COLLEGE FOOTBALL PICKS WEEK 3

Last Week: 11-3 (79%)
Total: 21-9 (70%)

We have 9″quick picks” and 7 picks that I will go more in depth in for this week, unless noted the game is on Saturday

#25Miami (FL) (2-0) @ Appalachian State (1-1) – 12PM ET, ESPN

The Pick: Miami (FL)

Temple (1-1) @ Penn State (1-1) – 12PMET, BTN

The Pick: Penn State

Pittsburgh (2-0) @ Oklahoma State (1-1) – 3:30PM ET, ESPN

The Pick: Oklahoma State

Colorado (2-0) @ #4Michigan (2-0) – 3:30PM ET, BTN

The Pick: Michigan

#17Texas A&M (2-0) @ Auburn (1-1) – 7PM ET, ESPN

The Pick: Texas A&M

Mississippi State (1-1) @ #20LSU (1-1) – 7PM ET, ESPN2

The Pick: LSU

#16Georgia (2-0) @ Missouri (1-1) – 7:30PM ET, SECN

The Pick: Georgia

UCLA (1-1) @ BYU (1-1) – 10:15PM ET, ESPN2

The Pick: UCLA

#11Texas (2-0) @ California (1-1) – 10:30PM ET, ESPN

The Pick: Texas

#6Houston (2-0) @ Cincinnati (2-0) – 7:30PM ET, ESPN (Thursday)

After a great start to the season with a win over Big 12 favorite Oklahoma, Houston faces arguably their toughest in-conference test of the season as they go on the road to face Cincinnati. Cincy had an impressive win against Purdue last week, and in the matchup these two teams had last year Cincy actually outgained Houston, but I think you have to favor the Cougars here, they are coming off a game against Lamar where QB Greg Ward Jr. and RB Duke Catalon both got to rest, so they should be fresh for this game. Expect a shootout as both teams have very good mobile quarterbacks, but at the end of the day I’ll give the edge to Houston because of the edge on defense.

The Pick SU: Houston
The Pick ATS: Houston – 8

#2Florida State (2-0) @ #10Louisville (2-0) – 12PM ET, ABC

Louisville is a team that seems really good, but you just don’t really have any proof. The Cardinals lead the NCAA in scoring, sounds great and all until you  realize that it was against Charlotte and Syracuse. So Lamar Jackson has put up record breaking stats only planning for about half of the first two games. But Florida State’s defense ain’t a Charlotte defense. The Seminole have one of the quickest defenses in the nation, coupled with the fact that unlike Louisville, Florida State has proven that they can hang after a win over Ole Miss on Labor Day. This early in the season you have to go with the proven commodity and in this case it’s Florida State.

The Pick SU: Florida State
The Pick ATS: Florida State -1

#3Alabama (2-0) @ #19Ole Miss (1-1) – 3:30PM ET, CBS

Chad Kelly certainly has the experience edge on Jalen Hurts. But even though Chad Kelly is a senior I heard someone on SB Nation say he’s “a senior that plays like sophomore” that is something that I can totally agree with, he’s a fine quarterback, but he doesn’t have the  crazy routes you would expect a senior to have, on the other side Jalen Hurts on the other hand is going into his first start against a power five team, so since each team has a question mark at quarterback I would give the edge to the better defense. And this Alabama team might have one of the best defenses of the past decade, holding their two opponents to an average of 8 points per game, I give this one to Alabama, and I think they pull away late.

The Pick SU: Alabama
The Pick ATS: Alabama -11

#22Oregon (2-0) @ Nebraska (2-0) – 3:30PM ET, ABC

Oregon and Nebraska will face off in a matchup that is really flying under the radar for this week. This is one that’s hard to predict because we don’t know much about either team, both have two wins, but these two teams really haven’t played anyone yet, but if there is one constant in all of this, it’s Oregon’s offense. Now the Duck’s might not have an offense the caliber of back when Mariota was the quarterback, but Dakota Prukop has done a fine job as quarterback, but Royce Freeman has exploded in the first two weeks as one of the best backs in the country, this dual offensive threat leads me to believe that Oregon pulls off the road upset against Braksy.

The Pick SU: Oregon
The Pick ATS: Oregon +3.5

#12Michigan State (1-0) @ #18Notre Dame (1-1) – 7:30PM ET, NBC

Michigan State was really unimpressive in their only game so far, which was an ugly 28-13 win against Furman, but at the same time, it was a win, and Notre Dame couldn’t say the same about their game against Texas in Week 1, where they lost in a double-OT thriller in an early contender for game of the year. But in that game DeShone Kizer was splitting reps with Malik Zaire. Now, Notre Dame has the home field advantage in this one, but it’s never a good idea to count out the Michigan State and their run game. I think Michigan State will keep it within the spread, but Notre Dame will come out with the win.

The Pick SU: Notre Dame
The Pick ATS: Michigan State +7.5

#3Ohio State (2-0) @ #14Oklahoma (1-1) – 7:30PM ET, FOX

In what some would say is the game of the week, although that is split between this, Bama-Ole Miss, and FSU-Louisville, the Ohio State Buckeyes, who have looked absolutely fantastic against some mediocre competition. The question is, how will they fare against some real competition in Oklahoma, and on the flip side, can Oklahoma avoid a second loss and a elimination from College Football Playoff contention. All the focus  goes to JT Barrett and the Ohio State offense, but the Ohio State defense has been the real stars through the first few weeks in my eyes, absolutely shutting down good offenses in Tulsa and Bowling Green. On the flip side, Oklahoma hasn’t really figured out it’s passing attack, and I think the Sooners drop their second game of three here, and fall out of the top 15.

The Pick SU: Ohio State
The Pick ATS: Ohio State -1.5

USC (1-1) @ #7Stanford (1-0) – 8PM ET, ABC

USC is a team that I just can’t get behind. I can’t pick a team that lost 52-6 to beat a top 10 team. Now I know the loss was to Alabama, but that is a blowout margin, and this is a game that is on the road in Palo Alto. So that’s why I think USC won’t win, here’s why Stanford will. The Cardinal are coming off a bye which gives them a whole extra week to rest before this game. And just in case you forgot, they also have Christian McCaffery, a legit Heisman front runner, and USC’s run defense is not pretty, and is ranked 76th in the country, right behind powerhouses New Mexico and Utah State. Needless to say, I’m picking Stanford.

The Pick SU: Stanford
The Pick ATS: Stanford -9