The best and worst situational betting spots for Week 4 in college football
Situational angles in college football present themselves on a weekly basis.
Hangovers, sandwich spots, travel, and letdown situations aren't the be-all and end-all when it comes to 'capping games, but they give you additional tools to help predict teams' performances beyond the traditional Xs and Os matchups - and in a market where every little edge counts, it's a must to keep them in your back pocket.
Here are some unique spots that teams find themselves in for Week 4.
Potential hangovers
TCU (at Texas)
Line: TCU -3.5
TCU is coming off a hard-fought loss against No. 4 Ohio State and will be laying some points on the road. Will Gary Patterson's team be ready?
At least the Horned Frogs don't have to travel far to take on in-state rival Texas, a team TCU's owned as of late with four straight wins. Texas might not officially be "back," but after a home win over USC, the Longhorns pose a threat.
Arizona State (at Washington)
Line: Washington -17
Remember when the Sun Devils made the hire of the millennium and were the sleepers of the Pac-12? That was a fun seven days. Throttling UTSA in Herm Edwards' debut and then beating Michigan State, only to lose on the road to San Diego State ... that's so Arizona State. I tried to warn you!
If you're Chris Petersen and the Huskies, you have to feel content with where you're at. Last week at Utah was a potential slip-up spot but Washington escaped with a 21-7 win. Running the Pac-12 table and nabbing a bid to the playoff starts Saturday against a team the Huskies lost to 13-7 last season.
Wisconsin (at Iowa)
Line: Wisconsin -3.5
There needs to be a "30 for 30" dedicated to road teams playing night games at Kinnick Stadium. The pink walls in the locker rooms? The crowd going bonkers as a run-first Iowa team connects on 12 flea-flickers in the first half to go up 45-0? I have more faith in an FCS or mid-major team walking out of a Kinnick night game with a win than a ranked opponent. Once Iowa sees that a team with a little number next to its name is coming to play under the lights, the Hawkeyes chug some magic elixir before the game and morph into Alabama. It's amazing.
Wisconsin lost at home to BYU last weekend! Talk about a look-ahead spot.
Potential letdowns
LSU (vs. Louisiana Tech)
Line: LSU -20.5
LSU did the one thing it had to do - create big plays through the air - to upset Auburn on the road as a 10.5-point underdog last weekend. That was the second big win of the season for LSU, which defeated Miami in the opener.
Week 4 could pose a couple of different challenges - it's a letdown spot and also a sandwich game between two SEC contests (Ole Miss awaits in Week 5).
The Tigers opened up as 21.5-point favorites over Louisiana Tech, but the number has since dipped to 20.5.
LSU doesn't exactly boast the kind of offense that can run away with games, so perhaps the Bulldogs of Louisiana Tech are the perfect opponents to overlook.
Syracuse (vs. UConn)
Line: Syracuse -27.5
Dino Babers and Syracuse continue to trip up big-name programs. A year after giving Clemson its only loss of the regular season, the Orange took down Florida State at home in Week 3 as 3-point underdogs.
I won't put this lightly: Florida State might have the worst Power 5 offense from the last three, maybe four decades. It wasn't as good a win for Syracuse as it was a terrible loss for the Seminoles.
Syracuse might have to operate under backup quarterback Tommy Devito after Eric Dungey left Saturday's game. That's just fine, seeing as UConn has given up 49 to Rhode Island, 62 to Boise State, and 56 to Central Florida. Still, giving 27.5 points to an opponent with Syracuse's defensive liabilities might be a bit too steep.
Ohio State (vs. Tulane)
Line: Ohio State -37
Ohio State scored 129 points in its first two home games combined, then went on the road against a tough TCU defense and hung up 40. Best of luck to Tulane on Saturday.
If there's anything working in the Green Wave's favor, it's Ohio State's situation - traveling back from Texas off a win against a ranked team, with a road game against Penn State in Week 5.
Might the Buckeyes sleepwalk in their first game with Urban Meyer back?
Travel spots
Nevada (at Toledo)
Line: Toledo -10
Nevada's been flying every which way to start the season.
The Wolf Pack started things off at home, flew out to Vanderbilt for an early kickoff, went back home to thin air in Week 3, and will now travel through more time zones to face Toledo for what would be a 9 a.m. PT kickoff against a Rockets team playing its third consecutive home game.
UMass (vs. Charlotte)
Line: UMass -9.5
Poor UMass probably forgot what home looked like.
After ripping up Duquesne in Week 0, the Minutemen traveled to Boston College, Georgia Southern, and Florida International for an 0-3 road trip. They finally return home to get a bottom-feeder from Conference USA as single-digit chalk.
Alex Kolodziej is theScore's betting writer. He's a graduate of Eastern Illinois who has been involved in the sports betting industry for 11 years. He can quote every line from "Rounders" and appreciates franchises that regularly wear alternate jerseys. Find him on Twitter @AlexKoIodziej.