College Football Best Bets & Predictions: Week 4 Early Games

Our best bets for Week 4 early games, including Syracuse vs. Clemson, Texas Tech vs. Utah, and SMU vs. TCU.

Jared Hochman - Content Operations Manager at Covers.com
Jared Hochman • Content Manager
Sep 20, 2025 • 10:01 ET • 3 min read
College football best bets early games Kevorian Barnes
Photo By - Imagn Images. TCU Horned Frogs running back Kevorian Barnes (2) scores a touchdown as safety Austin Jordan (1) celebrates.

The early slate for this week's college football schedule is dominated by the Big 12, with Texas Tech vs. Utah highlighting the noon ET kickoffs, along with TCU facing SMU in what should be a high-scoring matchup, plus Clemson trying to right the ship against Syracuse.

Covers' college football experts have a best bet for each of those games — read on for our college football picks and analysis! 

Game Time (ET)
Network
Best bet
Syracuse vs Clemson 12:00 | ESPN Syracuse +16.5
-105
Texas Tech vs Utah 12:00 | FOX 1H Under 28.5
-134
SMU vs TCU 12:00 | ESPN2 TCU TT o35.5
-114

CFB Week 4 preview with Andrew Caley and Douglas Farmer


Syracuse vs Clemson best bet

The Tigers have yet to cover in any of their three games this season. Cade Klubnik is only completing 59.1% of his passes and Clemson is averaging 5.5 yards per play, one of the lowest marks in the FBS. That’s not the profile of a team that will beat a conference rival by three scores — and for what it’s worth, we’ve seen the Orange play Clemson tight over the past decade, often as a significant underdog.

See our full analysis and Orange/Tigers SGP in our Syracuse vs. Clemson predictions.

Texas Tech vs Utah best bet

Getting out of bed early to do anything on a Saturday morning isn’t easy. Asking players to do that ahead of a 10 a.m. local kickoff is an even tougher ask — but that’s what Texas Tech and Utah are facing ahead of their game tomorrow. And that’s... going to lead to a bit of a sleepy start.

See our full analysis and Red Raiders/Utes SGP in our Texas Tech vs. Utah predictions.

SMU vs TCU best bet

TCU kicked off its season by racking up 48 points and 542 total yards in a 48-14 win on the road at UNC. The Horned Frogs followed that game up with 42 points after their bye week — while completely letting off in the 4th quarter. Meanwhile, the SMU defense struggled badly in its one game against a power conference team this season.

See our full analysis and Mustangs/Horned Frogs SGP in our SMU vs. TCU predictions.

Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change.
Not intended for use in MA.
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Jared Hochman Content Operations Manager at Covers.com
Content Manager

Before Jared Hochman joined the Covers team in 2020, he worked for newspaper outlets such as the Chronicle Herald and The Coast, worked in marketing for SkipTheDishes and Vivid Seats, and previously ran a magazine. A journalism graduate from the University of King's College in, Halifax, N.S., "Hoch" brings more than a decade of experience in sports betting, having worked as a freelance handicapper, making appearances on Monumental Sports Network and the Sharp 600 podcast, and now also filling in occasionally as host of Covers' NHL Puck Props. 

Awarded Covers' company MVP for 2023, Jared is an avid bettor of MLB, NFL, NHL, and NBA, while also wagering on some soccer and WNBA. His best advice for sports bettors? Price shop, which is something he does daily across 10 different sportsbook apps.

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