College Football Top 25 Matchups and 2026 Week 4 Preview and Picks

Top 25 Preview and picks for Week 4 of the College Football season

The final week of September is Week 4 of the 2026 college football season. Big game betting in Top 25 action will drive more watch and wager interest. Our weekly Top 25 picks and additional games of interest and opinions are part of the Week 4 Top 25 betting report at Off Shore Gaming Association. 

The top 3 teams in the AP Top 25 Poll remain the same with Texas, Georgia and Notre Dame. But Ole Miss moves up to No. 4 following their big win over LSU, who falls to No. 10. Teams ranked 5-9 are Indiana, Miami, Ohio State, Alabama and BYU. Last week's No. 10-ranked Texas A&M took the biggest tumble outside the top 20 after losing at home to Kentucky. 

A Big Ten battle at the Big House in Ann Arbor this week features top 20 teams Michigan and Iowa, plus No. 20 Oregon at No. 12 USC. Four more Top 25 matchups in the SEC puts the Southeastern Conference in the spotlight with No. 1 Texas at No. 14 Tennessee, No. 4 Ole Miss at No. 21 Florida, No. 23 Texas A&M at No. 10 LSU, and No. 19 Missouri at new entrant No. 24 Mississippi State.

From the betting lines and adjustments at top online sportsbooks to key matchups, insight and odds updates, there is plenty of action in Week 4. Saturday will feature the most conference games between ranked teams of any day in AP poll history. Those six games, including a record four SEC Top 25 matchups will have us firing more picks, opinions and information you can bet on as the week progresses. Taking advantage of the sportsbooks bonus offers and shopping for the best lines will increase your odds of winning, including betting with reduced juice sportsbooks. 

Top 25 Games and Week 4 Odds

Betting lines and college football odds from BetOnline and top online sportsbooks refresh periodically and are subject to change, including on props and live/in-game betting. Point spread on favorites plus game totals. All times ET. 

Check back by Friday each week and my updates @FairwayJay on X as Fairways Forecast adds Picks and Opinions with select game analysis, stats and information you can bet on. 

Fri, Sept. 25

- Northwestern at No. 5 Indiana (-20), 50 | 8 pm | FOX

Sat, Sept. 26 

- No. 1 Texas (-5.5) at No. 14 Tennessee, total 56 | 12 pm | ABC
- Oklahoma at No. 2 Georgia (-14), 44 | 3:30 pm | ABC 
- No. 3 Notre Dame (-28) at Purdue, 57.5 | 2 pm | Peacock
- No. 4 Ole Miss at No. 21 Florida (-3), 60.5 | 3:30 pm | ABC
- Central Michigan at No. 6 Miami (-41 ), 54.5 | 6:30 pm | CW
- Illinois at No. 7 Ohio State (-27), 53.5 | 12 pm | FOX
- South Carolina at No. 8 Alabama (-12), 55.5 | 7 pm | ESPN
- No. 9 BYU | Bye 
- No. 23 Texas A&M at No. 10 LSU (-9), 52.5 | 7:30 pm | ABC 
- Sam Houston State at No. 11 Texas Tech (-35), 55 | 12 pm | TNT 
- Wisconsin at No. 13 Penn State (-9.5), 44.5 | 5 pm | Peacock
- No. 15 Utah (-7.5) at Iowa State, 48 | 3:30 pm | FOX
- Wake Forest at No. 16 Louisville (-13), 58.5 | 12 pm | ESPN
- No. 17 Iowa at No. 18 Michigan (-5.5), 37.5 | 3:30 pm | CBS
- No. 19 Missouri at No. 24 Mississippi State (-6.5), 58.5 | 7:45 pm | SECN
- No. 20 Oregon (-3) at No. 12 USC, 63 | 7:30 pm | NBC
- Missouri State at No. 22 SMU (-34.5), 59.5 | 9 pm | ACCN
- No. 25 Houston (-18.5) at Georgia Southern, 56.5 | 12 pm | ESPNU

Others receiving votes: Washington 107, Kentucky 98, West Virginia 93, Oklahoma 91, Oklahoma State 50, Boise State, Virginia Tech, Western Michigan, Duke, Tulsa, Arizona, Pittsburgh, UCLA, James Madison, North Dakota State, Kansas State, Nebraska. 

Check out the notable line and total adjustments from Sunday's Week 4 opening lines from Las Vegas and BetOnline.  

- Texas -3.5 to -5.5 at Tennessee, total 57 to 56
- Michigan -4 to -5.5 vs. Iowa 
- Penn State -10 to -9.5 vs. Wisconsin, 46 to 44.5 
- Alabama -13 to -12 vs South Carolina

Also, Georgia -10 preseason line to current -14 vs. Oklahoma

Other games of interest 

- Clemson at California (Pk), 50.5 - Friday
- Vanderbilt at Auburn (-9.5), 55 
- Nebraska (-5.5) at Michigan State, 49
- Oklahoma State at West Virginia (-1.5), 59
- Kansas State (-6.5) at Cincinnati, 55
- Colorado at Baylor (-10), 55.5
- UCLA (-2) at Maryland, 57
- Vanderbilt at Auburn (-9.5), 55
- South Alabama at Kentucky (-20.5), 54.5
- Boise State (-7) at Western Michigan, 48
- Appalachian State at NC State (-13.5), 55
- Arizona (-10) at Washington State, 38
- TCU (-3) at UCF, 48.5
- UNLV (-13) at Akron, 52.5
- Air Force (-5) at Nevada, 50
- Hawaii (-3) at Wyoming, 44.5
- Georgia Tech (-3.5) at Stanford, 48.5
- Minnesota at Washington (-10), 46

Select Week 4 College Football Top 25 Matchups and Picks 

Game analysis and picks provided during week. College Football News ranks Ole Miss QB Trinidad Chambliss and Mississippi State QB Kamario Taylor as the two best players in football heading into Week 4 of it's top 10 players in college football. 

Early Top 25 Opinions 

- Purdue (+28) vs. Notre Dame
- Florida (-3) vs. Ole Miss and Over 60.5 points
- Sam Houston State +35 vs. Texas Tech
- Iowa (+5.5) at Michigan - take 6 if it pops

Texas at Tennessee - This is the first ever regular season meeting between the Longhorns and Volunteers, and it's been nearly 60 years since they met in the Cotton Bowl. This is the SEC home opener for Tennessee. More storylines and emotions as Texas QB Arch Manning plays his first game in Knoxville, where his uncle Peyton Manning was a Tennessee Volunteers legend. 

Ole Miss at Florida - "Who has us favored against these guys?" Florida coach Jon Sumrall asked Monday. When he was told the Las Vegas point spread had the Gators favored, he responded, "There's lot of good drugs out there, huh?" Ole Miss is in a tough letdown spot off their emotional game and win over LSU. Mississippi has also lost their last two trips to the Swamp, most recently 24-17 as a -13 point favorite in 2024 when Florida was unranked. Last year the Gators (+12) lost at No. 6 Ole Miss 34-24. Florida (3-0) has scored at least 44 points in all three wins this season, including last week at Auburn 44-39 with a balanced offensive attack of 245 rushing and 252 passing yards. Gators junior running back Jadan Baugh leads the SEC in rushing with 458 yards, 8 TDs on 8.5 yards per carry including 162 and 3 TD's last week at Auburn. Baugh is the first UF running back to rush for 100 or more yards in four straight games since Fred Taylor in 1997. Gators WR Eric Singleton (ankle) could return this week after missing the last two games. 

Iowa at Michigan - One of the lowest game totals has dipped down 1/2 point to 37.5. The under is 5-1 in the last six meetings with an average of 33 points per game. Iowa and Michigan have not met in the regular season since 2022, and the Hawkeyes have only played in Ann Arbor twice since 2010, which was their last win at Michigan. Defensive dominators with the Hawkeyes registering 8 sacks, 17 tackles for loss and 3 interceptions. Michigan's maulers on defense have posted 10 sacks and 25 tackles for loss. John Henry Daley has been playing like an All-American through three games with 14 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, and 2.5 sacks. But bumbling Michigan QB Bryce Underwood has struggled this year and last season against top defenses, and especially if forced to read defenses under pressure and pass. Already this season, Underwood and Michigan's offense has given opponents the ball inside its own 40 four times. Iowa RB Kamari Moulton has 240 rushing yards through three games and is averaging 9.2 yards per attempt. 

Oregon at USC - Oregon beat USC for the fourth-straight time last year, 42-27 in Eugene. This is the Ducks first trip to the Coliseum since 2020 (no fans). 

Texas A&M at LSU - A look at the SEC teams and preseason lines and this was LSU -3. Now it's LSU -9, down from -9.5 at Sunday's opener. LSU (+2.5) lost at home last year to No. 3 Texas A&M 49-25 while allowing the second-most yards to an SEC opponent, 426. The game total points has gone over in five-straight meetings since 2021. 

Missouri at Mississippi State - Missouri has beaten Mississippi State each of the last two years as 7-8 point favorites and high-scoring games (76 and 59 points). Now the MSU Bulldogs crack the Top 25 are favored by 6-7 points with their strong start to the season and impressive road wins over Minnesota and South Carolina. Mississippi State (3-0) had a preseason win total of O/U 4.5 wins. 

Check back Friday for picks and opinions and any additions, stats, analysis and information you can bet on. 

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FairwayJay is a leading sports betting industry analyst, handicapper, content creator, reporter and credentialed media member based in Las Vegas. He's been covering major sports including college football and NFL plus golf from a betting perspective for more than two decades. FairwayJay is also on the scene for NHL and major sports and poker events plus industry conferences and college football media days. Follow @FairwayJay on X and OSGA for more betting insight and information you can bet on.