Betting

Week 4 College Football Playoff Futures to Bet: Notre Dame & More

John Supowitz highlights three teams that are in great shape to make the College Football Playoff heading into Week 4.

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As the first month of the 2026 college football season comes to a conclusion, we might have already seen some season-defining matchups. We have already seen thrilling top-ten matchups, and some teams considered contenders for the National Championship lost unexpectedly.

Let’s look at three teams that are in an excellent position to get into the College Football Playoff.

Week 4 College Football Playoff Futures

Notre Dame (-1000)

Throughout the season, Notre Dame will be judged on style points, meaning how lopsided their wins are. That’s because its remaining strength of schedule ranks 54th. 

Last week, the Fighting Irish secured another big win, crushing Michigan State 56-10. Through their first three games, they have outscored their opponents 120-23.

On offense, CJ Carr had another efficient game, throwing for 234 yards on 18-of-24 passing. 

The running back situation in South Bend became interesting after last week. Aneyas Williams has been the primary back through the first two and a half games, but in the second quarter against Michigan State, he was penalized for excessive celebration after scoring a touchdown. After the play, head coach Marcus Freeman was shown berating Williams; during the post-game press conference, Freeman apologized. 

In the second half, sophomore Nolan Mann Jr. got the bulk of the carries and played well, rushing for 121 yards on 4.7 yards per carry. We’ll see if Mann gets a bigger role going forward.

The defense appears to be the anchor, ranking third nationally in yards allowed per game (193.0), fourth in points allowed per game (7.7), and ninth in defensive success rate (35.1%).

The defense has an interesting matchup this week against Purdue, which ranks 34th in points per game (39.3). This could be the defense’s first test of the season.

Ole Miss (-130)

Ole Miss has become the hottest team in college football after their emotional win over former head coach Lane Kiffin and LSU.

When looking at quarterback Trinidad Chambliss and running back Kewan Lacy, these two could be a lethal duo in college football.

Chambliss has thrust himself into the Heisman Trophy conversation after throwing for 363 yards and two touchdowns against LSU. Lacy did not have a heavy workload in that matchup, with only nine carries, but he was effective when he got the ball, averaging 4.8 yards per carry and scoring a touchdown.

No one has the Rebels’ resume because they are the only FBS program to defeat two ranked teams this season. We’ll see how their win over LSU holds up later in the season, but the victory over Louisville looks better because the Cardinals have risen from No. 24 to No. 16 since facing Ole Miss.

They will be battle-tested in the SEC, starting this Saturday against No. 21 Florida, then later in the year against No. 1 Texas and No. 2 Georgia. Even if they do not win the SEC Championship, they could still earn an at-large bid with a win over any of those top teams.

BYU (+240)

The Big 12 landscape almost changed after last week. Houston and Texas Tech had an intense battle, and Houston was just inches away from a successful two-point conversion that would have tied the game. 

Even with Texas Tech as the favorite to win the conference, it might be time to look at BYU. The Cougars’ offense has looked excellent, ranking 18th in points scored per game (44.0) and 28th in total yards per game (481.7).

Bear Bachmeier is carrying momentum from his incredible freshman year, and this season he ranks 11th in the country in passer rating (187.1).

One of BYU’s biggest challenges this season will be at home against Notre Dame. This could be a make-or-break game for the Cougars, because if they do not win the Big 12 Championship, the College Football Playoff Committee could consider a win over Notre Dame on their resume and give them an at-large bid.

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