If you consider yourself a betting man, here are some of the most intriguing betting lines of Week 4.
Happy prediction Friday, Hawkeye fans.
We began the day with our prediction for No. 17 Iowa's Big Ten opener at No. 18 Michigan on Saturday (2:30 CT, CBS), and we're now shifting our attention to the books.
Sports gambling is one of the most controversial topics in the world these days, but whether you like it or not, it will remain in sports for as long as it's allowed to. This article isn't encouraging you to gamble, but there's a lot of people that will certainly be placing a ticket on some of the weekend's best college football games.
If you consider yourself a betting person, here's your Week 4 betting guide.
*All betting lines courtesy of DraftKings. Call 1-800-BETS OFF if you live in Iowa (1-800-MY-RESET is the national line) and are struggling with gambling.
No. 17 Iowa @ No. 18 Michigan
*As of Thursday, Sept. 24
Spread: Michigan -5.5
Total: 38.5
Moneyline: Iowa +280
Iowa to get 300+ total yards: -110
Iowa to get 170+ receiving yards: -110
Iowa to get 130+ rushing yards: +100
Things can always change between now and kickoff, but this spread is extremely high. I get giving Michigan three points for home field advantage, but this shouldn't be more than a four-point spread, in my opinion. This game is the definition of a toss-up game and should be treated as such. While the spread may be just a tad high, the low total of 38.5 seems right. There's not going to be a lot of points being scored in the Big House.
The rest of the slate
No. 1 Texas @ No. 14 Tennessee
Line: Texas -4, O/U: 55.5
No. 4 Ole Miss @ No. 21 Florida
Line: Florida -3.5, O/U: 59.5
No. 15 Utah @ Iowa State
Line: Utah -7.5, O/U: 47.5
Wisconsin @ No. 13 Penn State
Line: PSU -10, O/U: 44.5
No. 20 Oregon @ No. 12 USC
Line: Oregon -3, O/U: 62.5
No. 23 Texas A&M @ No. 10 LSU
Line: LSU -8.5, O/U: 51.5
No. 19 Missouri @ No. 24 Mississippi State
Line: MSU -6, O/U: 58.5
I apologize for including a lot of SEC games in here, but these betting guides are all about finding the most intriguing lines, and you're usually going to find that when a ranked team is involved. None of these lines are surprising except for one game - Ole Miss at Florida.
Look, I understand there's a lot of optimism in Gainesville right now after the Gators went in to Auburn and knocked off the Tigers last weekend, but pegging Jon Sumrall's team as a three-point home favorite over an Ole Miss team that is flying high after beating Lane Kiffin last weekend seems a little much, doesn't it? I don't have much knowledge on this Florida team, but wins over Florida Atlantic, Campbell, and an average at best Auburn team don't move me just yet.
Speaking of LSU, it may be wise to predict Kiffin's team to easily cover the spread against Texas A&M at home. I have no idea why the Aggies are still ranked after Kentucky mopped the floor with them at Kyle Field last weekend, but they don't seem to have a chance to compete in Death Valley.
Finally, we turn our attention to the other ranked-on-ranked Big Ten matchup: Oregon-USC. The Trojans' defense has looked very shaky over the last few weeks, so siding with Dan Lanning's Ducks may not be a bad play.
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HawkeyeRoundtable publisher Brad Schultz has covered the Iowa Hawkeyes since 2023. To send him story ideas, scoops, or criticize his writing, reach him at [email protected]
