My college football favorites haven’t been as hot as my underdogs, but they’ve still been good enough to shout from the mountaintops.
In college football, giving up a decent amount of points is a strategy that I must abide by. I hate giving them up, but in college and progressively in the NFL, that’s necessary.
Here’s my three best week 4 college football favorites that will cover the spread.
Favorite: 6-3 ATS
Overall: 15-3 ATS
Michigan (-10) at Purdue
I told you Purdue was better than you thought. That’s why I picked them to cover that ridiculous spread last week at Missouri, when they dismantled the Tigers.
The offense is improved and the defense has looked pretty good during the last two weeks. Now, though, they have to play a team on a different talent tier, which will spell doom.
The Wolverines’ defense is not going to allow much breathing room for this revamped Purdue offense. I credit Purdue head coach Jeff Brohm with that new approach to offense, but it won’t work against the Wolverines.
Michigan has looked terrible in the last two weeks, but the opening week of the Big 10 season is a different beast. The Wolverines will be athletic and fast on defense, frustrating a Boilermaker team that hasn’t faced a capable defense yet this season. This stays close through halftime, but the Wolverines will pull away in the second half. — Go Chalk with Michigan
Alabama (-19.5) at Vanderbilt
This is another game that in the preseason, if the spread was within four touchdowns, you would be booking the favorite.
I get great value with an Alabama team that will return three starters on defense against an offense that can’t score. I really only have to get four touchdowns out of the Crimson Tide to feel comfortable about covering this spread, which is doable.
The offense has actually been better in some cases than the defense. That creates trouble for a Vanderbilt team coming off a nice win against Kansas State in week 3.
The Commodores can’t score, so I just don’t see them getting out of single digits in this one. The Crimson Tide won’t overlook Vanderbilt and will pull away in the second half. — Go Chalk with Alabama
Florida (-3) at Kentucky
Everyone is falling in love with some of these previously underwhelming SEC teams. This week will establish that those teams still can’t make the grade.
The Wildcats had a nice win against a South Carolina team that I still expect to be an SEC East contender. To ask Kentucky for two straight solid efforts is still too much to ask.
It’s not that long ago that Kentucky barely beat Eastern Kentucky and Southern Mississippi. Florida’s offense finally started to get some rhythm in the second half against Tennessee, so I’m interested to see how that translates to this game.
The Wildcats have only scored two offensive touchdowns in the past two games. Florida’s defense is even better than the ones they’ve seen this year. I love only having to give up three points in this game. — Go Chalk with Florida
