Week 3 College Football Picks: Betting LSU-Ole Miss and Other Key Matchups

Week three of the college football season might be light on depth, but it could feature the most anticipated matchup of the year. Lane Kiffin and company make their return to Oxford for the first time since his highly public exit this past fall. That game could get ugly, but it’s not the only fun game of the Saturday slate. Here are this week’s picks for the games of the week.

#16 SMU vs #23 Louisville (-1.5) Total 58.5

When I look at this line, I feel like I’m falling into a trap. I have no idea how Louisville is only a point-and-a-half favorite. SMU has been one of the more consistent programs in the ACC the last two years, but I’ve never felt they’ve had the guns to compete with a truly competent offense.

Louisville QB Lincoln Keinholz is just the next play-caller in the Jeff Brohm QB tree to take their game to another level under him. However, Louisville is just incredibly deep all around on offense. Four different receivers for the Cardinals have at least 96 receiving yards this year, and I expect another air raid this week against SMU. I love Louisville and the over in this one.

Pick: Louisville -1.5 and o58.5

#7 LSU (-3) vs #8 Ole Miss Total: 58.5

I know LSU looked phenomenal in their week one matchup against Clemson, but have we considered that Clemson is terrible and that LSU isn’t already a sleeping powerhouse? Since Kiffin left Ole Miss, the media has seemed to write off this iteration of the Rebels, but I still feel that they’re one of the best offenses in the country.

In what will be one of the biggest games of the college football season, I’m going to trust the team with better QB play. Trinidad Chambliss has shown up in every big moment for Ole Miss, while Sam Leavitt is coming off a three-interception performance against Louisiana Tech. I don’t have a feel for the total, but I just think there’s no chance Ole Miss loses this game at the Grove.

Pick: Ole Miss +3

West Virginia vs #25 Virginia (-10.5) Total: 53.5

The Duke’s Mayo Classic, taking place at the Carolina Panthers’ home stadium, is a measuring-stick game for Virginia. Rich Rodriguez has the challenging job of reviving the Mountaineers in his second term as head coach back in Morgantown, but I don’t think this team is ready to compete with any truly ranked opponents, especially one as solid as the Cavaliers.

Beau Pribula continues to be the most underrated quarterback in the country, and he’s turning this Virginia offense into one of the nation’s better rushing attacks. Virginia is 19th in the nation in rushing yards per game and will once again lean on Pribula and Xay Davis to control the flow of this game. I think this game will stay pretty low-scoring, and Virginia will pick up a win that puts them in the national limelight.

Pick: u53.5 and Virginia -10.5