College football picks for Week 4 games from ESPN's College GameDay

College football returns to action today as an active Week 4 schedule gets underway, and the gang on ESPN’s College GameDay have locked in their predictions for the top games.

Texas Tech and Utah meet today in a battle of undefeated, ranked conference rivals, both playing some explosive football, but neither having faced off against an opponent of their respective caliber yet, making this game a key testing ground for both teams.

The winner is expected to emerge as the favorite in the Big 12 Championship picture, albeit with a lot more football left to be played, but gaining a decisive early advantage in what should be college football’s most competitive conference title race.

Key games in the SEC and Big Ten will play a similar role for those respective conferences.

No. 11 Oklahoma returns home to square off against No. 22 Auburn as quarterback Jackson Arnold makes a homecoming to Norman against a Sooners defense that will make it as difficult as possible for him.

Nebraska, undefeated but still unranked, welcomes one-loss, No. 21 Michigan in a Big Ten clash that could prove to be the Cornhuskers’ re-emergence on the national stage, or another reminder that this program remains stuck in neutral in its rebuilding project.

Illinois and Indiana face off in primetime in a battle of undefeated Big Ten rivals that haven’t played on the same field as ranked opponents since 1950, and could end up playing the first game between them that will affect the conference title picture since 1910.

Is this the end for Billy Napier? The embattled Florida head coach is riding a two-game losing skid and now heads into the lion’s den once again opposite No. 4 Miami, the early favorite to win the ACC and make the playoff behind a potent offense led by Carson Beck, the former Georgia quarterback who has experience beating the Gators.

As for the biggest games on college football’s Week 4 slate, what can we expect this weekend?

Let’s turn to the guys from ESPN’s College GameDay to get a look at their final predictions for college football’s most consequential games today.

College football Week 4 predictions

Syracuse at Clemson: College GameDay is going with the Orange against the spread over Clemson to cover the over two-touchdown spread, while Kirk Herbstreit expects a big win for the Tigers.

South Carolina at Missouri: Nick Saban picked Mizzou to avoid the upset in this SEC opener, while Pat McAfee, Kirk Herbstreit, and Desmond Howard expect the Gamecocks to come away with a statement win.

Kent State at Florida State: Howard predicted the Golden Flashes will stay within the 45.5 point spread while the others expect the Seminoles to roll and cover.

Auburn at Oklahoma: A critical SEC opener for these teams, with Desmond Howard projecting Auburn will pull out the big win on the road while the others expect the Sooners to preserve their perfect record.

Illinois at Indiana: Pat McAfee is siding with the Hoosiers to win their Big Ten debut in this battle of undefeated foes. These teams meet both ranked for the first time since 1950.

Texas Tech at Utah: A clean sweep for the Utes, who got all the votes from College GameDay’s hosts to hold off the Red Raiders and stay undefeated in this huge Big 12 clash.

Michigan at Nebraska: McAfee predicts the Cornhuskers will pull out the big win in this important moment for the program while the others are taking the Wolverines.

Florida at Miami: A unanimous vote for the Hurricanes over the reeling Gators to stay undefeated.