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What a week of college football Week 2 ended up being. Despite having just a few intriguing matchups on the schedule, the week ended up being full of great games and craziness. Unfortunately, we took it on the chin last week as the craziness affected our picks. Nothing encapsulates that more than BYU doubling down on Hail Mary passes two weeks in a row. Boise State was up four points and heading to victory as well as covering the spread before Tanner Magnum worked his magic. Our picks went 1-3 with the Georgia and Vanderbilt game ending as a push.
With our great Week 1 performance, we still stand at 5-4 for the season. This week there looks to be some good value that should help us get back to our winning ways with quite a few intriguing matchups on this week’s college football slate.
Here are the five best college football bets for Week 3:
1. Clemson Even Against Louisville
Clemson is off to a great start. (Getty)
It is a bit shocking that Clemson is not favored in this game. Vegas must be giving Louisville a generous home bump, but the Cardinals have lost their first two games. The first one was against an Auburn team that we are finding out is not as good as advertised. Last week, they lost to Houston.
While Clemson has not faced a difficult opponent, they have rolled their first two games. Quarterback DeShaun Watson is back for the Tigers and is completing 77 percent of his passes so far this season. Clemson gets the road win and Louisville continues to unravel.
2. Kentucky +4.5 Against Florida
Kentucky looks to break the streak against Florida. (Getty)
Despite picking Florida to cover last week, the Gators did not look good. They needed a late interception to close things out against ECU. Meanwhile, Kentucky is off to a 2-0 start including a big road victory last week against South Carolina.
The Gators have won 28 straight games to against the Wildcats. Florida needed three overtimes to escape with a win at The Swamp last season. Mike Stoops is turning things around at Kentucky for proof look no further than last week’s win at South Carolina. The streak ends on Saturday in front of the Kentucky faithful as they hand the Gators their first loss of the season.
3. Georgia Tech +2 Against Notre Dame
DeShone Kizer could be in trouble against Georgia Tech. (Getty)
The Irish experienced extreme fortune and misfortune against Virginia. The overwhelming storyline from the game was losing quarterback Malik Zaire for the season. They needed what essentially amounted to a Hail Mary from their backup quarterback to escape with the win.
Notre Dame has the task of getting backup quarterback DeShone Kizer ready as well as preparing their defense for Georgia Tech’s triple-option attack. This would be a difficult game for the Irish even if they had their entire team. The Yellow Jackets are rolling right now with two massive defeats. Their offense is extremely difficult to prepare for as it is so different than the offenses that most college football teams run.
With so much of the Irish offense centered around Zaire, it is a recipe for an upset. Look for Georgia Tech’s offense to continue to roll in South Bend.
4. Western Kentucky +3 Against Indiana
Indiana is on upset alert. (Getty)
Western Kentucky pulled off the upset at Vanderbilt in Week 1. Last week, they beat an underrated Louisiana Tech team. The Hilltoppers rely on their strong offensive attack.
Indiana trailed FIU last week at halftime and barely beat Southern Illinois in Week 1. Indiana currently ranks 86th in the F+ ratings (i.e. not good). They have not been overly impressive against mediocre teams and Western Kentucky is the best team they have faced so far. Look for Western Kentucky to pull off the upset and go to 3-0.
5. Ole Miss +8.5 Against Alabama
Chad Kelly has looked good for Ole Miss. (Getty)
Alabama often gets the benefit of the doubt in polls and projections based on name recognition alone. Most times, it works out because Alabama is an elite program. This pick is not so much about Alabama being an inferior team but rather the talent level of Ole Miss. The Rebels were the top team in the country last season before injuries wrecked the second half of the season.
They have a legitimate shot at winning this game outright but at the very least this game will be close. Ole Miss came into the season with two questions: their quarterback and the ability to run the ball. New quarterback Chad Kelly has been a model of efficiency during the first two games completing 72 percent of his passes. They have also rushed for 553 yards already this season.
We have not even mentioned that Ole Miss has one of the best defenses in the country and will be facing an inexperienced Jacob Coker at quarterback. All of these factors lead to a close game and perhaps even another Ole Miss upset.