Week 4 of the 2014 college football season is upon us. Here are some of the marquee matchups and the lines for the upcoming weekend of action, courtesy of JustBet. All NCAA football bettors and sports fans will get their fill of quality action this weekend as there are quite a few interesting matchups on tap.

#5 Auburn (-9) at #20 Kansas State 7:30 PM ESPN

The #20 ranked Kansas State wildcats will need to be at the top of their game when they host the #5 ranked Auburn Tigers. Kansas State has had 2 weeks to prepare, and they’ll need it as Auburn is averaging 330 yards per game on the ground.

Georgia Tech at Virginia Tech  (-8) 12:00 PM ESPN

Virginia Tech was riding high after their upset win at Ohio State. They came back down to earth last weekend after a 28-21 upset loss to East Carolina. The Virginia Tech defense will now have to focus as they have the triple option attack of Georgia Tech to deal with.

Florida at #3 Alabama (-14) 3:30 PM CBS

The Florida Gators head to Tuscaloosa to take on the #3 ranked Alabama Crimson Tide. Florida escaped with a 36-30 win in triple overtime. The Crimson Tide has taken care of business since being tested by West Virginia in week 1, winning their last 2 games by a combined score of 93-10.

Virginia at #21 BYU (-15) 3:30 PM ESPN

The Virginia Cavaliers, fresh off their upset win of Louisville, will head to Provo, Utah to take on Taysom Hill and the #20 ranked BYU Cougars. This game will feature two of the better defensive units in the nation.

Jameis Winston passed for 444 yards and 3 touchdowns in a 51-14 win at Clemson last season

Mississippi State at #8 LSU 7:00 PM ESPN

The Mississippi State Bulldogs will have upset on their mind when they take on LSU from Baton Rouge, LA. LSU’s defense has not given up a score since their win against Wisconsin, and will look to replicate the 59-26 drubbing that they dealt the Bulldogs last year.

#4 Oklahoma (-7) at West Virginia 7:30 PM FOX

In what should be one of the better games of the weekend, the #4 ranked Oklahoma Sooners head to Morgantown to take on the improved West Virginia Mountaineers. It should be a stiff road test for the Sooners, as they will be in a hostile environment. Oklahoma won last year’s meeting 16-7, in Norman.

#22 Clemson at #1 Florida State  (-20) 8:00 PM ABC

Last year the Florida State Seminoles put the rest of college football on notice as they dominated Clemson on the Tigers’ home turf 51-14. The Tigers will need a better effort than what they showed in week 1, or it could result in the same outcome in Tallahassee.

Miami (FL) at #24 Nebraska (-7) 8:00 PM ESPN

The Nebraska Cornhuskers have been somewhat inconsistent this season. They had an impressive 55-7 win in week 1, and then needed a miracle play in week 2 to defeat McNeese State. The Miami Hurricanes should provide a stiff test, as they’ve looked a lot better in the past two weeks compared to their road opener loss to Louisville.

The third ticket to the Final Four will be punched on Sunday afternoon in Arlington, where the #4 Michigan Wolverines are going to hope to find some more magic when they take on the #3 Florida Gators, who are going to be playing in their most difficult game of the tourney to date. Join us for our Elite Eight predictions and our March Madness picks for Florida vs. Michigan in the South Region Final.

March Madness: Michigan Wolverines vs. Florida Gators
Michigan vs. Florida Location: Dallas Cowboys Stadium, Arlington, TX
Michigan vs. Florida Date/Time: Sunday, March 31st, 2:20 p.m. ET
March Madness Television Coverage: CBS

Key #1: Trey Burke has to continue to work his magic from the outside
For the entire first half, Burke was shut down against the Kansas Jayhawks on Friday night. He had absolutely nothing going his way, and he and his Wolverines seemed destined to be headed out on the next flight back to Ann Arbor. However, Burke really turned it around in the second half and ultimately overtime, scoring 23 points. He knocked down a three-point shot that likely kept the game going with just over a minute left in the game, and then he turned around with just a few seconds left in regulation and hit the three-pointer from tremendously long range that sent the maize and blue into a frenzy. Michigan had no business whatsoever knocking off the Jayhawks, and it is going to have to keep its feet on the ground and not get too high. Burke is the veteran of this bunch, though he is only a sophomore, and he really is the difference maker in this game for the Wolverines.

Michigan vs. Florida Odds at Diamond Sportsbook
#4 Michigan Wolverines +2.5
#3 Florida Gators -2.5
Over/Under 131
Click Here to Bet Your Elite 8 Picks!

Key #2: Florida has to get its bearings right out of the blocks
The Gators have ultimately put away all three of the teams that they have faced thus far in the tournament, but they really haven’t been particularly challenged by the caliber of team that they have faced. Now, instead of facing a No. 11, No. 14, or No. 15 seed, Florida is taking on a team that was ranked No. 1 in the country once upon a time. The Gators have had a tough time getting into the swing of games early, especially against Florida Gulf Coast and Northwestern State. Of course, Michigan got off to a terrible start against Kansas as well on Friday night, and that leaves a big question for concern as well. However, we saw what the Wolverines could do in the clutch against one of the best teams in America, and if Florida falls behind perhaps by double digits early on, there is a good chance that Michigan will be able to jump on it and force the SEC reps into some real problems.

Key #3: The Gators can’t rely upon their rebounding to make up for poor shooting
Here’s a situation where the stats really don’t tell the whole story. If you look at what the Gators have done shooting the ball in this tournament, you’d be relatively impressed. They are hitting a very respectable 46.4 percent from the floor for the dance, and they are knocking down 37.5 percent of their three-point shots. The numbers aren’t great, but they aren’t terrible either. What you’re not seeing are how many of those made field goals are coming after grabbing offensive rebounds. Florida picked up 28 offensive boards against Northwestern State and Florida Gulf Coast combined, and that’s where a lot of the easy buckets are coming from. Against Minnesota, what we saw this team do was slow things down and take the ball to the rack quite a bit, and the Gators ultimately won that game from the charity stripe. Michigan isn’t going to get dominated on the glass as Florida Gulf Coast and Northwestern State did previously, so Florida is going to need to make a lot more of its mid-range jumpers and outside shots to move on to the Final Four.

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Our 2013 NCAA Tournament predictions continue on Friday, March 29th with the Sweet 16. Join us as the #6 Florida Gulf Coast Eagles and the #2 Florida Gators go to war in what should be a remarkable opening game of the fourth round of the NCAA Tournament.

March Madness: Florida Gulf Coast Eagles vs. Florida Gators
Florida Gulf Coast vs. Florida Location: Dallas Cowboys Stadium, Arlington, TX
Florida Gulf Coast vs. Florida Date/Time: Friday, March 29th, 9:57 p.m. (ET)
2013 March Madness On TV: TBS

Key #1: Florida needs to have used its few days off wisely
There’s no such thing as overlooking a team at this point in the dance. It’s clear to see what happened in the case of Florida Gulf Coast in the first week of the tournament. Georgetown, a perennially underachieving team in the NCAA Tournament, just didn’t seem to care all that much about what the Eagles were doing on the court, especially in the second half. San Diego State probably spent most of the week leading up to the dance focusing in on what Oklahoma and then Georgetown could bring to the table. Now though, comes the hard part for FGCU. Can the team really ultimately figure out how to beat the Gators? Florida is going to have two more big time games to watch that the Eagles played, and it is going to have had a full four days to look at tape and prepare to take on this exciting bunch. As long as Florida isn’t caught napping, something that we don’t suspect to see happen, the orange and blue should be on their way to the Elite Eight without all that much in the way of hassles.

Sweet 16 Odds at WagerWeb Sportsbook
#15 Florida Gulf Coast Eagles +13
#3 Florida Gators -13
Over/Under 135
Click Here to Bet Your Sweet 16 Picks!

Key #2: The Eagles have to continue to believe that they belong here
This really is the point in the tourney when a lot of the much smaller schools start to bow out of the NCAA Tournament. Cinderella has a nice run into the second week of the dance, but after that, the clock strikes midnight, the chariot turns into a pumpkin, and that’s the end of the whole glass slipper story. Still, so many of these underdog teams feel like they are just happy to be in the moment. Granted, we know that the Eagles are out there having the most fun of any of the 16 teams that are left in the field, and if they were beaten by 60 on Friday night, they’ll still leave Dallas with their heads held high. However, this is where we are going to see whether Head Coach Andy Enfield and his gang are really ready for the big time or not. The cameras have been on lowly little Florida Gulf Coast for a full week, and there is no doubt that this is the biggest thing that ever hit this campus. Will FGCU act like it belongs here and challenge the Gators the same way that it challenged San Diego State and Georgetown? That’s the question that badly needs to be answered.

Key #3: The Gators have to put this game away with their defense
Regardless as to whether or not Florida Gulf Coast truly is a team that is worthy of being in the Sweet 16 or not, we do know one thing from that first week of the tourney. We know that this team can run, and we know that it can score. Not just anyone can score 78 on Georgetown and 81 against San Diego State. Those were two very strong defensive teams. The Gators though, have a tendency to be in a different league from that standpoint. This is a very athletic team and is one that has the guards that should be able to slow down G Brett Comer and the gang. A lot has been made of the running style that the Eagles deploy, and we have seen those hammer ally-oop dunks over and over again over the course of the few days. F Erik Murphy is going to stay at home though, and he isn’t going to get lured out of position by all of the ball movement and the speed of the game. Simply put, Florida has to slow this thing down, take the air out of the basketball, and force the game into half-court set after half-court set. It’s not flashy, but it’s not dangerous either, and as we have seen, it’s when FGCU starts getting flashy that it is really getting the crowd into the game.

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2013 Sugar Bowl picks are going to be entertaining to make this year, as we have two teams that are going to be going at it against each other in what could be an unpredictable game in the Florida Gators and the Louisville Cardinals. Join us for our Sugar Bowl keys to the game and our Louisville vs. Florida predictions.

2013 Sugar Bowl: Florida Gators vs. Louisville Cardinals
2013 Sugar Bowl Location: Mercedes Benz Superdome, New Orleans, LA
2013 Sugar Bowl Date/Time: Wednesday, January 1st, 8:30 p.m. (ET)
2013 Sugar Bowl On TV: ESPN

Click Here For The Rest Of The 2012-13 Bowl Game Schedule And Other Bowl Game Previews

Key #1: Florida’s offense needs to get something out of someone aside from Mike Gillislee
We give all of the credit in the world to what RB Mike Gillislee has been able to do this year. He has had a good offensive line in front of him, which really has helped quite a bit, and he put up 1,104 yards and a total of 11 TDs on the year. The most remarkable part about the whole thing is that he did all of this without any semblance of a passing game. Florida’s offense just stunk it up with QB Jeff Driskel out there, as he threw for just 1,465 yards and 11 TDs and rushed for 404 yards. Granted, when Driskel was at his best, Florida was in fine shape. The good news is that he was at his best in the team’s most recent game against the Florida State Seminoles. In that game, he threw for 147 yards and a score and proved to be the MVP of the game. When he was effective, the rest of the ground game was able to really get going, and the team ended up with 244 yards on 47 carries for the game. That’s the type of production that it is going to take to ultimately win the Sugar Bowl this year, but if Driskel has one of these games where he goes 10-of-28 for 90 yards with no scores, Florida is going to be in a heck of a lot of trouble.

Sugar Bowl Odds at BetGuardian Sportsbook
Florida Gators -14
Louisville Cardinals +14
Over/Under 47
Click Here to Bet Your Sugar Bowl Picks!

Key #2: Louisville’s defense has to step up against the run
For most of the season, Head Coach Charlie Strong had his boys from the ‘Ville playing great ball on the defensive side of things. Down the stretch though, the team slipped just a bit. The Syracuse Orange ran for 278 yards against this unit, and the Connecticut Huskies picked up 149 yards on the ground as well. The team rebounded against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights and held a team that really can move the rock on the ground to just 54 yards, and that’s a large chunk of the reason why Louisville was even able to make it to the BCS this year. Take out that game against Syracuse though, and what’s left is a unit that allowed right around 140 yards per game rushing this year. If the Cardinals can hold the Gators to that type of a number, the blue and orange are going to have an awfully tough time figuring out how to cover the spread in this one, and potentially win the game outright as well. If Driskel is forced to put the ball in the air, the Gators are going to be in some trouble.

Key #3: The Cards cannot get beaten by Florida’s special teams
We have seen the Gators do too much work on special teams over the course of the last few months to know that it could be problematic again in this one. The team has tried fake punts, fake field goals, gimmick plays, has blocked punts, blocked kicks, returned kicks and punts for scores… You name it on special teams, Head Coach Will Muschamp has dialed it up. Most of it has worked, but not all of it has. If not for the blocked punt returned for a touchdown against the Louisiana Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns, it’s anyone’s guess as to whether the Gators would have been playing here or in the Outback Bowl (or worse). Here’s the other facet to Florida’s game that we haven’t discussed yet: The kicking game. K Caleb Sturgis has a huge leg and can boot it from 55 yards if given the chance. He was one of the better kickers in America this year, while P Kyle Christy averaged a whopping 46.1 yards per punt attempt. Special teams are where Florida really has killed a ton of foes this year, and Louisville has to avoid being the next team in a long line of clubs that succumbed to the UF special teams unit to have a chance at the upset.

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The Florida Gators and the LSU Tigers both have rich histories of late that include a number of appearances in the BCS National Championship Game. The Bayou Bengals might be contenders again this year, but we just don’t see the Gators being able to play that same role in spite of the fact that they are on the verge of being in the Top 10 in the nation. However, for LSU to be BCS bound once again, it is likely going to have to go into the Swamp and avoid the upset against a UF team that will be playing in one of its biggest games of the entire season. Our LSU vs. Florida picks are second to none here at Bankroll Sports, and we have our first look at this college football matchup in our Top 25 games of the 2012 season.

LSU Tigers @ Florida Gators Picks & Info
LSU Tigers @ Florida Gators Date: Saturday, October 6th
LSU Tigers @ Florida Gators Location: Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Gainesville, FL
LSU Tigers @ Florida Gators Spread: LSU Tigers -2.5

Losing DB Tyrann Mathieu really is hurting the LSU defense, which really still is one of the best in the nation this year. The unit is still great, knowing that DE Sam Montgomery is an All-American, and he is joined by a heck of a lot of returning defensive linemen. This unit has absolutely crippled the Florida offense in recent years, especially last season when the unit just had zip going without QB John Brantley in the fold. The offense is going to be up in the air for sure with a true freshman in QB Zach Mettenberger under center, but the offensive line should be strong once again, and the backfield is just loaded. Expect to see a lot out of RB Spencer Ware, especially in this one, knowing that Head Coach Les Miles is going to want to take good care of the football against a normally very opportunistic defense.

LSU Tigers vs. Florida Gators Past Games (Since 1995)
2011: LSU 41 – Florida 11
2010: LSU 33 – Florida 29
2009: Florida 13 – LSU 3
2008: Florida 51 – LSU 21
2007: LSU 28 – Florida 24
2006: Florida 23 – LSU 10
2005: LSU 21 – Florida 17
2004: LSU 24 – Florida 21
2003: Florida 19 – LSU 7
2002: LSU 36 – Florida 7
2001: Florida 44 – LSU 5
2000: Florida 41 – LSU 9
1999: Florida 31 – LSU 10
1998: Florida 22 – LSU 10
1997: LSU 28 – Florida 21
1996: Florida 56 – LSU 13
1995: Florida 28 – LSU 10

The bottom line for Florida in this game is that QB Jeff Driskel (and maybe QB Jacoby Brissett) just has to do better than it did last year in this game. Missing RBs Jeff Demps and Chris Rainey won’t hurt all that much in relation to last year as the LSU defense was just too quick for them to use their speed to get to the outside. The question is going to be where that offense is coming from though, with so many pieces to the puzzle already gone from a unit that has been suspect at best since QB Tim Tebow graduated. RB Mike Gillislee has had a great start to the season, but he has never faced a defense that has this much talent. Defensively, there is definitely a lot here to work with for Head Coach Will Muschamp. He is a defensive specialist for sure, and with 10 returning starters and a lot of depth working its way into the regular rotation, there is no reason to believe that LSU will be able to put anywhere near the 41 points on the board that it did a campaign ago in the Bayou.

LSU @ Florida Free Picks^^: This could be a massive statement of a game for the Gators. This is a perfectly placed game, right in the middle of the season as it normally is. UF should be riding high with confidence at this point, and we think that it will be a lot closer to a pick ’em by the time this game kicks off. As it is, the college football point spread has dropped from 4.5 to 2.5. Florida is good enough to pull off the upset in what could be the signature win of Coach Muschamp’s career to date. Even if the Gators don’t get the job done, 4.5 points at the open might ultimately be the difference between a cover and a failure. This is one of the toughest calls for the entire college football season.

^^Note: This is a college football prediction that is made as of August 2012, and it does not reflect the opinions that our expert NCAA Football handicappers will have on this game. This article by our very talented sports blog staff is for entertainment and informational purposes only. If you would like to purchase our premium college football picks for the year, please Click Here

Our NCAA football expert handicappers will have their LSU @ Florida picks on Saturday, 10/6/2012.

From the 1990s through right around 2000, the Florida State Seminoles and Florida Gators always knew that their rivalry game was going to be one for the ages. The road to the National Championship quite often went through one of these two teams, and sometimes both. Both know that they are going to have a chance to play in a BCS bowl game this year, and many think that the Seminoles could legitimately be National Championship contenders as well. This is going to be a heck of a battle in Tallahassee, and it is a game that you won’t want to miss. The whole state of Florida will be watching, as the men in blue and orange fight it out with the men in garnet and gold. Don’t miss our Florida @ Florida State picks for Rivalry Week on the college football betting odds.

Florida Gators @ Florida State Seminoles Picks & Info
Florida Gators @ Florida State Seminoles Date: Saturday, November 24th
Florida Gators @ Florida State Seminoles Location: Bobby Bowden Field at Doak Campbell Stadium, Tallahassee, FL
Florida Gators @ Florida State Seminoles Spread: Florida State Seminoles -6.5

Florida had as disastrous of a season as it could have had last year, and the end result was that the team just barely squeaked into a bowl game. The second year for Head Coach Will Muschamp could be a struggle as well, though we think that the squad is going to be able to do a lot more in the SEC this time around than it did last year against a horrifying schedule. The combination of QBs Jacoby Brissett and Jeff Driskel will really have to pick it up from where they were last year, though the fact that the two sophomores are going to take over under center isn’t that much of a loss, considering how poorly QB Jeff Brantley played last year. The running back position, one of which was so deep at Florida for so many years, just isn’t that deep any longer with both RBs Chris Rainey and Jeff Demps gone for the NFL. Instead, Muschamp is going to be relying on his defense to slow down the Noles. The 10 returning starters will make this team improved for sure, but we just don’t know if these 10 have it in them to be able to slow down the garnet and gold offense.

Florida Gators vs. Florida State Seminoles Past Games (Since 1995)
2011: Florida State 21 – Florida 7
2010: Florida State 31 – Florida 7
2009: Florida 37 – Florida State 10
2008: Florida 45 – Florida State 15
2007: Florida 45 – Florida State 12
2006: Florida 34 – Florida State 7
2005: Florida 34 – Florida State 7
2004: Florida 20 – Florida State 13
2003: Florida State 38 – Florida 34
2002: Florida State 31 – Florida 14
2001: Florida 37 – Florida State 13
2000: Florida State 30 – Florida 7
1999: Florida State 30 – Florida 23
1998: Florida State 23 – Florida 12
1997: Florida 32 – Florida State 29
1997: Florida 52 – Florida State 20 (Sugar Bowl)
1996: Florida State 24 – Florida 21
1995: Florida 35 – Florida State 24

Many think that this is the year that Florida State can really contend for the BCS National Championship this year, but we have heard of that a heck of a lot of late. FSU has been able to get to the top of the charts in the ACC, but this is the most experienced team that we have seen since Head Coach Bobby Bowden left the program. QB EJ Manuel is in his senior year, and he has an offensive line in front of him that has a lot of experience. The receivers and the running backs have a lot of potential, and the defense returns eight starters from a unit that, at times, was dominating last year. The entire front seven is back, and though the secondary took a big time shot with the dismissal of DB Greg Reid, and that is going to be difficult to overcome. With Florida running the football so much though, the front seven is going to be all that more important.

Florida @ Florida State Free Picks^^: Laying 6.5 is going to be a bit much, but we think that this number is only going to be going up, not down. We just don’t know if the Gators have the ability to come on the road and win a game against a National Championship contender. If Head Coach Jimbo Fisher can keep his team together and ready for the big time scene, this should be a game that should be won by at least 10.

^^Notice: The NCAA football picks & predictions listed on the sports betting blog are made by our staff writers early in the season and do not represent the Bankroll Sports expert handicapping team’s actual premium service releases. Click Here to receive our expert handicappers premium college football picks for the 2012 football season.

You can purchase our premium Florida vs. Florida State picks from our experts on 11/24/12

Either the Florida Gators or the Louisville Cardinals are going to claim the first spot in the Final Four on Saturday, and we are going to try to nail down the winner of this one with our Elite 8 picks to start the weekend.

2012 Elite 8 Matchup: #7 Florida Gators vs. #4 Louisville Cardinals
West Region Location: US Airways Center, Phoenix, AZ
Elite 8 Date/Time: Saturday, March 24th, 4:30 p.m.
Wisconsin vs. Louisville Television Coverage: CBS

Key #1: It’s all about the intensity
You aren’t going to find two teams that go at it on either side of the floor with the intensity that the Gators and the Cardinals bring to the table. This is the exact matchup that we were hoping to see, because Head Coaches Billy Donovan and Rick Pitino both get the most out of their players. Are these two teams amongst the most talented eight in the land? Probably not. However, there is no reason to think that either of these teams are going to back down right now. The pressure that is going to be put on both of these teams with full court pressure and the offenses that try to get up and go, and the team that wins this one very well could be the one that has the more intense runs of the two.

Elite 8 Odds at Wager Web Sportsbook
Florida Gators -1.5
Louisville Cardinals +1.5
Over/Under 131.5
Click Here to Bet Your Elite 8 Picks!

Key #2: Gorgui Dieng has to have a huge game
What really made the difference in Florida’s win over the Marquette Golden Eagles is that the team found a way to take the Marquette big men out of the equation. It goes without saying that the Gators are a group that love to run and do so with at least three, and usually four guards on the court. Dieng is the big man that can really do a lot on both sides of the court. You might look at the five points that Dieng had against the Michigan State Spartans and think that he had a bad game. Then look closer at the box score. He had nine boards, seven blocks, and three steals and altered a slew of what MSU tried to get done. We know what Florida does; this is a team that loves to drive the ball and kick it out to the perimeter and take three point shots if the layup or short jumper isn’t open. Dieng can change all of that when push comes to shove, and he should be able to throw his body around. If he does that and stays out of foul trouble, UF had better hope that it is hitting its outside shots without all that many difficulties, or it will be in a lot of trouble.

Key #3: It’s time for Kenny Boynton to play like a veteran
Boynton only had 11 points in the Sweet 16 against Marquette, and he has been wildly inconsistent in the postseason. He only had two points against the Kentucky Wildcats in the SEC Tournament Final, and he had just eight against the Virginia Cavaliers. That being said, he also had 20 against the Norfolk State Spartans. This is a man that averages 16.0 points per game and shoots 41.1 percent from beyond the arc. There is a lot of pressure on Boynton, though there has been a heck of a lot of production from Bradley Beal and the others. We just don’t know if that’s going to be able to keep up in the rest of this tournament. The Gators really need their leader to play like one.

Click Here to get the best March Madness picks that you’ll find on the internet, including our NCAA Tournament picks and the Elite 8 picks for the rest of the NCAA Tournament game odds.