College Football Picks Week 3: Odds, Predictions, Schedule, Rankings for Top 25
Through two weeks of the 2022 season, Alabama remains undefeated. However, the Crimson Tide weren't quite impressive enough on Saturday to keep their hold on the No. 1 spot in the AP Top 25 poll.
While Alabama held on for a 20-19 win at previously unranked Texas, Georgia put on another dominant performance, cruising to a 33-0 home victory over Samford. That was enough for the voters to move the Bulldogs into the No. 1 spot in the poll, while the Crimson Tide dropped to No. 2.
Now, it's on to Week 3, and neither of these SEC powerhouses is likely to be slowed anytime soon. Alabama won't have a game as challenging as the Texas matchup for at least a few weeks. And there may not be many teams in the country capable of keeping up with Georgia.
The Bulldogs (at South Carolina) and Crimson Tide (vs. UL Monroe) will both be big favorites in Week 3 and are likely to win. But there should be some competitive games this weekend. Two matchups feature a pair of top-25 teams: No. 12 BYU at No. 25 Oregon and No. 13 Miami at No. 24 Texas A&M.
Here's the Week 3 schedule for ranked schools, along with odds and picks for each matchup.
Week 3 Top 25 Schedule, Picks
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Saturday, Sept. 17
No. 1 Georgia (-24.5) at South Carolina, noon ET, ESPN
UConn at No. 4 Michigan (-47), noon ET, ABC
No. 6 Oklahoma (-13) at Nebraska, noon ET, Fox
Youngstown State at No. 9 Kentucky (no line), noon ET, SEC Network
Texas State at No. 17 Baylor (-31), noon ET, Fox Sports 1
No. 12 BYU at No. 25 Oregon (-4), 3:30 p.m. ET, Fox
No. 20 Ole Miss (-14.5) at Georgia Tech, 3:30 p.m. ET, ABC
No. 22 Penn State (-3) at Auburn, 3:30 p.m. ET, CBS
UL Monroe at No. 2 Alabama (-49), 4 p.m. ET, SEC Network
Liberty at No. 19 Wake Forest (-16), 5 p.m. ET, ACC Network
Toledo at No. 3 Ohio State (-30.5), 7 p.m. ET, Fox
Arkansas-Pine Bluff at No. 8 Oklahoma State (no line), 7 p.m. ET, ESPN+
Missouri State at No. 10 Arkansas (no line), 7 p.m. ET, ESPN+
Akron at No. 15 Tennessee (-47.5), 7 p.m. ET, ESPN+
Texas Tech at No. 16 NC State (-9.5), 7 p.m. ET, ESPN2
No. 11 Michigan State at Washington (-2), 7:30 p.m. ET, ABC
South Florida at No. 18 Florida (-24.5), 7:30 p.m. ET, SEC Network
No. 23 Pittsburgh (-11.5) at Western Michigan, 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPNU
Louisiana Tech at No. 5 Clemson (-33.5), 8 p.m. ET, ACC Network
UTSA at No. 21 Texas (-13.5), 8 p.m. ET, Longhorn Network
No. 13 Miami at No. 24 Texas A&M (-5.5), 9 p.m. ET, ESPN
San Diego State at No. 14 Utah (-21), 10 p.m. ET, ESPN2
Fresno State at No. 7 USC (-13), 10:30 p.m. ET, Fox
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook. Picks in bold against the spread.
No. 12 BYU at No. 25 Oregon (-4)
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Heading into Week 1, Oregon was ranked No. 11 in the country. By Week 2, the Ducks were no longer in the AP Top 25 poll. That's what happens when a team opens a season with a lopsided 49-3 loss to Georgia.
But that doesn't mean Oregon isn't a good team, as its poor performance could be attributed to the fact it was playing the defending national champion and one of the top teams in the country. Since then, the Ducks have gotten back on track, as they notched their first win of the season on Saturday, beating Eastern Washington 70-14 at home.
It was a get-right game for Oregon, which is in its first season under head coach Dan Lanning. However, its schedule will get much more challenging again this week. This Saturday, the Ducks are set to host BYU, which is ranked No. 12 and already owns wins over South Florida and No. 17 Baylor.
The Cougars outlasted the Bears on Saturday for a 26-20 win in double overtime. Now, BYU will be looking to make another big statement by going on the road and beating Oregon this week.
Although the Ducks have a loss, they're an early four-point favorite for their matchup with the Cougars. And not only could Oregon win this game, but it should be strong enough to clear the spread and win by five or more.
Bo Nix, a transfer from Auburn, appears to be getting more comfortable in the Ducks' offense, as he threw for 277 yards and five touchdowns in the win over Eastern Washington. If he and his Oregon teammates are clicking again this week, it will be difficult for BYU's defense to stop that unit.
The season is only two weeks old, but the Ducks have already experienced a big high and an extreme low. They'll be motivated to never have another showing like their disappointing season opener.
BYU-Oregon should be a competitive game, and it may be close into the fourth quarter. However, expect Oregon to pull away late and win by at least a touchdown as it looks to prove it's still going to be a contender in the Pac-12 this season.
No. 13 Miami at No. 24 Texas A&M (-5.5)
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This was supposed to be a game between two teams ranked in the top 15. Last week, Texas A&M sat at No. 6 in the AP Top 25 poll, and all it needed to do to keep that spot (or potentially even move up) was beat unranked Appalachian State at home.
That didn't happen, though. The Aggies surprisingly lost to the Mountaineers 17-14, getting blanked for the final 17 minutes and 20 seconds. Texas A&M may have fallen to 1-1, but it remained ranked, sliding down to the No. 24 spot.
Despite that setback, the Aggies enter their Week 3 home matchup as 5.5-point favorites over Miami, which hasn't faced a true test yet in the young season. The Hurricanes opened with two home games, beating Bethune-Cookman 70-13 and Southern Miss 30-7.
It's still early in the year, but it's hard to not think of this as a must-win game for Texas A&M, especially if it hopes to contend for a College Football Playoff berth. Its matchup against Miami is the first of five contests against ranked teams over its next seven games. The Aggies will also face No. 10 Arkansas, No. 2 Alabama, No. 20 Ole Miss and No. 18 Florida during that stretch.
Texas A&M needs to correct some issues offensively, and it needs to have the ball for longer periods. In the loss to Appalachian State, the Aggies had the ball for only 18 minutes and 17 seconds, committed two turnovers and went 2-for-8 on third downs.
But Texas A&M should know it has a big opportunity to put that loss in the past if it can take down No. 13 Miami. It can still end up being a fun season in College Station, Texas.
That's why the Aggies will look more like the team they're supposed to be this week, and they'll make a statement with a resounding win over the Hurricanes. Miami will be in a hostile environment against its toughest opponent yet, and Texas A&M will build early momentum that it will ride to a win.
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