Week 3 of the college football season doesn't have quite as many marque matchups as the previous two weeks, but from a betting perspective there are still a handful of games to keep a close eye on.
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Last week I completely nailed Alabama -44 at home to Fresno State. The Tide's 41-10 victory was never close to covering despite an offense that racked up 497 yards versus the Bulldogs' 274. Last Saturday was the quintessential affair in which Bama doesn't cover at home as a huge favorite one week after crushing a highly ranked opponent.
Now to what I didn't predict so well: Navy at home to Tulane.
It looked like the Midshipmen would run all over the Green Wave after a dominating first quarter, and once Tulane starting QB Jonathan Banks went down, I thought the rout was on.
But Tulane hung tough all day, matched Navy evenly on time of possession, and caused two critical turnovers.
Oh well, you can't win them all, so onward to this coming weekend.
Here are your college football odds for week 3 along with a few point spreads I think you should pay close attention to.
[All spreads are courtesy of Sportsbook.ag. Lines fluctuate as bets are made, so check out their website for up-to-the-minute odds.]
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Utah -27 vs. San Jose State
San Jose State looked like a tired squad already playing its third game of the season last week as it got crushed by Texas 56-0 in game it never came close to covering. The Spartans desperately need a bye week, but that won't happen until week 8.
I see deja vu all over again as Utah wins big.
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Coastal Carolina -1.5 at UAB
Just like I told you during week 1, Coastal Carolina might be your sneaky-good pick every week. The point spreads continue to be in the Chanticleers favor most likely due to a betting public that doesn't know much about this team currently transitioning from the FCS to the FBS.
The point spread here is too good to pass up especially since CCU was off last week while UAB traveled and lost 51-31 to Ball State.
Jump all over the Chanticleers and the -1.5.
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Texas Tech vs. Arizona State Over 77
77 is the over-under for Arizona State's trip to Lubbock to take on Texas Tech. Jump on the over now as I wouldn't be surprised if it jumped up to 80 by kickoff.
These two teams have participated in more shootouts the past few years than almost any other FBS teams, so expect a game where both squads score in the high 40s or even 50s.
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Ohio State -30 vs. Army
Yes, I know Army's athletes are nowhere near the caliber of Ohio State, but I just have a hard time believing Urban Meyer will run up the score on a service academy on national TV. I'm also betting on the fact that the Black Knights option attack will help in the time of possession battle to help limit the number of snaps the Buckeyes' offense gets.
I'm also banking on Army running a few trick plays like this one last week that sealed the deal on a comeback win at home against Buffalo.
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Duke -14 vs. Baylor
It is an absolute mess in Waco as Baylor has opened the season with two straight home loses to Liberty and UT San Antonio. What's especially concerning is the Bears' potent offense of recent years was totally missing last weekend: 10 points, 274 total yards, and only 21 minutes of possession time.
Oh, and Duke looked fantastic at home last week in a dominating 41-17 win over Northwestern. Take the Blue Devils this week and consider betting against Baylor all season long.
ALL COLLEGE FOOTBALL ODDS FOR WEEK 3
Thursday, September 14
New Mexico at Boise State (-16.5)
Friday, September 15
UMass at Temple (-14.5)
Arizona (-20) at UTEP
Illinois at South Florida (-17)
Saturday, September 16
Kentucky at South Carolina (-6.5)
Arizona State at Texas Tech (-7.5)
Fresno State at Washington (-33.5)
Army at Ohio State (-30)
Oregon State at Washington State (-19)
Air Force at Michigan (-24.5)
Kent St. at Marshall (-15)
Notre Dame (-13.5) at Boston College
Connecticut at Virginia (-10)
Cincinnati at Miami (OH) (-4.5)
Coastal Carolina (-1.5) at UAB
Baylor at Duke (-14)
Georgia State at Penn State (-38)
Florida International vs. Indiana (-25.5)
UCLA (-3.5) at Memphis
Iowa State (-9.5) at Akron
Oklahoma State (-14) vs. Pittsburgh
Northern Illinois at Nebraska (-14)
Kansas at Ohio (-8.5)
Utah State at Wake Forest (-13.5)
Virginia Tech (-21) at East Carolina
Purdue at Missouri (-7)
North Texas at Iowa (-21.5)
Louisiana at Texas A&M (-23.5)
Bowling Green at Northwestern (-22)
Tulane at Oklahoma (-33.5)
Tennessee at Florida (-5.5)
SMU at TCU (-18.5)
Louisiana Tech at Western Kentucky (-7)
Clemson (-3) at Louisville
Central Michigan at Syracuse (-10.5)
Appalachian State (-24) at Texas State
Colorado State at Alabama (-28.5)
Tulsa at Toledo (-8)
Idaho at Western Michigan (-17)
Southern Miss (-6.5) at Louisiana Monroe
Oregon (-13.5) at Wyoming
Kansas State (-4) at Vanderbilt
Rice at Houston (-22.5)
Troy (-6.5) at New Mexico State
LSU (-6.5) at Mississippi State
Georgia Tech (-2.5) at Central Florida
Ole Miss (-3.5) at California
Stanford (-9.5) at San Diego State
Texas at USC (-17)
San Jose State at Utah (-27)
