When betting on college football, and on sports in general, not every bet is going to feel great upon placing it. Sometimes, the team with more value is the team that may not have a great quarterback or has a losing record on the season. But just because it might be a bolder bet against the spread, it doesn't necessarily mean it has a lower chance of hitting.
So let's highlight five of the boldest spread bets you can make for Week 4 of the college football season with odds via FanDuel Sportsbook.
Oklahoma State -12.5 vs. Tulsa (Friday, 7:30 p.m. ET)
It's already a tough pill to swallow to back a team whose last game was a 69-3 loss, but for that same team to win by at least 13 points? Now that's bold. Oklahoma State's 69-3 defeat to Oregon raised the temperature considerably on Mike Gundy's hot seat, as the Cowboys have lost 10 straight games against FBS competition.
Their last FBS win came against Tulsa on Sept. 14 of last season, but that was a Tulsa squad with a different coaching staff. Kevin Wilson was fired in the middle of his second season after going 3-8, with Wilson finishing his Tulsa career with a 7-16 mark. First-year head coach Tre Lamb has a chance to make a big statement in this all-Oklahoma matchup and players on last year's team will be especially eager to do so after that 45-10 shellacking by Oklahoma State in 2024.
UAB +39.5 at Tennessee (Saturday, 12:45 p.m. ET)
UAB made Week 3's bold bets when the Blazers were laying 11.5 points against Akron in a battle between arguably the worst defense and worst offense in college football. UAB edged Akron 31-28, but keep in mind this is an Akron team that did not score a single point before exploding for 28. UAB has also allowed 42 points to FCS program Alabama State and 38 points to Navy this campaign.
So how will UAB's sieve of a defense fare against Tennessee? Yes, a Volunteers squad that put up 41 against Georgia this past weekend and 72 points against East Tennessee State in Week 2. Sure, 39.5 points is a lot of points, but backing that UAB defense at Neyland Stadium isn't for the weak.
North Carolina +6.5 at UCF (Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET)
In North Carolina's only battle against a fellow Power 4 opponent this season, the Tar Heels got run off the field in a 48-14 beatdown by TCU. Bill Belichick's squad has responded with a 20-3 win over Charlotte and a 41-6 victory over Richmond, but the Tar Heels are once again stepping up in weight class with a road battle against UCF.
UCF doesn't have the most convincing 2-0 record after squeaking by Jacksonville State 17-10 and cruising 68-7 against FCS squad North Carolina A&T. But it's tough to trust North Carolina at under a touchdown here after how terrible that Week 1 performance was. Are you buying the Tar Heels' improvement after their solid performances against weaker competition?
Florida +7.5 at Miami (Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET)
Florida +7.5 isn't necessarily as bold as other plays in this article, but it's still a single-digit spread for an unranked road team going up against the No. 4 squad in the country. The Gators have scored a grand total of two touchdowns in their two games against FBS competition, which ended up being losses to South Florida and LSU.
Florida's defense has certainly held up its end of the bargain, but DJ Lagway has been a big disappointment. In those South Florida and LSU games, he's thrown six interceptions (with five coming against LSU) versus only two touchdown passes. Miami quarterback Carson Beck is the current Heisman betting favorite for a Hurricanes offense that's looked sharp, so it may not be the easiest to back Lagway and Co. in this road affair.
Texas -41.5 vs. Sam Houston State (Saturday, 8 p.m. ET)
It's been an ugly start for preseason Heisman favorite Arch Manning. He completed just 11-of-24 passes for 114 yards in last week's win over UTEP. His throwing mechanics have been getting criticized all over social media. And now you need that Texas team to score at least 42 points in order to have a chance at covering this spread?
Texas hasn't scored more than 38 points in a game all season. The Longhorns put up just seven points against Ohio State, followed by 38 vs. San Jose State and 27 against UTEP. The offense appears broken, and for as talented as the roster is, it feels tricky to cover this big of a spread when your quarterback is having trouble throwing the ball.
