ESPN College Football Predictions: Week 3 Odds & Best Bets

Week 3 gives ESPN viewers a full run of college football from Thursday night through Saturday, with conference games, ranked teams and several spreads that deserve a closer look. These College Football Predictions focus on the ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC matchups, beginning with Syracuse-Pittsburgh on Thursday and No. 5 Miami at Wake Forest on Friday.

Saturday brings the deeper card. No. 9 Texas A&M hosts Kentucky, No. 10 Alabama faces Florida State, No. 16 SMU visits No. 23 Louisville, Florida travels to Auburn, and No. 7 LSU meets No. 8 Ole Miss. Our college football predictions today separate likely winners from the games offering the best college football betting value.

Featured ESPN College Football Games This Week

The ESPN schedule gives bettors a useful mix of short spreads, large favorites and ranked teams playing away from home. These college football game predictions cover every ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC matchup we are following, but the biggest attention will naturally fall on the ranked games and the conference matchups with the most at stake.

The schedule also builds nicely across the week. Syracuse-Pittsburgh gives ESPN a Thursday night ACC matchup before No. 5 Miami takes its unbeaten record to Wake Forest on Friday. Saturday then offers games throughout the day, beginning with North Carolina-Clemson and Tulane-Kansas State at noon and finishing with LSU-Ole Miss and New Mexico-Oklahoma in the evening window.

Matchups With the Biggest National Attention

LSU-Ole Miss is the headliner because both teams are unbeaten and ranked inside the Top 10 and Lane Kiffin returns to Ole Miss to face an angry crowd. SMU-Louisville is the other ranked matchup, with SMU trying to remain unbeaten against a Louisville team that has covered both games. Alabama-Florida State also carries national interest after Florida State beat Alabama 31-17 last season.

Miami-Wake Forest is worth watching Friday because Miami has opened 2-0 straight up and against the spread while scoring 61 points per game. Wake is also 2-0, but has failed to cover either game. That Friday matchup gives Miami a chance to strengthen its Top 5 position before several other ranked teams take the field Saturday.

Games That Could Impact the Rankings

LSU-Ole Miss will move at least one Top 10 team. SMU-Louisville could reshape the middle of the poll, while Texas A&M has a chance to strengthen its No. 9 position against Kentucky. No. 24 Oklahoma also needs a convincing response after losing 17-10 at Michigan. From an NCAA football predictions standpoint, those games carry more ranking risk than the average early-season matchup.

Miami also has something to protect. A road loss at Wake Forest would shake up the Top 5 before Saturday even begins, making Friday night's ESPN game more important than the 23.5-point spread might initially suggest.

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ESPN NCAAF Picks & Predictions

The ESPN NCAAF picks section is where the schedule starts to separate into clear favorites, upset possibilities and games that may stay closer than the point spread suggests. Our college football picks and college football predictions are based on the early-season results, current team profiles, matchup strengths and the current odds for each game.

Predicted Winners

Pittsburgh gets the call over Syracuse on Thursday. The Panthers are 2-0, have not committed a turnover, and are allowing 10.5 points per game. Pitt has also won eight of the last 10 meetings with Syracuse.

Miami should beat Wake Forest on Friday. The Hurricanes have averaged 702.5 yards and 61 points through two games while allowing only 6.5 points. Wake is unbeaten, but the defense has allowed 26 points per game.

On Saturday, North Carolina is our pick to beat Clemson. The Tar Heels are 2-0 and have allowed just 13 points through two games, while Clemson has failed to cover either game. Kansas State should beat Tulane because the Wildcats are averaging 303.5 rushing yards against a Tulane defense allowing 216 rushing yards per game.

Texas A&M is the pick over Kentucky after opening 2-0 straight up and against the spread. Alabama should beat Florida State, but the margin may be smaller than the 18.5-point spread. SMU is our pick to beat Louisville after winning the last two meetings and opening 2-0 with two covers.

Florida gets the edge at Auburn because the Gators have produced more offensively through two games. LSU is our pick over Ole Miss because the Tigers have allowed only 12 points per game and have been especially strong against the run. That matchup should be much more competitive than LSU's first two games, especially with Ole Miss averaging 41 points. Oklahoma should rebound from the Michigan loss and beat New Mexico, but the Sooners have not shown enough offensively for us to expect a comfortable cover.

Potential Upsets to Watch

SMU is the most attractive upset possibility because the Mustangs are +105 on the moneyline at Louisville. North Carolina +168 at Clemson is another live underdog. New Mexico is not our pick to win at Oklahoma, but a 2-0 team getting 21.5 points deserves respect.

Games That Could Be Closer Than Expected

Syracuse-Pittsburgh could stay tighter than Pitt's 9.5-point spread if Syracuse's passing game travels. Alabama-Florida State also fits here because Florida State beat Alabama last season and is getting 18.5 points. Oklahoma-New Mexico may be another game where the favorite wins without separating enough to cover a large number.

ESPN NCAAF Odds & Betting Preview

The college football odds across the ESPN slate range from short underdog prices to spreads above three touchdowns. That creates very different betting decisions. Some games offer a reasonable moneyline alternative, while others are better approached through the spread or total. Bettors looking at the full board can compare the current NCAAF market on the Prime Sportsbook college football page.

The wide range of numbers also makes comparison important. A short favorite can require a completely different betting approach than a team laying more than 20 points.

How the Betting Markets Compare

The shortest spreads on the ESPN board are Louisville -2.5 against SMU, Florida -2.5 at Auburn and LSU -2.5 at Ole Miss. Clemson is -4.5 against North Carolina. Pittsburgh is -9.5 against Syracuse.

The larger favorites include Texas A&M -14.5 against Kentucky, Alabama -18.5 against Florida State, Kansas State -19.5 against Tulane, Oklahoma -21.5 against New Mexico and Miami -23.5 at Wake Forest.

Those college football betting odds make the underdogs in the short-spread games more interesting than blindly taking every favorite. SMU +2.5 and North Carolina +4.5 both come with realistic upset possibilities. New Mexico +21.5 is different because the Lobos are unlikely to win outright, but the spread leaves much more margin for error.

The totals also offer variety. Syracuse-Pittsburgh is 53.5, Miami-Wake Forest 56.5, North Carolina-Clemson 44.5, Tulane-Kansas State 50.5, Kentucky-Texas A&M 48.5, Florida State-Alabama 50.5, SMU-Louisville 60.5, Florida-Auburn 53.5, LSU-Ole Miss 59.5 and New Mexico-Oklahoma 49.5.

Factors That Could Move the Odds

Clemson quarterback Christopher Vizzina is being evaluated for an elbow injury, while Ole Miss tight end Caleb Odom could return against LSU after missing the Charlotte game. The biggest ESPN-specific market factors are likely to be late injury news and heavy public support for highly ranked favorites.

Large spreads are especially sensitive to movement. Miami -23.5, Oklahoma -21.5 and Kansas State -19.5 can become less attractive quickly if the number climbs. Bettors unfamiliar with how those numbers work can review Prime's guide to betting the spread.

Best Bets for This Week's ESPN College Football Games

The college football betting picks below are intentionally narrower than our prediction list. We are not trying to turn every ESPN game into a wager. Our college football best bets come from spots where the team profile and the number still leave enough room for value.

Underdogs Worth Considering

SMU +2.5 is the first underdog to consider. The Mustangs are 2-0 and have covered both games, while Louisville is 1-1 despite covering twice. SMU has also won the last two meetings. The +105 moneyline is attractive for bettors who prefer the outright upset.

North Carolina +4.5 is another strong underdog option. The Tar Heels are 2-0, Clemson is 1-1 and has failed to cover either game, and North Carolina's defense has allowed only 6.5 points per game.

New Mexico +21.5 is the larger underdog worth watching. The Lobos are 2-0 straight up and against the spread, have not committed a turnover, and are averaging 246 rushing yards per game. Oklahoma should win, but asking the Sooners to cover more than three touchdowns is a different question.

Matchups Worth Watching Before Kickoff

Texas A&M -14.5 is our top pick for big favorite on the ESPN slate. The Aggies have covered both games and are allowing only 10 points per game. Kentucky just lost 45-17 to Alabama.

Florida-Auburn Under 53.5 remains our favorite total. Both defenses are allowing 12 points per game, Auburn's first two games stayed Under, and three of the last four meetings also finished below the total.

LSU -2.5 is another spread worth considering because the Tigers' defense has been stronger than Ole Miss through two games. For broader football markets beyond college, Prime also lists its football betting options here.

Final ESPN College Football Predictions

The ESPN slate gives us a better mix of viewing and betting options than simply chasing the highest-ranked teams. The strongest college football upset picks are SMU at Louisville and North Carolina at Clemson, while New Mexico +21.5 has value even though Oklahoma remains the predicted winner.

Biggest Takeaways Before Game Day

LSU-Ole Miss is the game with the most national weight, but SMU-Louisville may be the better betting matchup. Texas A&M -14.5 is the larger favorite we trust most, while Florida-Auburn Under 53.5 is the total that stands out.

Miami should stay unbeaten at Wake Forest, but laying 23.5 points on the road carries more risk than simply picking the Hurricanes to win. Pittsburgh also has the stronger Thursday profile, though Syracuse has enough passing production to keep that game competitive.

Games Worth Following This Week

Start with Syracuse-Pittsburgh on Thursday, then watch Miami-Wake Forest on Friday. Saturday's best sequence is Texas A&M-Kentucky, Alabama-Florida State, SMU-Louisville, Florida-Auburn and LSU-Ole Miss. Oklahoma-New Mexico closes the ESPN2 portion of the night with an unbeaten underdog trying to stay within a large spread.

ESPN College Football Predictions FAQs

The ESPN schedule changes every week, but some of the basic questions around the college football season remain the same. Here are quick answers to several common questions that come up when following rankings, conference races and weekly betting lines.