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We highlight the college football games of the week that are the most important or should be the best games to maximize your viewing pleasure.
College Football Games To Watch: Week 4
Every college football game is available if you know where to look. Which ones are worth seeking out? RotoBaller puts together the top 25 games to watch this week in college football and where to find them. With some on streaming services, it makes it a little more difficult. We can tell you which games are available on a streaming service to watch. Most of these games are on networks, but that doesn’t mean the best games are. ESPN owns 70% of everything and only has so many channels to show games on. All times are Eastern time.
25. Kent State at (7) Florida State
Where to find it: ACC Network, 3:30 p.m.
I was impressed by the fire Kent showed in nearly taking down Buffalo last week. The Flashes have no prayer in winning this game, but I want to see how they handle themselves against the big, bad Seminoles. This one is best kept for DVR viewing. Florida State is a heavy favorite (-44.5), but I kind of think Kent busts that spread.
24. California at San Diego State
Where to find it: CBS Sports Network, 10:30 p.m.
Here we have another Power 4 team hitting the road to a mid-major. San Diego State was good for many years, but they’ve been terrible for a couple of years. That didn’t change. The reason you’re watching this game is for the super freshman Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele. Cal is a heavy favorite (-12.5), but the Bears want Sagapolutele to get more comfortable. They’re going to leave him in, even if this does get out of hand.
23. James Madison at Liberty
Where to find it: ESPNU, 3:30 p.m.
This is an important game in the Sun Belt standings. James Madison is still the favorite, but the revolving door at quarterback cost the Dukes a chance to beat Louisville. Liberty lost Kaidon Salter to Colorado, but Coastal Carolina’s Ethan Vasko has taken over without a hitch. The CCU defense was demolished by Virginia. Vegas paid attention, as JMU is favored by 11.5 on the road. ESPN’s FPI agrees, with James Madison at 67.5% to win. Liberty has been very tough at home. The crowd could make it interesting.
22. Wyoming at Colorado
Where to find it: ESPN, 10:15 p.m.
Wyoming is one of the few teams that won’t be affected by altitude. They also have a tough defense. Given the way the Colorado offense has performed, the 13.5 points the Cowboys are getting seem like a good deal. If the Wyoming offense could get anything going, it would be dangerous. We’re seeing a massive contrast in styles on both sides of the ball, which makes for a hell of an interesting game.
21. West Virginia at Kansas
Where to find it: FS1, 6 p.m.
If you haven’t caught a game at the new David Booth Stadium, you should take a peek. The renovation isn’t yet complete, but I love what they’ve done with the place. West Virginia pulled a James Madison and cycled through quarterbacks to win the Backyard Brawl, but it was Tye Edwards who brought the house down. Now, West Virginia is leaving their house for a new palace in the middle of the Kansas wheat. Oh, and watching Jalon Daniels is never a bad thing.
20. North Carolina at Central Florida
Where to find it: FOX, 3:30 p.m.
This one could have all the makings of a train wreck. The prodigal son (Scott Frost…how weird is that?) returns to Central Florida after a disastrous stint at his alma mater that ended in 2022. The Knights have already looked much-improved. North Carolina turned to NFL legend Bill Belichick to pull their program back to relevance.
North Carolina didn’t look good against TCU. Central Florida hasn’t played anyone. This is an interesting matchup for that alone, especially since UFC is a massive favorite (83.2%) according to ESPN’s FPI, yet Vegas isn’t buying in. The home team is only favored by 6.5 points. You could see a lot of bettors hopping on this one if the line stays that low.
19. Michigan State at (25) USC
Where to find it: FOX, 11 p.m.
That’s right…it’s an 11 p.m. start time in East Lansing. That’s what expanding the Big Ten coast-to-coast has done. Since Michigan State isn’t as much of a brand right now, Fox pushes this back so the Arizona State/Baylor tilt can be shown in prime time. I hope the money is worth it!
On the field, we’ll have an interesting matchup. Aidan Chiles finally looks settled in for Michigan State as he showed with the double overtime win over Boston College in Week 2. USC also has its quarterback in UNLV transfer Jayden Maiava. Someone on X suggested that this be a rivalry game and that the trophy be a Trojan Horse. That would definitely be on my top 25 trophy list!
18. BYU at East Carolina
Where to find it: ESPN 2, 7:30 p.m.
Teams jumping time zones have had issues, especially early in the season. This game isn’t so bad since BYU is traveling east, but ECU is a tough team at home. True freshman Bear Bachmeier will make his first road start in this one. Vegas is accounting for that with the spread dropping to -6.5 for BYU. It opened at -8. ESPN’s FPI is less optimistic. It gives the Pirates a 28.4% chance to win at home.
17. Maryland at Wisconsin
Where to find it: NBC/Peacock, noon
True freshman Malik Washington has been electric so far for Maryland. Luke Fickell finds himself hot for a different reason. Once again, the Wisconsin coach is under fire for how the team has looked early on. Despite a new offensive coordinator (again), the Badgers still haven’t figured out how to successfully run the ball. Washington will be making his first road start in a place that is notoriously tough to play. If he goes into Camp Randall and wins, Luke Fickell may be checking out.
This line opened at -6.5 for the home team but has jumped to -10.5. ESPN’s FPI supports this, giving the Badgers a 69.1% chance of a win. I’m not as much of a believer in the Badgers. I’m watching for an upset here.
16. Oregon State at (6) Oregon
Where to find it: Big Ten Network, 3 p.m.
The Civil War has been played during Rivalry Week every year since 1981, before conference realignment last year pushed it to a non-conference tilt. There is still no love lost between the schools and fans. This rivalry has the distinction of playing for a trophy that is so ugly that the universities quit exchanging it (now it’s exchanged between fraternities). Sometimes the rivalry is just as ugly. The schools played to a scoreless tie in 1983, in what is considered the worst college football game in history by most people.
Unlike the Apple Cup, where the underdog usually puts up a fight, that isn’t always the case here. Oregon has won the last two games by a combined 80-21. We’ll watch the intro to this for the cool rundown of the series, but this game may not be close. Oregon is a 34.5-point favorite at home, with ESPN’s FPI giving the Beavers a 1.3% chance of pulling the upset.
15. Purdue at (24) Notre Dame
Where to find it: NBC/Peacock, 3:30 p.m.
The Battle for the Shillelagh has been played 86 times. This isn’t Notre Dame’s only Shillelagh Trophy game. They have the Jeweled Shillelagh with USC. They play Purdue for a plain old stick. Purdue showed some fight against USC, but Notre Dame’s offensive explosion in the loss to Texas A&M last week has this line skewed heavily towards the Irish (26.5). ESPN’s FPI gives Purdue a 7% chance. I don’t see a Purdue outright win, but the Boilermakers may be able to hang around for a while and make this interesting.
14. Syracuse at Clemson
Where to find it: ESPN, noon
Clemson is 1-2 for the first time since 2014 after a home loss to LSU and a road loss to Georgia Tech. They are both quality teams. Syracuse quarterback Steve Angeli (Notre Dame transfer) is the nation’s leading passer with 1,072 yards. Both Garrett Nussmeier and Haynes King were held in check by the Clemson defense, so I’m curious to see what he does here.
Cade Klubnik — who was considered a Heisman contender before the season started — has struggled in the early going. He only has 633 passing yards and has as many touchdowns as interceptions. Vegas favors Clemson by more than I thought they would (17.5), and ESPN’s FPI paints the same picture, giving Syracuse a slim 19.5% chance at an upset. The Syracuse defense struggled against Joey Aguilar, so this could be the game where Klubnik gets right.
13. North Texas at Army
Where to find it: CBS Sports Network, noon
This is an important early game in the American Conference. Army’s loss to Tarleton State caused the switch at quarterback to Cale Hellums, who proceeded to win his first career start on the road against Kansas State. North Texas notched a blowout win over Washington State last week, led by Drew Mestemaker’s four-touchdown performance. Both teams look to be contenders in the American this year. Army opened this line as a favorite but is now a 2.5-point home underdog. This game is a huge contrast in styles and should be a fun one to watch. ESPN’s FPI has this as a toss-up (50.9% for North Texas). If you’ve never watched an Army game, try this one. Their stadium is beautiful, right on the banks of the Hudson River.
12. Washington at Washington State
Where to find it: CBS/Paramount+, 7:30 p.m.
The Apple Cup is one of those games that used to be played during Rivalry Week but is now relegated to September because of conference realignment. Washington State took out its frustration of being left out of the Big Ten party by beating the Huskies in Seattle last year in John Mateer’s coming-out party. Mateer and offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle are now at Oklahoma, and the Cougars’ offense has suffered because of it. Meanwhile, the Huskies have a star in Demond Williams Jr.
On paper, Washington State shouldn’t have had a chance in Seattle last year, either. The Cougars are once again heavy underdogs (-20.5) despite playing at home. ESPN’s FPI is even less forgiving, giving the Huskies a dismal 6.6% chance at a win. Washington State was able to use the shunning by the Big Ten to light the fire to beat Washington last year. Can it happen again?
11. North Carolina State at Duke
Where to find it: ESPN2, 4 p.m.
Looking at the records, you may think they were transposed, considering where these teams were supposed to be at the start of the season. The Pack lost KC Concepcion to Texas A&M, while Duke brought in $7-million-dollar man Darian Mensah from Tulane. The Pack is off to a 3-0 start behind CJ Bailey and Hollywood Smothers. Duke finds themselves at 1-2 after losses to Illinois and Tulane. Vegas still likes Duke at home (-2.5), but ESPN’s FPI gives the Pack a 50.3% edge to win this. Regardless, it should be a great game.
10. Arizona State at Baylor
Where to find it: FOX, 7:30 p.m.
This game lost some luster with both teams losing to SEC teams during the non-conference schedule. However, the goal of a Big 12 (16) title is still within reach for both squads. Baylor’s Sawyer Robertson is among the early leaders for the Heisman Trophy, throwing for 1,070 yards and 10 touchdowns in the first three games. Arizona State WR Jordyn Tyson is flying up draft boards with 24 of Arizona State’s 50 receptions on the season. 314 of Sam Leavitt’s 527 passing yards and four of his five touchdowns have gone to Tyson.
Baylor is a 3.5-point home favorite in this one, with ESPN’s FPI giving Baylor a 53.7% chance at a victory. There should be points abound in Waco on Saturday as Baylor’s defense has allowed 86 points in its two FBS games this year. Arizona State will try to slow this down to keep Robertson off the field, but Baylor’s defense may not let them.
9. Florida at (4) Miami (FL)
Where to find it: ABC, 7:30 p.m.
The Battle for the Seminole War Canoe lost some luster when Florida discontinued the series in the late 1980s. This upset Miami so much that they put the War Canoe on permanent display at their athletic complex, refusing to exchange it in any future meetings. After Florida’s win in 2008, the Gators wrote a letter to Miami requesting that the Canoe be returned to the victors. Miami told them to pound sand, saying it was to be exchanged only for yearly rivalry meetings. Miami has won six of the eight meetings since the annual series was discontinued in 1987.
That may be the most interesting part about this game, with Florida losing on back-to-back weeks to South Florida and LSU. However, this is still a rivalry, and Florida is still a little torqued about 2008. The spread reflects that, dropping to -7.5 for the home team after opening at -10. ESPN’s FPI has Miami with a 75.2% chance to win, but you know rivalry games…they can get weird.
8. South Carolina at (23) Missouri
Where to find it: ESPN, 7 p.m.
The Mayor’s Cup lost a little luster with South Carolina losing at home to Vanderbilt last week, and LaNorris Sellers may end up missing this game. He was knocked out of the game with a concussion in the second quarter last week because of a helmet-to-helmet hit. The status of Sellers is going to significantly impact the watchability of this game. Backup Luke Doty was decent for the Gamecocks, but the offense stalled out and turned the ball over four times.
Missouri is the 2025 version of 2024 South Carolina. They created some buzz early in the season, then stormed through the SEC schedule to narrowly miss the playoffs. Missouri is off to a 3-0 start behind a powerful run game led by Louisiana-Monroe transfer Ahmad Hardy. Penn State transfer Beau Pribula has been outstanding for the Tigers as well. Early reports have Sellers hoping to play on Saturday, which has caused this line to fall under 10 (9.5) in favor of Missouri. ESPN’s FPI is heavier on the Tigers (80.2%)
7. Tulane at (13) Mississippi
Where to find it: ESPN, 3:30 p.m.
On paper, this may not look like much. However, Tulane was picked to be one of the better Group of 5 teams this year. They have already knocked off two Power 4 schools in Northwestern and Duke. Now the Green Wave takes the show on the road to Oxford. Mississippi’s defense struggled with Arkansas last week, and they may have a quarterback controversy brewing. Austin Simmons missed the game (but came in for a couple of plays when the starter went out). Replacement Trinidad Chambliss, who won a Division II National Championship at Fort Valley State last year, threw for 353 yards and a touchdown while scoring two more on the ground. Simmons threw four interceptions in the first two games.
We don’t have word of who is starting this game for the Rebels, but Vegas still heavily favors (-11.5) Ole Miss at home. The line is down a point, so there is some money coming in on Tulane. ESPN’s FPI has Mississippi with an 86.8% chance to win this. I feel like this could be a close game, so it’s going to be one of the ones I’m watching.
6. Arkansas at Memphis
Where to find it: ABC, noon
Memphis was the one Group of 5 team that made my preseason rankings. Arkansas just put a big scare into Mississippi. If you like offense, you’re going to love this one. The Hogs, led by star quarterback Taylen Green, have scored 149 points in the first three games of the season. Memphis isn’t far behind, scoring 111 points in three games. Both teams have dazzling quarterback play. That alone makes this game worth watching. Arkansas is a 7.5-point road favorite, but ESPN’s FPI gives Memphis a solid 40.3% chance at an upset. We saw some Power 4 teams struggle last week on the road against Go5 teams (like Virginia Tech getting blown out by Old Dominion). Will it happen here as well?
5. SMU at TCU
Where to find it: ESPN2, noon
The Battle for the Iron Skillet is always a hotly contested one. TCU dominated this series in the early part of this century, only losing twice between 2000-2018. SMU has won three of the last five, including two of those in Fort Worth. Three of those games were one-score games. Vegas expects the same this year. TCU is a 6.5-point favorite with ESPN’s FPI giving TCU a 67.4% chance at a win.
These teams have played 103 times. The Skillet used as the trophy is an actual skillet that some SMU fan was grilling frog legs in at a tailgate in the 1950s. A TCU fan took offense and bet the tailgater the skillet that TCU would win the game. They did, and the skillet has been exchanged every year since (except for 2020). The last time the teams didn’t play in a season before 2020 was in 1925.
4. (21) Michigan at Nebraska
Where to find it: CBS/Paramount+, 3:30 p.m.
Michigan has won four straight games against Nebraska, dating back to 2018. Nebraska fans are full of optimism in Matt Rhule’s third year. Nebraska tallied back-to-back 50-point wins for the first time since 2000 in Week 2 and Week 3. Michigan turned its prized freshman quarterback loose last week, as Bryce Underwood went for 349 total yards and three touchdowns against Central Michigan.
This promises to be a closer game. Michigan is a 2.5-point road favorite, while ESPN’s FPI gives Nebraska a slight edge at 50.3%. Both teams are strong defensively, as the 45.5 over/under suggests. Expect this to be an old-school running and defense game if you’re into that sort of thing. The kids these days call it a “rock fight.”
3. (17) Texas Tech at (16) Utah
Where to find it: FOX, noon
Behren Morton has been on fire for the Red Raiders so far this year, throwing for 923 yards and 11 touchdowns with just one interception in three games. Utah’s pipeline from a New Mexico team that went 5-7 (after projecting under three wins) in 2024 has revitalized this team. Devon Dampier is doing everything for this team. The winner will have an inside track to the Big 12 (16) title. Fans of both teams have engaged in some legendary trolling on X, trying to make this into a new rivalry for the new-look conference. The Utes opened as a 4.5-point favorite, but the line has already dropped to 3.5. ESPN’s FPI gives the Utes a 65% chance of a victory.
2. (22) Auburn at (11) Oklahoma
Where to find it: ABC, 3:30 p.m.
This one moves up the list a bit because of the story behind it. Auburn quarterback Jackson Arnold started his career in Norman, starting the 2023 Alamo Bowl for the Sooners and starting 10 games in 2024. Both teams are off to a 3-0 start after rough 2024 seasons. Oklahoma opens as a 6.5-point home favorite with ESPN’s FPI giving the Sooners a 65.3% chance at a victory. If Oklahoma wins, they could be back in the top 10 for the first time since November 4, 2023.
1. (9) Illinois at (19) Indiana
Where to find it: NBC/Peacock, 7:30 p.m.
This is the most important Indiana home game this century! Indiana and Illinois first played in 1899 and have played 73 times total. Not once have both teams been ranked at the time of the meeting. On top of that, this is the first time that Indiana has ever hosted a top 10 team while they are also ranked. It’s just the eighth time in school history that Indiana has hosted a ranked team while also ranked.
This is tougher than any regular-season game last year for the Hoosiers except for Ohio State. Illinois RB Aidan Laughery is slated to return to practice this week, so both teams should be at full strength. Indiana is a 5.5-point home favorite with ESPN’s FPI giving the Hoosiers a 62.8% chance of winning. Even though this would be an “upset” if Indiana wins, predictive metrics and Vegas both slightly favor the Hoosiers.
