College football 2017 Week 4 predictions

Saturday, 12 p.m. ET

North Carolina State almost upset Florida State last season, and the Wolfpack is riding a two-game winning streak heading into the rematch this week. Florida State hasn’t had a chance to take the field since losing to Alabama due to Hurricane Irma, so it may be rusty to start the game. N.C. State could take advantage of the Seminoles' layoff and pull off the upset this year.

Pick: Florida State

Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET

The Nittany Lions have shown their playoff-caliber talent by rolling over their first three opponents. Now they leave the comfy confines of Happy Valley and step in to Kinnick Stadium, one of the most dangerous places in the Big Ten. Iowa comes into the game undefeated and will feed off the energy of the crowd. If Penn State is not careful, it may find itself in trouble against the balanced attack of the Hawkeyes. 

Pick: Penn State

Saturday, 10:30 p.m. ET

Just one week after breaking in to the AP top 25, UCLA lost a thrilling game against Memphis. Quarterback Josh Rosen was brilliant for stretches, throwing for 463 yards and four touchdowns against two interceptions. Despite those numbers, his defense let him down, allowing Memphis to score 48 points. The Bruins face a Stanford team that is returning home after two straight losses. The Cardinal would love to show it is still a team to be reckoned with.

Pick: Stanford

Saturday, 10 p.m. ET

On its way to the College Football Playoff last year, Washington dispatched Colorado in the Pac-12 Championship Game. This season, the Buffaloes host the Huskies with revenge on their minds. Colorado rolled through its non-conference schedule allowing nine points per game in its first three matchups. The Buffaloes will be tested against Jake Browning, who is having another efficient season at quarterback for the Huskies. But will he get a road win in Boulder?

Pick: Colorado

Saturday, 12 p.m. ET

The Southwest Classic is back as the Razorbacks face off against the Aggies at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The Razorbacks come into the game wounded after only scoring three points against TCU last week. Texas A&M is looking to answer a lot of questions after needing a rally at halftime to overcome Louisiana-Lafayette. This rivalry game went to overtime in back-to-back games in 2014 and 2015. We may need OT to determine a winner this year as well.

Pick: Arkansas

Saturday, 7 p.m. ET

There are no easy games in the SEC, as Georgia knows all too well with Mississippi State coming in hot. The cowbell-ringing school is coming off an absolute destruction of ranked LSU and riding high coming into this battle of the Bulldogs. Georgia could be in for a dogfight this Saturday.

Pick: Mississippi State

Saturday, 6:30 p.m. ET

Baylor’s nightmare season does not look like it’ll end anytime soon, especially with the No. 3 team in the country coming into town. Baylor has given up 33 points per game to "powerhouse" opponents like Liberty, UT-San Antonio and Duke. The Sooners will not show any mercy with their deadly offensive weapons.

Pick: Oklahoma

Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET

Offense, offense and more offense; if you want points on the board, this is the game to watch. TCU comes into the game average 49 points per game with quarterback Kenny Hill leading the way. Oklahoma State’s offense is averaging 54 points per game behind the arm of Mason Rudolph. Program this game into your DVR; it’s going to be a shootout.

Pick: Oklahoma State

Saturday, 8 p.m. ET

The megaphone trophy is up for grabs with Notre Dame traveling to East Lansing to face Michigan State. These two teams meet up evenly matched with the Fighting Irish’s running attack clashing with a defense that has only given up 12 points a game this season. Expect this one to be close.

Pick: Michigan State

Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET

This is Miami’s first game since Sept. 2 due to Hurricane Irma. The Hurricanes host a Toledo team that has been rolling on offense, scoring 45.3 a game. With Miami coming off a long layoff, it will have some kinks to work out. Toledo’s vaunted aerial attack may have a field day taking advantage of the rusty Hurricanes.

Pick: Toledo

Thursday, 7:30 p.m. ET

South Florida was on its way to an AAC East Division title last year before the Temple Owls stopped its march with an upset win. This year, South Florida is the favorite once again, but can it get over hump? The Bulls will need a big game from Quinton Flowers if they want to exorcise their demons from last season.

Pick: South Florida

Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET

Florida needed a Hail Mary heave to beat Tennessee last week, but have the Gators emotionally recovered from that win? They go into a hostile environment at Kentucky, who has lost its last 30 games to Florida. If the Gators think this is going to be just another cakewalk, the Wildcats could surprise them with a stout defense of their own.

Pick: Florida

Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET

Alabama’s first true away game of the season may be a tough one. Vanderbilt is coming off an upset of Kansas State and has allowed 13 points in three games. Alabama is a more talented team than anybody the Commodores have faced so far, but when they are in Nashville, they can beat anyone.

Pick: Alabama

Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET

The Weekender for USC takes them to Berkeley after a hard-fought double-overtime victory against the Texas Longhorns. The Trojans haven’t looked like the world-beaters they were purported to be, and their first road trip may be a challenge for them. Cal is undefeated, beating North Carolina and Ole Miss coming into this game. If USC is looking past the Golden Bears, it will be in a world of hurt.

Pick: Cal

Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET

No, this isn’t March, but it doesn’t make the Duke-North Carolina rivalry any less fun to watch. The Blue Devils come in undefeated. North Carolina is dealing with injury issues but has played very close games against Cal and ranked Louisville. It may not be the best football in country, but it will be an intense game with the Victory Bell on the line.

Pick: North Carolina

Saturday, 10 p.m. ET

"Pac-12 After Dark" tends to bring out some of the best games of college football on any given week. With two offensive teams like the Oregon Ducks and Arizona State, anything can happen. If you East Coasters have a little extra time, let go of your East Coast bias and check out what will be a barn burner of a game in the Pac-12.

Pick: Oregon

Saturday, 12 p.m. ET

Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson was stymied all day against Clemson’s incredible defense. Taking punishment can take a toll mentally, and it will be interesting to see whether Jackson can get back on track. The Cardinals host Kent State, which should give Jackson plenty of opportunity to shake off the loss from last week.

Pick: Louisville

Saturday, 4 p.m. ET

The Wolverines' first true road game takes them to West Lafayette, Ind., where a dangerous Purdue team waits for them. Purdue started the season 2-1 with a balanced attack engineered by head coach Jeff Brohm. Michigan has had trouble scoring on offense, and it doesn’t have the Wolverine faithful to lean on for energy this week. The team will need to get something going when it has the ball to win against Purdue.

Pick: Michigan

Saturday, 12 p.m. ET

Texas Tech just hung 52 points on Arizona State behind quarterback Nic Shimonek's golden arm. As good as the offense has been, the Red Raiders' defense has allowed a lot of points — points Houston would be more than happy to take. The Cougars are coming off a Bayou Bucket Classic win and would like to enjoy another win against a Texas school. 

Pick: Texas Tech

Saturday, 12 p.m. ET

There are fewer heartbreaking moments in sports than losing via Hail Mary, and Tennessee knows the feeling well after last week. It gets an easier matchup against UMass this week, but the hangover from that result may still be lingering. However, returning to Knoxville may help the Volunteers move forward. 

Pick: Tennessee

Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET

The Auburn offense has been awful, but the defense has been a saving grace. Giving up only 10 points a game, the Tigers have stopped other teams to give their offense more chances to score. The last time Auburn went on the road, it was stopped by Clemson. Missouri is not Clemson, but the Tigers will still need to show some sort of offense if they want to be successful in the SEC.

Pick: Auburn

Saturday, 7 p.m. ET

LSU head coach Ed Orgeron could not get the Starkville monkey off his back, falling to Mississippi State despite having a talented team. Running back Derrius Guice was held to 76 yards on 15 attempts. He and the rest of the Tigers will look to recover in Death Valley against a less than threatening Syracuse team.

Pick: LSU

Saturday, 12 p.m. ET

After getting roundly criticized, Ohio State J.T. Barrett completed his best game of the season last week, finishing with 270 passing yards and two touchdowns while completing 75.8 percent of his passes. With the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels pulling into town, Barrett will look to build on his performance and bring the Buckeyes back into playoff position.

Pick: Ohio State

Friday, 10:30 p.m. ET

Arizona Wildcats quarterback Brandon Dawkins is coming off a six-touchdown performance on the road against UTEP. This week, Arizona will host No. 23 Utah with dual-threat quarterback Tyler Huntley leading the way for the Utes. Both of these teams could put up a lot of points in this game.

Pick: Utah

Saturday, 5 p.m. ET

The Battle on the Bayou is here again as the Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns host the Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks. Louisiana-Lafayette held a halftime lead against Texas A&M before falling to the Aggies, so the Ragin’ Cajuns have something to hang their hat on. But can Louisiana-Monroe surprise Louisiana-Lafayette with a win in a tough rivalry game on the road?

Pick: Louisiana-Lafayette