could have their hands full with a very good Notre Dame squad.
Southern Mississippi Eagles at Alabama Crimson Tide
Odds: Alabama -39 at PointsBet
Date: Saturday, September 21st
We’re starting off our NJ online sports betting week 4 college football picks with Alabama and Southern Mississippi. The Eagles have had an uneven start to the season as they took care of business against Alcorn State (38-10), then got crushed by Mississippi State (38-15) and then barely edged Troy (47-42).
Now they’re on the road at Alabama, who many feel is the best team in the country right now. Southern Miss isn’t in this role very often as they’ve been a dog of 31 or more just twice since 1992 (1-1 against the spread).
Alabama is coming off a 47-23 drubbing of a decent South Carolina team and now should breeze to a win here. They won their opener against Duke 42-3, then pummeled New Mexico State 62-10 before handling South Carolina.
This is a humongous number to lay and it’s worth noting that while Alabama doesn’t lose these games – they have won 37 straight as a favorite of 31 or more – they don’t do a great job of covering these spreads. They are 12-24-1 ATS in their last 37 as a favorite of 31 or more and 4-6 ATS in their last 10.
The spread is a tough call in this one as Alabama should be in the 50-point range if Mississippi scored 38. That being the case, I’ll count on an Eagles team returning 15 starters to score about 14 points for us to get the over.
NJ Betting Pick: Over 50.5
Charlotte 49ers at Clemson Tigers
Odds: Clemson -41 at PointsBet
Date: Saturday, September 21st
The Tigers beat Syracuse last week and that about clears their schedule the rest of the way. They really don’t have too many tough tests left – especially as we get into ACC play. This week, they’re hosting a Charlotte team that’s 2-1 with wins over Gardner-Webb and UMass. They also lost on the road to Appalachian State.
Charlotte is a new team as they only started football in 2013. They’ve made a lot of progress as they were crushed by UMass a couple of years ago. This year, they spanked them 52-17. App State is a good non-Power 5 program too and while Charlotte was worked last year, they kept it close in a 56-41 loss this year.
It’s really tough to make a call on the 41-point spread but I like Charlotte to do some scoring here and help us get the over. I wouldn’t be surprised if they covered because most people think they’re a doormat but they’re an improving program.
NJ Betting Pick: Over 62
Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Georgia Bulldogs
Odds: Bulldogs -14 at PointsBet
Date: Saturday, September 21st
The game of the week will feature No. 7 Notre Dame visiting No. 3 Georgia on Saturday night in primetime. While this game appears to look close on paper, the oddsmakers seem to be telling us something here as the Bulldogs are a 14-point favorite.
The Fighting Irish have handled their first two opponents as they stomped New Mexico last week and beat Louisville in their opener. As for Georgia, they’ve played three games, topping Vanderbilt, Murray State and Arkansas State.
The concern for Notre Dame here is that they don’t have the same level of talent as the Bulldogs. Georgia is elite at quarterback, running back and offensive line. Jake Fromm is probably a Top 20 NFL Draft pick, Swift could be a first-round pick and the offensive line is loaded with next-level talent. Can Notre Dame get to the quarterback here and throw off this offensive rhythm? I don’t think.
I can see Notre Dame hanging around for a bit, using their efficient passing game to play keep away for a little bit. However, this Georgia team is better all around. Notre Dame’s run defense has given up 230 rushing yards per game to much weaker opponents. Georgia should thrive in this respect and pull away.
NJ Betting Pick: Georgia -14
Other Things To Watch This Week
Detroit Lions vs Philadelphia Eagles – The Eagles came up just short in Atlanta on Sunday Night Football. Now they have to rebound quickly as the Detroit Lions visit. The Dallas Cowboys have a soft schedule in the coming weeks – including a trip to Miami this week. The Eagles can ill-afford to lose to Detroit this week and fall two games back of the Cowboys this early. However, the Lions have been a tricky opponent, nearly winning on the road in Arizona in Week 1 and beating the Los Angeles Chargers at home in Week 2.
New York Giants at Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Week 3 of the NFL season will mark the beginning of the Daniel Jones era. Veteran Eli Manning, who delivered two Super Bowls to the New York Giants, has been benched in favor of exciting rookie Daniel Jones. He’s looked great in preseason action but will now be up against a Tampa Bay defense that has played well this season, ranking eighth overall. You can even watch this game at many NFL sports bars in NJ.
UFC Fight Night 159 – The UFC is heading to Mexico City for a fight card that will be headlined by Yair Rodriguez, who is from Mexico. The crowd will be squarely in his corner when he takes on Jeremy Stephens. We haven’t heard from Rodriguez since he knocked out the Korean Zombie Chan Sung Jung in November, earning Performance of the Night honors. He’s very entertaining as he’s won Performance of the Night or Fight of the Night honors in four of his last five bouts.
See you same time next week when we start off the week with our Best Bets Of The Week!
