College Football Week 3 Predictions
Florida State at Louisville, Sept. 16, 7:30 p.m. ET
This is a decent matchup to start the weekend, with both teams coming off huge wins. Florida State beat LSU, 24-23, in its second game of the season and will have the rest advantage coming off a bye week. That could be significant on a short week for the Cardinals, six days after they answered pressing questions with a 20-14 win at UCF. The point spread is close for a reason, as this is a massive game with serious implications for both teams moving forward.
We do think the Cardinals are being overlooked here. A bye week this early in the season for Florida State, coming off that upset win over LSU, might not be a good thing. Rest isn’t a big advantage as there aren’t that many injuries yet and you want to keep the momentum going after a game like that, not hit the reset button. Louisville wasn’t as bad as it looked against Syracuse, suffering from three turnovers, but last week’s win at UCF was impressive and this Friday night crowd at Cardinal Stadium should be electric.
Best Bet: Louisville +3
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Georgia at South Carolina, Sept. 17, Noon ET
South Carolina was not all that competitive in last week’s 44-30 loss at Arkansas, one in which it was predictably bullied in the trenches. That doesn’t bode well for the Gamecocks Saturday, despite a strong individual performance from Oklahoma transfer quarterback Spencer Rattler. Georgia is as dangerous as it gets up front and opens as a massive favorite on betting sites against the Gamecocks, who dealt the Bulldogs their only regular-season loss of the year in a stunning 20-17 win back in 2019.
Don’t expect history to repeat itself. The Bulldogs took last week as an opportunity to get quality reps for backups throughout a 33-0 win over Samford, but it’s back to business on Saturday. South Carolina can’t stop the run and will be in serious trouble from the jump.
Best Bet: Georgia -24.5
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Oklahoma at Nebraska, Sept. 17, Noon ET
Former Nebraska associate head coach Mickey Joseph is in the big chair now, taking over as interim head coach after Scott Frost was fired following Saturday’s embarrassing 45-42 home loss to Georgia Southern. And what a time it is for a Lincoln debut, with the Cornhuskers hosting rival Oklahoma and the Sooners looking for just their second win at Memorial Stadium since 1987. Oddsmakers are expecting another shootout, with the total opening in the mid-60s. We have our eye on that for our college football week 3 picks.
We understand the notion that Nebraska could play inspired football, rally around the adversity. We have also seen the overall body of work from this program the past five years. It’s terrible, and there’s no way we’re taking them to cover against a team like the Sooners.
Best Bet: Oklahoma -11
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Purdue at Syracuse, Sept. 17, Noon ET
Dino Babers is still fighting for his job at Syracuse, but he’s off to a good start with the Orange coming off back-to-back blowout wins over Louisville and UConn. The Boilermakers bounced back from a tough 35-31 loss to Penn State with a 56-0 home win over Indiana State and look capable of upsetting more than a few Big Ten teams once again.
We love the Boilermakers in this spot. Syracuse has played very sloppy at times, racking up 18 penalties in the home opener, and it’s been fortunate so far with a 5-0 turnover ratio. The Boilermakers are a hungry team on the bounce and played well enough to beat Penn State in the opener. They’ll finish the job Saturday.
Best Bet: Purdue +1.5
BYU at Oregon, Sept. 17, 3:30 p.m. ET
The Ducks are slight home favorites and have a golden opportunity here to get the season back on track and prepare for another Pac-12 title run. They shook off a 49-3 loss to Georgia with a 70-14 win over Eastern Washington and could go streaking with a victory Saturday in Eugene – Oregon only has one ranked opponent left on the schedule after the Cougars, a home matchup with No. 14 Utah in the second-to-last week of the regular season.
It’s already do-or-die time for the Ducks. The College Football Playoff would be a pipe dream with two nonconference losses on the schedule, regardless of competition. Oregon has the third-longest home winning streak in the country behind only Cincinnati and Clemson, with 19 consecutive victories in Eugene. It’s a scary hook, for sure, but we expect the Ducks and the home fans to be on their A-game.
Best Bet: Oregon -3.5
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Penn State at Auburn, Sept. 17, 3:30 p.m. ET
It’s time to find out which of these two teams is for real. Penn State and Auburn both enter at 2-0. Penn State pulled it off a year ago in this home-and-home series, and they’re still the slight favorites entering a hostile SEC environment. Penn State already won at Purdue, and we think the Boilermakers are better than Auburn. Quarterback Sean Clifford is off to a great start and this Auburn secondary hasn’t been tested yet.
Best Bet: Penn State -3
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Michigan State at Washington, Sept. 17, 7:30 p.m. ET
The Cougars open as a small favorite in another matchup that will tell us plenty about both teams involved. Michigan State and Washington have not been tested by a dangerous opponent yet – the Spartans opened with back-to-back home wins over Western Michigan and Akron, while Washington handled its business in blowout wins over Kent State and Portland State. Both defenses have been stout, but handicappers are expecting action this week with the total opening in the high 50s.
The line held steady at Spartans +3 early this week, but a few books now have it at +3.5. We’ll jump on that. Former Indiana quarterback Michael Penix Jr. is off to a great start, but the Spartans can stop the run and make the Huskies one-dimensional on offense.
Best Bet: Michigan State +3.5
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Miami at Texas A&M, Sept. 17, 9 p.m. ET
We’ve got an excellent top-25 showdown for the nightcap as the Hurricanes head to College Station to take on the Aggies. Texas A&M is looking to regroup after a stunning home upset loss to Appalachian State, a game in which the Aggies were nearly 20-point favorites. Miami hasn’t had any drama in home wins over Bethune Cookman and Southern Miss, but it gets real for the Hurricanes on Saturday and oddsmakers currently see them as a consensus dog.
The Aggies didn’t just lose to Appalachian State – they were a mess, possession the ball for just 18:17 while racking up seven penalties and two turnovers. Even if they get it all cleaned up, 180 yards of total offense is extremely concerning.
Best Bet: Miami +5.5
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