Had it not been for an incredible backdoor cover by Nebraska, last week could have been worse for Against The Chalk.

The number still only yielded one win against the spread, but we’re back for week 4, and we’re learning more about what teams should succeed, and which ones will fail.

Here’s our week 4 Lockness Monsters in college football.

Last Week: 1-3-1 ATS

Season: 4-10-1 ATS

Oklahoma State will look to get over seven wins this season. Flickr/http://bit.ly/1HPbehz
Oklahoma State will look to get over seven wins this season. Flickr/http://bit.ly/1HPbehz

Oklahoma State (-3.5) at Texas

It’s time for Oklahoma State to show the nation what we already believe it will be for this season.

The Cowboys stumbled out of the gate, beating Central Michigan and Central Arkansas by 35 combined points. Last week, Oklahoma State smoked Texas-San Antonio, and scored 69 points.

Now, Oklahoma State will attempt to keep the offensive ball rolling against the Longhorns, which hasn’t done much on the defensive side of the ball. The Longhorns are ranked 118th in total defense and if quarterback Mason Rudolph can continue to run this offense efficiently, it should have no problem moving the ball at will on Saturday.

Sure, many experts believe Texas has found its quarterback in Jarrod Heard. But let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves. This isn’t California’s defense and the Cowboys should fare better against the Longhorns offense. Give away the points and take the Cowboys. — Go chalk with Oklahoma State

San Diego State at Penn State (-15.5)

We’re not too hyped up about Penn State. But this week is just too good to pass up.

After a rocky start, the Nittany Lions have showed a better ability recently of moving the ball and stopping the opposition. This game sets up nicely for Penn State, with San Diego State coming off a bad loss to South Alabama, and having to cross the country to square off against Penn State.

The Aztecs aren’t the same team that recently fared well in the Mountain West Conference and against power-five conference teams. This team has been unable to muster much scoring throughout the season. Penn State will stop the Aztecs consistently and it will do enough offensively to win by more than two touchdowns. — Go chalk with Penn State

California will have a difficult schedule to navigate through to get over five wins. Flickr/http://bit.ly/1evrZn8
California will have a difficult schedule to navigate through to get over five wins. Flickr/http://bit.ly/1evrZn8

California (-2.5) at Washington

Call us a fan-boy, but we’re liking the favorites this week in college football.

California’s offense is special. The Golden Bears can beat teams in multiple ways on the offensive side of the ball and they have proven that for the past two seasons. The Huskies have shown some fight this season, going 3-0 against the spread, and winning two of three games.

The Golden Bears are traveling on the road for two consecutive weeks, but the talent is better in California. The Huskies won’t be able to keep up with California, so as long as the Golden Bears can play just a little defense, they should defeat the Huskies. — Go chalk with California

Utah (+11) at Oregon

We figure we have to put an underdog in this at least once.

The Utes will take a four-year starter in Travis Wilson to Eugene, Oregon, to see if they can compete against Oregon. As mentioned earlier this week, usually when Oregon is only a two-touchdown favorite, the betting public favors the Ducks. However, in this game, the betting public is favoring the Utes heavy, swinging the spread by three points.

We’re with the public. The Ducks can’t stop anyone and Utah should play enough defense to at least slow down Oregon when it has the ball.

It’s not often we say to take the opposition on the road as less than two-touchdown underdogs against Oregon. But this isn’t the same Ducks team that we’ve seen in the past. — Go against the chalk with Utah

Don't be afraid to load up on the over with Kentucky this year. Flickr/http://bit.ly/1TvoOuB/Eleanor Hasken
Don’t be afraid to load up on the over with Kentucky this year. Flickr/http://bit.ly/1TvoOuB/Eleanor Hasken

Missouri at Kentucky (-3)

Missouri is undefeated. But it’s hard to be happy about the season so far.

The Tigers are defeating bad teams by a small margin. That’s not a good look heading into Saturday’s matchup with Kentucky. The Wildcats are battle-tested, with a win at South Carolina and a close game against Florida.

There were some major problems offensively for the Wildcats last week, but Missouri shouldn’t be near as good as the Gators. We like a team that has challenged itself and the Wildcats have done just that in the first few weeks.

The Tigers have not. This game will be won by the Wildcats, and it may not be within single digits. — Go chalk with Kentucky

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