College Football Odds Week 3: Picks Against the Spread and Score Predictions
The 2022 college football season is only two weeks old, but there have already been plenty of surprising upsets. Bettors know this, considering some surprising results have likely cost them some potential winnings.
Last week, Alabama (ranked No. 1 at the time) nearly got knocked off by Texas before pulling out a one-point win. And there were three top-10 teams that lost: No. 6 Texas A&M (vs. Appalachian State), No. 8 Notre Dame (vs. Marshall) and No. 9 Baylor (at No. 21 BYU).
So, what does Week 3 have in store? Could there be even more shocking outcomes?
Here's a look at the schedule for ranked teams, along with odds and picks for each.
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 (-47.5), noon ET, ABC
No. 6 Oklahoma (-11) at Nebraska, noon ET, Fox
Youngstown State at No. 9 Kentucky (no line), noon ET, SEC Network
Texas State at No. 17 Baylor (-30), noon ET, Fox Sports 1
No. 12 BYU at No. 25 Oregon (-3.5), 3:30 p.m. ET, Fox
No. 20 Ole Miss (-16.5) 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 (-49.5), 4 p.m. ET, SEC Network
Liberty at No. 19 Wake Forest (-16.5), 5 p.m. ET, ACC Network
Toledo at No. 3 Ohio State (-32), 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 (-10), 7 p.m. ET, ESPN2
No. 11 Michigan State at Washington (-3), 7:30 p.m. ET, ABC
South Florida at No. 18 Florida (-24), 7:30 p.m. ET, SEC Network
No. 23 Pittsburgh (-10.5) at Western Michigan, 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPNU
Louisiana Tech at No. 5 Clemson (-34), 8 p.m. ET, ACC Network
UTSA at No. 21 Texas (-12.5), 8 p.m. ET, Longhorn Network
No. 13 Miami at No. 24 Texas A&M (-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 (-12.5), 10:30 p.m. ET, Fox
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook. Picks in bold against the spread.
USC Should Pull Away Late to Cover Spread
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The Lincoln Riley era at USC has gotten off to a dominant start. The Trojans' new head coach has led them to a pair of victories over Rice and Stanford, and they've outscored those opponents 107-42. Now, USC is set to host Fresno State this Saturday.
The Bulldogs are a solid nonconference opponent, but they're 1-1 after winning their opener against Cal Poly and losing to Oregon State last week. Although Fresno State already has a loss, the betting line for this week's matchup isn't huge, as USC is only favored by 12.5 points.
It's hard to imagine a situation in which the Trojans' talent doesn't separate them from the Bulldogs in the second half and allows them to pull away. Sophomore quarterback Caleb Williams is off to a terrific start in his first year at USC (590 yards, six touchdowns, no interceptions), and he's likely to fare well against a Fresno State defense that allowed 397 total yards last week.
Perhaps this game stays close early, but the Trojans should have no trouble winning by 13 or more points. Williams will lead a couple of late touchdown drives to put this one away.
Prediction: USC 35, Fresno State 20
Auburn Will Win as a Home Underdog
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Auburn may be off to a 2-0 start, but it hasn't been impressive in the process. The Tigers beat Mercer 42-16, then held on to top San Jose State 24-16. Now, they face a much bigger test in No. 22 Penn State, and that's why Auburn is a three-point underdog at home.
The Nittany Lions are 2-0 with wins over Purdue and Ohio. But they're going into a hostile environment at Jordan-Hare Stadium, so this is a matchup that could go either way.
When these two teams met last year at Penn State, the Nittany Lions held on for a 28-20 win over the Tigers. However, it's worth noting that Auburn running back Tank Bigsby had a big performance (102 yards and two touchdowns), so Penn State may have difficulty trying to stop him again this season.
It's quite plausible that the Tigers win despite their underdog status. So it's worth taking a chance on them this week, especially if they can get more production out of junior quarterback T.J. Finley.
Prediction: Auburn 23, Penn State 20
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Miami Will Cover Spread in Close Game at Texas A&M
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One of the most highly anticipated matchups of the week will happen Saturday night, when No. 13 Miami goes on the road to face No. 24 Texas A&M. Even though the Aggies suffered an upset loss to Appalachian State last week to fall to 1-1, they still remained in the AP Top 25 poll this week.
Texas A&M is a five-point favorite over the Hurricanes, who opened the season with back-to-back wins over Bethune-Cookman and Southern Miss. It's impossible to tell how good Miami actually is at this point, given its quality of opponents thus far.
For the Aggies, this is their first of five matchups against ranked opponents over their next seven games. If they don't start this challenging stretch with a win, things could spiral out of control during SEC play.
This should be a competitive game between two solid teams. And while Texas A&M likely has a bit more talent and is likely to pull out the victory, it should be close, meaning Miami will cover the spread and lose by only four or fewer points.
Prediction: Texas A&M 27, Miami 24
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