Week 4 College Football Odds – Take Nevada Over BYU

With two underrated West Coast teams doing battle in the Week 4 college football odds, who should be your pick? The undefeated Nevada Wolfpack or the underrated BYU Cougars?

Nevada Wolfpack (3-0 SU, 2-1 ATS) at BYU Cougars (1-2 SU, 1-2 ATS)

Saturday, September 25: 6:00 p.m.

NCAA Betting Odds:
Nevada: -4
BYU: +4

If Nevada is to win this game, they’ll need to avoid a letdown after what was maybe their biggest win in school history last weekend.

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In their 52-31 victory over Cal last Friday night, just about everything that could go right did for Nevada. Their dominant offense was up to its usual tricks, with 497 yards of total offense, including 316 on the ground.

Speaking of that running game, that’s where all discussion on Nevada needs to start. There are few teams that run the ball better, as on the year, the Wolfpack rank fifth in the NCAA, averaging 302 yards per game.

Surprisingly their leading rusher isn’t a speedy running back, but instead quarterback Colin Kaepernick. Kaepernick is coming off a season where he rushed for over 1,000 yards last year, and is doing pretty much the same in 2010. He enters the Week 4 college football odds with 369 yards on the ground, and seven touchdowns, three against Cal last weekend. Vai Taua compliments Kaepernick, as he’s rushed for 320 yards and four touchdowns on the season. Taua is coming off back-to-back 100 yard rushing games.

If BYU is to even keep this game close over the weekend in Provo, they’ll need to not only play solid defense of their own, but start performing better on offense.

For a school that’s known for their offensive firepower dating back through history, the offense has been surprisingly stagnant in 2010. They rank just 100th in the sport in total offense (averaging 300 yards per game), and their 155 yards per game passing ranks 101st nationally. And things won’t be any easier coming into this game, as quarterback Riley Nelson is hurt and out for the year with an injury. That means this offense is solely in the hands of true freshman Jake Heaps, who’d been splitting snaps with Nelson. On the year, Heaps has completed just 50 percent of his passes.

When evaluating the Week 4 college football odds, it’d be easy to just look at BYU and assume that they’ll win this game. Instead make the smart play and take Nevada.

Playing in the WAC, Nevada might not get the national respect they deserve, but after last weekend’s win over Cal, they earned it. This is a team that still has some work to do on defense, but with an experienced offense, can put up points on anyone. It’s not an accident that they’ve score an average of 50.7 points per game, which ranks them third in the country.

As for BYU, they had to assume that after playing Florida State last week, their schedule would open up with the Wolfpack this week. However that’s anything but the case, as this will be their toughest test of a young season that’s already spinning out of control.

Nevada proved last weekend that they’re the real deal, and taking their first road trip of the year, they’ll prove the same this week. Take the Wolfpack getting four points on the road in the Week 4 College Football odds.

The Pick: Nevada -4