College Football Picks Week 3: Best Favorites to Bet Before Odds Change
The Colorado Buffaloes did not need any extra motivation to beat the Colorado State Rams on Saturday.
But they sure got it from CSU head coach Jay Norvell, who criticized Deion Sanders on a radio show earlier this week.
Sanders responded in the only way he knows how at Colorado's practice on Thursday, as he proclaimed the in-state matchup as "personal".
Colorado was probably going to beat Colorado State at home anyway, but now the Pac-12 side has extra incentive to not just win, but pile on to cover the 24-point spread.
College football bettors understandably rushed to bet the Buffaloes after the exchange of words between Norvell and Sanders. If anything, the comments added juice to a late-night contest that not many fans would have cared for prior to Thursday.
For the latest lines on these games, go to DraftKings.
Saturday, 10 p.m. ET, ESPN
Poor Colorado State.
Poor, poor Colorado State.
The Rams are about to get destroyed by Colorado's collection of NFL talent on Saturday night.
That might have been the case regardless of any comments from the Rams' head coach, but now that there is extra fuel into the rivalry game, the Mountain West side could easily lose by 30 points.
Colorado State's head coach does not really have any room to talk after giving up 50 points to the Washington State Cougars in its opening contest.
The Rams were gashed for 556 total yards by a Cam Ward-led offense that likes to throw the ball as much as Colorado.
Colorado averaged 509.5 yards per game in its first two wins over the TCU Horned Frogs and Nebraska Cornhuskers.
Shedeur Sanders, Travis Hunter and Co, should run rampant against the CSU defense, and they could match their early season high of 45 points set in Week 1.
Colorado also has internal motivation to play a sharp four quarters. The Buffaloes must be the best version of themselves ahead of their Pac-12 conference opener against the Oregon Ducks.
Saturday, 5 p.m. ET, Peacock
Michael Penix Jr. and the Washington Huskies should roll inside Spartan Stadium.
The Huskies quietly put up a 2-0 record at home against the Boise State Broncos and Tulsa Golden Hurricane.
Penix, who could be a Heisman Trophy finalist, threw for 859 yards and eight touchdowns in those two victories.
The left-handed quarterback is expected to post high passing totals against a Michigan State defense that has not been tested yet in 2023.
The Spartans eased themselves into the season with wins over the Central Michigan Chippewas and Richmond Spiders. Expectations were not high in East Lansing going into 2023, and Saturday could be the first of a handful of double-digit losses.
Penix will not be intimidated one bit by the Big Ten environment since he played in the conference with the Indiana Hoosiers before transferring to Washington.
The Penix-Rome Odunze combination should overwhelm the Michigan State secondary and give the Huskies a sizeable advantage by halftime. The only concern about a spread bet not cashing is if Washington rests some of its stars and Michigan State earns a backdoor cover.
His homecoming to Big Ten country should go well and Washington will likely leave with a 3-0 mark as it heads into Pac-12 play.
Saturday, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN+
The Toledo Rockets caught our attention in Week 1, when they almost beat the Illinois Fighting Illini on the road.
Toledo rebounded from that loss with a 71-3 thumping of the Texas Southern Tigers from the FCS in Week 2.
The Rockets come into their matchup with the San Jose State Spartans averaging 482.5 total yards per game. That is almost 100 yards per contest more than the Mountain West side produced in three games.
San Jose State was walloped by the Oregon State Beavers and USC Trojans in Weeks 0 and 1. The Spartans conceded 98 points in those defeats.
Toledo's offensive stars are not on par with the Pac-12 powers, but it is more than capable of putting up around 30 points behind quarterback Dequan Finn, who had 305 total yards against Illinois.
Finn should hurt the Spartans in both aspects of the offense to lead the Rockets to a nice nonconference win inside the Glass Bowl.
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