NCAA Football 2018 Week 4 picks

Thurs Sept 20
Tulsa Golden Hurricane at Temple Owls:  The Owls can be inconsistent, but they showed muscle last week.  I think they'll back that up with a win this week.  TEMPLE

Fri Sept 21
Florida Atlantic Owls at #9 UCF Golden Knights:  The Knights had an unexpected week off, so they are itching to get back onto the field.  The Owls won't stand a chance.  UCF

#4 Penn State Nittany Lions at Illinois Fighting Illini:  Speaking of a team who won't stand a chance, my Illini are going to get creamed.  Do I really want to watch this debacle?  Where's my Alka-Setzer!  PENN STATE

#10 Washington State Cougars at USC Trojans: All three Friday games stand a chance of being horribly one-sided.  This one might be the closest, and the Cougars should easily cruise to a 20-point win.  WASHINGTON STATE

Sat Sept 22
Top 25
Texas A&M Aggies at #1 Alabama Crimson Tide:  Continuing from Friday, this will be another massively one-sided game.  ALABAMA

Tulane Green Wave at #2 Ohio State Buckeyes:  Urban Meyer returns to the sidelines, but do they really need him against Tulane?  I'd suggest Urban take another week off and relax, his Buckeyes will easily roll over Tulane... in a massive wave!  OHIO STATE

Army Black Knights at #3 Oklahoma Sooners:  This one shouldn't be close, either, but after how well Iowa State played against the Sooners last week, this game might also be closer than it should.  OKLAHOMA

#5 Virginia Tech Hokies at Old Dominion Flyers:  Another team back from Hurricane Florence hiatus, this one will be a massive blowout.  VIRGINIA TECH

#6 Georgia Bulldogs at Missouri Tigers:  If Missouri can't play any better than they did last week against Purdue, Georgia will wrap this game up very early.  GEORGIA

#7 Stanford Cardinal at #13 Oregon Ducks:  Ah, finally a more challenging game!  Stanford should win this one, but Oregon can play very tough, especially at home.  Stanford needs to get Bryce Love going this game; the Cardinal cannot win in a passing showdown with the Ducks.  STANFORD in a 3-point squeaker

Louisiana Tech Bulldogs at #8 LSU Tigers:  This one won't be close, either.  LSU

Texas Tech Red Raiders at #11 Oklahoma State Cowboys:  Both of these teams have dynamic offenses, so expect lots of scoring.  The Cowboys have something resembling a defense, while Tech does not, so that edge belongs to the home team.  OKLAHOMA STATE

Kansas State Wildcats at #14 West Virginia Mountaineers:  West Virginia also had an extra week of conditioning before this game.  I would have given the edge to the Mountaineers anyway, but now they should win even bigger.  WEST VIRGINIA

#15 TCU Horned Frogs at Texas Longhorns:  Texas redeemed themselves last week against USC, but I think that was more an indication of how poor the Trojans are this season than a real resurgence by Texas.  They may make this game closer than TCU would like, but the Horned Frogs offense is just too fast for the Longhorns.  TCU

#22 Wisconsin Badgers at #16 Iowa Hawkeyes:  It has been many years since Wisconsin has lost two games in a row.  Could it happen?  If this game were played in Madison I would pick Wisconsin easily.  However, it is a road game for the Badgers.  Clearly Hornibrook is not a strong quarterback, and apparently this year's slate of runners is not the quality we have seen in previous seasons.  Yes, the offensive line is partly to blame, but I remember runners like Ron Dayne who could run through a defensive on his own.  The Badgers need that again.  IOWA in a shocker

#17 Clemson Tigers at Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets:  Clemson gets a nice easy draw before they face a strong Syracuse team next week.  CLEMSON

North Carolina Central (FCS) at #18 Duke Blue Devils:  DUKE

#19 Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Wake Forest Demon Deacons:  This game has the makings to be very close!  Wake Forest is a decent team, and the Irish have been underperforming so far this season.  The Irish have played close games all year long, and I expect another one.  NOTRE DAME

Ohio Bobcats at #20 Cincinnati Bearcats:  On the other hand, this one won't be close.  CINCINNATI

Arkansas Razorbacks at #21 Auburn Tigers:  Arkansas might be hoping for the upset, but I wouldn't count on it.  Auburn led for most of their game against LSU last week, so this batch of Tigers are a tough squad.  AUBURN

#23 Mississippi State Bulldogs at Kentucky Wildcats:  Now THIS is a matchup!  Truthfully, either team could win this game.  The Bulldogs have a dynamic offense, but the Wildcats are scrappers, especially in the red zone.  Mississippi State might need a couple of big plays to win, and they cannot turn the ball over.  MISSISSIPPI STATE in a close one

#24 Minnesota Golden Gophers at Maryland Terrapins:  Maryland was thoroughly embarrassed last week, but remember that they beat Texas.  Of course, they beat Texas last year, too, and then struggled in Big Ten play.  History might repeat itself.  MINNESOTA

UConn Huskies at #25 Syracuse Orange: Not a very challenging prep game before Clemson.  SYRACUSE

Big Ten
Nebraska Cornhuskers at Michigan Wolverines:  The Cornhuskers are suffering, while Michigan seems like they have solved their early issues.  MICHIGAN

Boston College Eagles at Purdue Boilermakers:  Purdue nearly shocked Missouri last week, but I think BC will be more of a challenge.  BOSTON COLLEGE

Buffalo Bulls at Rutgers Scarlet Knights:  Buffalo has a good team this year.  Rutgers doesn't.  BUFFALO in a shocker

Michigan State Spartans at Indiana Hoosiers:  The Spartans had a bye week, but all the extra preparation in the world won't help against some of Indy's trick plays.  The Spartans defense will need to force at least one turnover, and the offense has to improve over their previous two games.  I think we will see some improvement; enough to win, but not enough to win comfortably.  MICHIGAN STATE

Other Games of Note
Arizona State Sun Devils at Washington Huskies:  The Huskies have played well enough to win, while the Sun Devils have hurt themselves.  If they do that again, Washington will chew them alive.  WASHINGTON