College Football Week 4 Picks: 6 Top Games
The college football Week 4 picks landscape is packed with major matchups as six games featuring teams in the AP Top 25 headline one of the busiest Saturdays of the young 2026 season.
CBS Sports described the Week 4 schedule as a particularly significant weekend, with ranked teams meeting across the SEC and Big Ten and a number of games carrying early College Football Playoff implications. Among the marquee contests are No. 1 Texas visiting No. 14 Tennessee, No. 20 Oregon traveling to No. 12 USC, No. 23 Texas A&M facing No. 10 LSU and No. 17 Iowa meeting No. 18 Michigan.
The CBS Sports analysis focuses on expert selections against the spread, along with the betting lines available around the time the article was published. Those lines can change before kickoff.
For readers following the weekend from a football perspective, however, the significance goes beyond the numbers. Several ranked teams entered Saturday facing their first major conference tests of the season.
College football Week 4 picks center on six ranked matchups
Week 4 represents a major jump in the quality of the schedule.
According to CBS Sports and the Associated Press, Saturday features six games involving teams ranked in the AP Top 25. AP noted that it was the first regular-season weekend in three years to feature six such ranked-versus-ranked matchups.
The SEC accounts for much of the attention, with Texas-Tennessee, Ole Miss-Florida and Texas A&M-LSU among the major conference games.
The Big Ten also has important contests, including Iowa-Michigan and Oregon-USC.
That concentration of ranked teams means the results could have an early impact on conference races and the developing College Football Playoff picture.
Texas vs. Tennessee highlights the schedule
No. 1 Texas entered its matchup with No. 14 Tennessee as a road favorite.
CBS Sports listed Texas as a 3.5-point favorite in its expert analysis, while another CBS Sports odds update later listed the Longhorns at 5.5 points in the market. That difference illustrates how quickly college football betting lines can move.
The game also attracted attention because it marked Texas quarterback Arch Manning’s first visit to Tennessee’s Neyland Stadium.
Manning faced an important challenge against a Tennessee defense that had performed well against the pass. CBS Sports analysts identified the quarterback matchup as one of the central factors in the game.
Tennessee freshman quarterback Faizon Brandon also entered the matchup under a national spotlight.
CBS Sports experts Brad Crawford and Chris Hummer both selected Texas against the spread in their earlier analysis, with each projecting a relatively close Longhorns victory. Those selections were expert opinions published by CBS Sports, not guarantees of the result.
The matchup therefore offered two separate storylines: Texas trying to maintain its No. 1 ranking and Tennessee attempting to use home-field advantage against one of the nation’s highest-ranked teams.
Oregon vs. USC brings another major test
Another featured matchup sends No. 20 Oregon to Los Angeles to face No. 12 USC.
The market had Oregon favored by roughly a field goal around the time of the CBS Sports coverage, although the exact spread varied as sportsbooks adjusted their numbers. CBS Sports’ experts leaned toward Oregon in their analysis.
The Ducks entered the contest with questions following a surprising loss to Oklahoma State earlier in the season.
USC, meanwhile, remained highly ranked but had defensive concerns after allowing Rutgers to move the football effectively in Week 3. CBS Sports highlighted that defensive performance as an important consideration when examining the matchup.
The game also featured two prominent quarterbacks in Dante Moore and USC’s Jayden Maiava.
Because both teams have significant offensive ability, the matchup carried one of the higher projected totals among the major Week 4 games. CBS Sports listed an over/under in the low 60s in its Week 4 betting coverage.
Texas A&M vs. LSU has major SEC implications
The meeting between No. 23 Texas A&M and No. 10 LSU was another major focus of the college football Week 4 picks discussion.
LSU entered as a substantial home favorite, with CBS Sports reporting a spread of 8.5 points and a total of 51.5 points in its September 26 coverage.
The matchup carried added importance because both teams had already suffered setbacks.
CBS Sports noted that LSU was coming off a loss to Ole Miss, while Texas A&M had fallen to Kentucky. That left both programs facing pressure to avoid another early-season defeat.
CBS Sports’ SportsLine model projected LSU to win 27-26 while giving Texas A&M a significant chance to stay within the spread in its simulations. The model’s analysis was one of several different perspectives published by CBS Sports for the game.
Earlier CBS Sports expert analysis also focused heavily on the spread, with both analysts discussing Texas A&M as a potential side against the points.
The result could be especially meaningful for the SEC standings because both programs were attempting to recover from early conference losses.
Iowa vs. Michigan could become a defensive battle
The Big Ten matchup between No. 17 Iowa and No. 18 Michigan presented a completely different type of game.
CBS Sports described the contest as a potential defensive battle, with both teams entering among the nation’s stronger defenses. The market total was listed around 38.5 points in the latest CBS Sports odds coverage.
Michigan was listed as a home favorite.
CBS Sports experts disagreed somewhat on the final outcome while still focusing heavily on Iowa’s ability to remain competitive. One analyst projected Michigan to win narrowly, while another selected Iowa outright.
The contrasting analysis demonstrates why spread-based predictions can vary even when analysts agree about the strengths of the teams.
Iowa’s defense was a major part of the argument. Michigan, meanwhile, had more offensive playmakers but needed to demonstrate greater consistency against a disciplined opponent.
The low projected total reflected expectations for a game dominated by field position, defense and limited scoring opportunities.
Ole Miss travels to Florida
No. 4 Ole Miss also faced a significant road test against No. 21 Florida.
Ole Miss entered Week 4 undefeated and had moved up to No. 4 in the AP Top 25 after beating LSU 32-24. Florida had also entered the rankings at No. 21.
The Rebels were listed as a road underdog in CBS Sports’ Week 4 coverage.
The matchup was notable because Ole Miss had already faced a ranked opponent and now had to travel for another difficult SEC game.
Florida, meanwhile, was playing at home with an opportunity to make a statement against one of the nation’s top-ranked teams.
CBS Sports’ analysis highlighted Florida’s strong early-season trajectory under first-year coach Jon Sumrall and treated the matchup as another major test for Ole Miss.
Wisconsin vs. Penn State adds another Big Ten test
The Week 4 schedule also included Wisconsin at Penn State.
CBS Sports listed Penn State as a home favorite and gave its analysts different perspectives on the matchup. One analyst favored Wisconsin to stay within the spread, while another backed Penn State to win by a larger margin.
Penn State had entered the season with significant expectations but had not faced the same level of opposition through the opening weeks.
Wisconsin presented a more substantial test.
The game therefore provided an opportunity to evaluate whether Penn State’s early success could translate against a stronger Big Ten opponent.
Other notable Week 4 college football lines
The major ranked matchups were not the only games attracting attention.
CBS Sports’ Week 4 odds coverage listed a large number of notable lines across Saturday’s schedule. Among them were Oklahoma at Georgia, South Carolina at Alabama, Colorado at Baylor, Illinois at Ohio State and Notre Dame at Purdue.
Some of the reported lines included:
- Texas at Tennessee: Texas favored
- Oklahoma at Georgia: Georgia favored by double digits
- Ole Miss at Florida: Florida favored by several points
- Iowa at Michigan: Michigan favored
- South Carolina at Alabama: Alabama favored
- Texas A&M at LSU: LSU favored
- Oregon at USC: Oregon favored
- Colorado at Baylor: Baylor favored
- Illinois at Ohio State: Ohio State heavily favored
These figures were snapshots rather than permanent numbers. Sportsbooks can adjust spreads and totals based on injuries, betting activity, weather and other factors.
CBS Sports experts offer different approaches
One of the most interesting parts of the Week 4 coverage is that CBS Sports analysts did not always agree.
For example, the Iowa-Michigan game generated different opinions about whether Iowa could win outright or simply keep the game close.
The Oregon-USC matchup also featured a relatively narrow spread, leaving room for analysts to interpret the teams’ strengths differently.
That disagreement is useful context when reading college football Week 4 picks.
A prediction is an assessment made before a game. It is not a guaranteed outcome.
CBS Sports also published SportsLine model-based coverage, which used computer simulations to generate projections. One CBS Sports report said the model simulated each FBS game 10,000 times and produced selections based on those simulations.
The model’s projections and the human analysts’ opinions should therefore be understood as separate forms of pregame analysis.
Why Week 4 matters for the College Football Playoff picture
The early season can change quickly.
A team ranked near the top of the AP Top 25 can strengthen its position with a major road win, while another highly ranked team can quickly lose ground after a conference defeat.
That makes Week 4 especially important because several games involve ranked opponents.
Texas and Tennessee, Oregon and USC, Iowa and Michigan, Ole Miss and Florida, and Texas A&M and LSU all featured teams with significant postseason ambitions.
The SEC is particularly prominent.
The conference entered Week 4 with 10 teams in the AP Top 25, matching the record for the most ranked SEC teams in a single poll. Texas remained No. 1, Georgia No. 2, Ole Miss No. 4, Alabama No. 8 and LSU No. 10.
With so many ranked teams playing one another, conference losses can have an immediate effect on the national picture.
Odds can change before kickoff
Readers following the college football Week 4 picks should also pay attention to the timing of the odds.
CBS Sports’ different reports published during the week showed that several spreads moved.
Texas, for example, appeared at different numbers against Tennessee depending on when the odds were recorded. Oregon’s spread against USC also moved during the week.
That is normal in sports betting markets.
A line published earlier in the week may not match the number available immediately before kickoff.
For that reason, published picks should always be considered alongside the timestamp and source of the odds.
A packed Saturday puts the spotlight on college football
Week 4 represents one of the first major Saturdays of the 2026 season.
Six ranked-versus-ranked games provide a rare concentration of high-profile matchups, while conference races are beginning to take shape.
Texas-Tennessee offers a national spotlight for Arch Manning and two highly ranked programs.
Oregon-USC features two teams with major postseason expectations and contrasting questions entering conference play.
Texas A&M-LSU brings two SEC programs together after early losses.
Iowa-Michigan offers a defensive matchup in the Big Ten.
Ole Miss-Florida gives the undefeated Rebels another difficult SEC road test.
And Wisconsin-Penn State provides another opportunity to measure a highly regarded Big Ten team against stronger opposition.
The CBS Sports college football Week 4 picks provide one set of expert perspectives on those games, while the published odds offer another snapshot of how the market viewed each matchup before kickoff.
Ultimately, the games themselves will provide the definitive answers.
Source: CBS Sports, September 26, 2026. Odds and lines referenced above are time-sensitive and subject to change. The article summarizes and attributes CBS Sports’ published analysis rather than presenting independent betting recommendations.
