College Football Odds Week 3: Picks Against the Spread and Score Predictions

The ACC commands the college football spotlight in Week 3.

Saturday's primary game pits the Miami Hurricanes against the Louisville Cardinals in a matchup of teams looking to establish themselves in the second tier of the ACC beneath Clemson and Notre Dame. That clash will be a nice showcase for both teams and the conference, which will likely take a back seat to the SEC when it returns next weekend.

The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets were expected to finish near the bottom of the ACC, but they surprised everyone with a road win over Florida State in Week 2. The next test for Geoff Collins' team is a home meeting with the UCF Knights, who are trying to get back to the top of the American Athletic Conference.

Despite sitting at No. 14 in the AP poll, UCF is favored by single digits in matchup it could dominate.

Week 3 Schedule and Odds

Saturday, September 19

Tulsa at No. 11 Oklahoma State (-23) (Noon ET, ESPN)

Austin Peay at No. 13 Cincinnati (-33.5) (Noon ET, ESPN+)

No. 19 Louisiana (-17.5) at Georgia State (Noon ET, ESPN2)

Syracuse at No. 25 Pittsburgh (-22) (Noon ET, ACC Network)

South Florida at No. 7 Notre Dame (-26) (2:30 p.m. ET, USA)

Charlotte at No. 12 North Carolina (-30) (3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN3)

No. 14 UCF (-7.5) at Georgia Tech (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC)

No. 23 Appalachian State (-4) at Marshall (3:30 p.m. ET, CBS)

The Citadel at No. 1 Clemson (-45.5) (4 p.m. ET, ACC Network)

No. 17 Miami at No. 18 Louisville (-2.5) (7:30 p.m., ABC)

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Predictions against the spread in bold.

Picks

No. 17 Miami at No. 18 Louisville (-2.5)

Miami is trying to break a dreadful run away from home against Top 25 opposition.

According to ESPN's Chris Fallica, the Hurricanes are 3-23 on the road against ranked teams since 2005.

With D'Eriq King in charge of the offense, Miami has a good chance to take a step up. The transfer from Houston posted 144 passing yards, 83 rushing yards and two scores in Week 2's win over UAB. The Hurricanes offense's performance could have been better, as it did not find the end zone until there were 64 seconds left in the opening quarter.

Louisville only scored four more points than Miami in Week 2, but it had much better offensive totals. Micale Cunningham threw for 343 yards and a touchdown, and Jaylin Hawkins produced 71 rushing yards on 19 carries in the win over Western Kentucky.

Miami has to contain a solid trio of receivers, led by Tutu Atwell, who had 1,276 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns in 2019. Atwell is a star wideout who does not receive enough recognition on the national stage. Saturday could serve as his coming-out party for those who do not tune into the ACC on a regular basis.

Both teams have the potential to produce high offensive totals, but Louisville has the advantage in experience and abundance of weapons.

The Cardinals' path to victory may be a bit tougher against an ACC defense compared to one from Conference USA, but it should still find ease in covering a minimal spread as the home team.

Since the programs have dynamic quarterbacks and top-end talent in Atwell and Brevin Jordan catching a high volume of passes, there is a good chance of the game eclipsing the over/under, which is set at 64.5.

Score Prediction: Louisville 37, Miami 30

No. 14 UCF (-7.5) at Georgia Tech

Georgia Tech is the darling of the ACC because of its surprising win over Florida State in Week 2.

Collins was expected to make progress in his second year with the Yellow Jackets, but no one expected them to get a solid win so early in 2020. But the flaws from the 16-13 win over the Seminoles could point to the Yellow Jackets falling by double digits to UCF on Saturday.

Georgia Tech committed 10 penalties for 80 yards and was helped by three Florida State turnovers and its inefficient 6-of-17 third-down conversion rate.

UCF possesses a much more polished offense and a better quarterback than first-year head coach Mike Norvell's Florida State outfit.

Dillon Gabriel is coming off a 3,653-yard season through the air, and he is expected to produce a similar total in Josh Heupel's offense.

In 2019, UCF produced at least 30 points in all but one of its games and was one point away from upsetting Pittsburgh.

Georgia Tech is headed in the right direction, but it may not have the firepower to match Gabriel and Co. The Yellow Jackets could be competitive for a decent part of the game, but they may not be able to keep up with UCF's pace after scoring 16 points against a mediocre opponent in Week 2.

Score Prediction: UCF 45, Georgia Tech 21

Other Score Predictions

Oklahoma State 37, Tulsa 10

Cincinnati 49, Austin Peay 0

Louisiana 27, Georgia State 14

Pittsburgh 37, Syracuse 13

Notre Dame 45, USF 14

North Carolina 49, Charlotte 17

Appalachian State 20, Marshall 13

Clemson 56, The Citadel 10

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90. Statistics obtained from ESPN.