Caleb Wilfinger
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Week 3 was a wild one in college football, as we saw more upsets, nail-biting thrillers and stunning finishes throughout the weekend. This week’s slate promises to be no different.
We have a full slate of games on Saturday, including a number of intriguing contests. Arkansas takes on Texas A&M, Florida will battle with Tennessee and USC squares off against Oregon State — just to name a few. In addition to the marquee matchups, you will also find value on a few games that are off the beaten path.
Let’s look at the three components of our mega parlay for Saturday’s action.
Kansas State +12.5 (-105)
Charlotte +23.5 (-110)
Arizona ML (+140)
Parlay odds: +794
Odds available at DraftKings Sportsbook at time of publishing.
For this parlay, we are going with two underdogs against the spread and one underdog on the money line. Let’s break down each of these legs one by one.
Get our college football picks for all of the big Week 4 matchups
Kansas State +13.5 (-105) vs Oklahoma
And even after falling to Tulane last weekend, there is still lots to like about Kansas State. The Wildcats demolished their opponents in the trenches over the first few weeks, controlling the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. Kansas State’s front 7 put relentless pressure on the opposing quarterbacks, while the Wildcats’ secondary is rated as one of the best units in the nation thus far. The opponent also plays a big factor as to why I like Kansas State to keep things close here. The biggest nemesis for Oklahoma in recent years has been Kansas State. In fact, the Wildcats have covered the spread in 4 of their last 5 meetings against the Sooners. Kansas State picked up 2 outright wins in that span, including a victory in Norman back in 2020. The Wildcats’ loss a week ago presents a great “buy low” spot, and I intend to take advantage of it.
Oklahoma was firing on all cylinders in its win over an incompetent Nebraska team a week ago. This followed up 30-plus point wins over Kent State and UTEP respectively to open the season. However, none of the Sooners’ previous opponents possessed a defense anywhere near the caliber of Kansas State. Therefore, while Oklahoma looks to be reinvigorated under Brent Venables, I’m still expecting this team to have a few hiccups in Big 12 play. It’s fair to expect yet another close encounter between these programs, so I’ll gladly take the nearly 2 touchdowns with Kansas State.
Read our full Kansas State vs Oklahoma predictions
Charlotte +23.5 (-110) vs South Carolina
Senior quarterback Chris Reynolds is back for Charlotte, and there may not be a player more valuable to his team in the Sun Belt. Without Reynolds at the helm of the offense, the 49ers looked hapless in blowout losses to Maryland and William & Mary. However, his return reignited the offense en route to a victory over Georgia State as a heavy underdog a week ago. Despite that result, it appears that the books haven’t caught up with how essential Reynolds is to this team.
The 49ers will be playing against a South Carolina defense that has been absolutely decimated by injuries in September. The Gamecocks could potentially be without as many as 8 starters this weekend. Half of those injuries are in the secondary, which could be a major issue against Reynolds and the 49ers passing attack. Make no mistake about it, South Carolina should still be able to score at will in this matchup. After all, this is a Charlotte defense that has allowed 40-plus points in each of its 4 games this season. However, I’m not sure the Gamecocks will have enough in their secondary to prevent Charlotte from putting up points. With this number exceeding 3 touchdowns, the back door will surely be open for Reynolds and the 49ers.
Read our full Charlotte vs South Carolina predictions
Arizona ML (+140) over California
To close out our mega parlay we’re going with Arizona on the money line. The Wildcats feel a tad undervalued considering they’ve looked awfully impressive in their 2 wins this season. The biggest reason for Arizona’s success has been the QB-wide receiver duo of Jayden de Laura and Jacob Cowing. Cowing has already tallied 5 touchdowns this season, while averaging 12 yards per reception. The experienced wideout is leading an offense that is responding well to head coach Jedd Fisch. The much-improved Wildcat defense has had trouble with penalties and mistakes. However, they’ve stepped up when needed, ranking 18th in the country in passing yards allowed.
While Arizona’s turnaround has been impressive, the same can be said for the Golden Bears. California beat a solid UNLV team in Week 2 before narrowly losing at Notre Dame last Saturday. This California offense is pretty balanced, as both quarterback Jack Plummer and running back Jaydn Ott have contributed greatly to their teams’ success. However, they might not be able to keep up with the Wildcats in a track meet. Seeing as the Golden Bears don’t have much of a home field advantage, this game should be priced closer to a pick ’em. For that reason, I like backing the more explosive offense and I’ll take Arizona to win outright.
Be sure to get our college football Week 4 best bets – we’ve gone 3-0 the past 2 weeks!
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