CFB Week 3 Game Picks: Can USF take another in-state scalp in Week 3?
The biggest surprise of Week 2 in college football was USF turning over Florida; that’s why the Bulls have made it once more into our Game Picks column. Could they play spoiler to another in-state rival? Elsewhere, we finally get an actual test for Georgia with an SEC foe, and we will see if CJ Carr can get his first win as Fighting Irish QB.
Here are my picks for an exciting week 3 of college football.
Georgia at Tennessee, 3.30PM ET / 8.30PM GMT, ABC
Georgia favoured by 3.5 points
This SEC battle between the Bulldogs and the Vols will finally show us whether Georgia has a playoff run in them. A pedestrian win over Austin Peay can be seen as sleepwalking at best. QB Gunner Stockton has been truly vanilla. No big-time throws, no turnover-worthy plays and 0 sacks. Surely that has to change here. Although the Vols are still without star corner Jermod McCoy, edge rusher Joshua Josephs has impressed with seven pressures, including two sacks.
On the offense, Joey Aguilar has made sure that ‘Nico-gate’ is firmly in the rear-view mirror. He has passed for 541 yards and five touchdowns. Backing him up is a dominant run game headed by Star Thomas. This Georgia D will be a big test with talent at all three levels. I think they have a dominant day in Neyland and the ‘Dawgs come out on top.
Pick: Georgia to cover
Pittsburgh at West Virginia, 3.30PM ET / 8.30PM GMT, ESPN
Pittsburgh favoured by 7.5 points
Coming off the back of a loss to Ohio, Rich Rodriguez could probably do without the Backyard Brawl rivalry game. Even with three turnovers, the Mountaineers couldn’t get their offense to click, and that does not bode well for this week. QB Nicco Marchiol completed less than 60% of his passes, and that has led to question marks over whether he can continue to hold on to the starting job.
That’s quite the opposite of Pitt, who are continuing to enjoy the experience that Alabama transfer Eli Holstein gives them. He’s thrown for eight touchdowns in the opening two weeks, and I find it difficult to see the Mountaineers slowing him down. The Panthers’ defense has recorded six sacks in the opening two fixtures, so this could be a one-sided affair.
Pick: Pittsburgh to cover
USF at Miami, 4.30PM ET / 9.30PM GMT, The CW
Miami favoured by 17.5 points
The biggest surprise of the college football season so far has undoubtedly been South Florida. Led by Head Coach Alex Golesh, the Bulls have beaten Boise State and then pulled a major upset against Florida. Keeping the Gators to only 16 points was a great effort by USF, and they will need to produce a similar performance given they are 17.5-point underdogs.
Miami will be more wary of the risk the Bulls present. Pass rushing duo Akheem Mesidor and Reuben Bain Jr will make life difficult for the mobile QB Byrum Brown. At the same time, Carson Beck showed off his experience against Notre Dame, and he runs this Hurricanes offense super efficiently. As good as the USF feel-good story is, I don’t think they come out on top here, but 17 points is a lot. Golesh has enough about him to keep it closer than that.
Pick: USF +17.5 points
Florida at LSU, 8.30PM ET / 12.30AM GMT, ABC
LSU favoured by 8.5 points
Staying with Florida, they face the prospect of having to bounce back from their embarrassing loss by taking on LSU. As impressive as their opening day victory over Notre Dame was, the Tigers have since put in a rather tepid performance against Louisiana Tech. Perhaps they had one eye on the Gators’ matchup.
Nussmeier vs Lagway will be the key to this one, and the Tigers’ QB has the edge in terms of experience. On the defensive side of things, the return to form of defensive chess piece Harold Perkins has been a bright spot, while the Gators are pleased to welcome back defensive tackle Caleb Banks from injury. That could be substantial enough to keep this close. I think LSU wins, but Florida covers.
Pick: Florida +8.5pts
Texas A&M at Notre Dame, 8.30PM ET / 12.30AM GMT, NBC
Notre Dame favoured by 7 points
If you want greater detail on what to expect in this matchup, head to our weekly Notre Dame column. It’s a difficult one to predict, given Notre Dame is coming off a bye week and an opening loss to LSU. Their QB CJ Carr flashed potential in the 2nd half, but they majorly underused star running back Jeremiyah Love. If the Irish can get things moving on the ground, it could be a long day for A&M.
There is hope for the Aggies in that their offensive unit does have star power. I’m undecided if Marcel Reed is the complete package at QB, but he is undoubtedly helped by the likes of KC Concepcion, Reuben Owens and Le’Veon Moss. All that points to an exciting matchup here and a close game. The home team gets the edge, but I’ll put the money on A&M keeping it within a score.
Pick: Texas A&M +7.0pts
Rory-Joe Daniels
NFL & Cfb contributor
AS A LONG-SUFFERING CINCINNATI BENGALS FAN, RORY HAS FOLLOWED THE NFL FOR OVER 20 YEARS. HIS PASSION FOR THE DRAFT LED HIM TO GET ENTANGLED WITH COLLEGE FOOTBALL AND HE HAS BEEN WRITING ABOUT PROSPECTS AND THE CFB LANDSCAPE EVER SINCE.