Best College Football Bets Today for Week 4 (Predictions for TCU-SMU, Illinois-Indiana, and More)

Iain MacMillan | Sep 20, 2025

TCU is a road favorite against SMU in College Football Week 4 action. / Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

It's time to find a spot on the couch and settle in for today's college football action. It may not be the biggest slate of the season with plenty of teams on BYE, but there are still some intriguing matchups and some great spots to bet.

In this article, I'm going to break down my best bets for today's slate.

Best College Football Bets Today

Odds via Caesars Sportsbook

• TCU -6.5 (-110) SMU
• Illinois +205 vs. Indiana
• Michigan State vs. USC OVER 55 (-115)

TCU vs. SMU Prediction

In this week's edition of First to Forde, I broke down why TCU is one of my best spread bets of the weekend:

TCU made quick work of UNC in Week 1 and then steamrolled Abilene Christian in Week 3. My bet on them this week doesn’t have to do with those two wins; it has to do with Josh Hoover, who I think is going to enter the Heisman Trophy conversation within the next few weeks. He has already racked up 621 passing yards for six touchdowns while completing 76.2% of his throws this season. Now, he gets to face an SMU secondary that has allowed 8.2 yards per throw this season, which ranks 98th in the country.

Pick: TCU -6.5 (-110)

Illinois vs. Indiana Prediction

Earlier this week, I wrote about three upset picks I'm betting on for Week 4. Illinois to take down Indiana was one of them:

Illinois is an interesting underdog pick if you want to bet on an upset this week. The Fighting Illini rank 13th in the country in adjusted EPA per play, while Indiana comes in at 20th. Neither team has had a tough schedule to start the year, but the Illinois 45-19 win against Duke was the most impressive of the bunch.

Pick: Illinois +205

Michigan State vs. USC Prediction

USC has looked unbelievable offensively to start the season. The Trojans are averaging 9.5 yards per play, which is 0.6 points more than the next-best college football team. They're also leading the country in points per game, averaging 55.0, which is exactly what the overall total in this game is. Michigan State has also been solid offensively, averaging 32.5 points per game. This has all the makings of a high-scoring affair, and late-night West Coast games are meant for OVER bets. Let's sit back and root for points in this one.

Pick: OVER 55 (-115)

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You can check out all of Iain's bets here!