Ricky Dimon
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Week 4 in the 2021 college football season is ready to get going and a pair of all-Top 25 showdowns will be on display: Notre Dame vs Wisconsin and Texas A&M vs Arkansas. While the Aggies and Razorbacks squaring off at AT&T Stadium in Dallas is arguably the headliner, there are plenty of other conference rivalry games that are worth watching. One such contest pits Kansas State against Oklahoma State, and that is one of our best underdog bets for this weekend’s slate.
Let’s take a look at all three.
Western Kentucky Hilltoppers +9.5 over Indiana Hoosiers
It has not been an impressive start to the season for Indiana. Michael Penix Jr. has clearly regressed from his breakout season a year ago and the running game has been inconsistent, so the magic from 2020 seems to be fading fast at this point. Now head coach Tom Allen’s bunch heads to upstart Western Kentucky on Saturday. The Hilltoppers are led by Bailey Zappe, who has done nothing but put up video-game kind of numbers through their first 2 games. As a team, Western Kentucky leads the nation in passing yards and is 12th in total offense. As long as the Hilltoppers can generate at least a couple of defensive stops and/or force Penix into a bad throw or two, Indiana could be in some trouble.
Situationally this game is a disaster for the Hoosiers. They are coming off a crushing home loss to Cincinnati in a major spotlight game and the Hoosiers have a huge early-season Big Ten game on the horizon against Penn State the following week. Meanwhile, Western Kentucky is fresh off a bye week with plenty of time to prepare for its biggest non-conference game on the schedule.
Be sure to check out our full game preview for Indiana Hoosiers vs Western Kentucky Hilltoppers
Kansas State Wildcats +6 over Oklahoma State Cowboys
Both Kansas State and Oklahoma State are 3-0 while relying heavily on their defenses. From an offensive standpoint, the Wildcats have definitely looked better than the Cowboys. KSU is currently ranked 19th in the nation in rushing offense with 226 yards per game. It has been due to Deuce Vaughn, as the sophomore running back has already compiled 400 total yards from scrimmage and 5 touchdowns. For Oklahoma State, starting quarterback Spencer Sanders sat out the first game due to Covid-19 and hasn’t looked very good since returning.
This one shapes up to be an extremely competitive game that may go down to the wire. Neither squad has played flawless football in any game this season, but they have both done enough to come out victorious on each occasion. The Cowboys are 2-7 ATS in their last 9 regular-season games and they have also failed to cover in their previous 5 at home. The Wildcats, on the other hand, are 8-4 ATS in their last 12 games overall and 7-3 ATS in their last 10 on the road.
Be sure to check out our full game preview for Kansas State Wildcats vs Oklahoma State Cowboys
Colorado Buffaloes +14.5 over Arizona State Sun Devils
On the heels of respective disappointing losses last weekend, both Colorado and Arizona State will be eager to deliver bounce-back performances. While the Buffaloes looked completely outmatched against Minnesota, they did play well in Boulder in Week 2 against Texas A&M, almost upsetting the fifth-ranked team at the time. Similarly, the Sun Devils are coming off a tough loss against BYU in which their offense scored only 17 points.
Based on both teams’ performances in their first 3 games of the season, this matchup will likely be a defensive battle. The Buffaloes are allowing just 15.0 ppg, while the Sun Devils are giving up only 17.0 ppg. With both defenses playing with confidence, it is hard to imagine either team jumping out to a big lead or even building one at any point during the contest. Arizona State is 0-3 ATS overall this season and 2-4 ATS in its last 6 against Colorado.
Be sure to check out our full game preview for Colorado Buffaloes vs Arizona State Sun Devils
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