From one of the craziest Hail Mary sequences we have ever seen, to Arch Manning finally getting his shot in the spotlight, and a couple of top 25 matchups that went down to the wire in incredible fashion, we had an exciting Week 4 in the NCAA. We have just four Top 25 games this week but man, are there some heavy hitters in this slate that will set the nation ablaze with hot takes for the impending College Football Playoff talks. Here’s our top 3 picks for 2024 College Football Week 4.
No. 2 Georgia vs No. 4 Alabama
I told you this slate wasn’t going to disappoint and when you see this game on the schedule, you pretty much stop whatever you are doing and get your butt to the TV. Alabama is hungry to prove that they can still win National Championships without Nick Saban, and this is their first true test of that in the Kalen DeBoer era. So far, so good for the Crimson Tide. They are 3-0 to begin the year, but I’m not going to sit here and act like Wisconsin and South Florida have been worthy opponents of the SEC beast that is Bama. Georgia is also 3-0 with wins over Clemson and Kentucky. But that dub over the Wildcats was a 13-12 victory and far closer than anyone in Athens would have liked. UGA’s defense is still elite, but can their offense hold up in what will be the best crowd we see in Tuscaloosa all season? I’m going bold here, give me the Tide and DeBoer’s first signature win in the crimson on Saturday. Prediction: Georgia 20 Alabama 24
Kentucky vs No. 6 Ole Miss
The Rebels offense is pretty much becoming can’t miss football and Lane Kiffin admitted as much when he said that he wants his games to be entertaining for the fans. He’s doing that in masterclass fashion. Their offense ranks first in points, yards, passing yards, and yards per play. So, they have basically hit on all the ones that get fans out of their seats. Kentucky will try to get them out of their seats for other reasons on Saturday. While the Wildcats are 2-2 this year, their loss to Georgia was eye-opening and labeled them as a team looking to ruin the seasons of SEC hopefuls that want their spot in the CFP. I am all in on Kentucky’s 6th ranked defense giving the Rebels some fits and making this one interesting. Prediction: Kentucky 24 Ole Miss 30
No. 19 Illinois vs No. 9 Penn State
Nothing like a couple of wild SEC games to set us up for a Big 10 showdown between a surprisingly good Illini team and the Nittany Lions. Illinois opened as a 17.5 underdog in this game, but I think it will be a whole lot closer than that. They have a defense that can give Penn State some trouble and slow them down after ranking 6th so far in total offensive yards to begin the season. On paper, there is no question that Penn State matches up a whole lot better, but this Nittany Lion team hasn’t faced anyone that impresses me so far. I think this is their first true test. I still think James Franklin and his team will come out of this with a win, but Illinois keeps it close. Prediction: Illinois 20 Penn State 22