College Football Week 3 Upset Watch: Best Underdog Odds to Bet
Revenge could be best served through home upset victories in Week 3 of the college football season.
The Purdue Boilermakers and Missouri Tigers host two Power Five foes that they lost to on the road in 2022.
Purdue barely lost to the Syracuse Orange in upstate New York and it could avenge that loss under the lights at home.
Missouri was walloped by the Kansas State Wildcats on the road last season, and it is expected to provide a better challenge this year thanks to its skill position talent.
The South Alabama Jaguars are not out for revenge against the Oklahoma State Cowboys. They might just catch the Big 12 side, and the rest of the country, off guard with how competitive they are in Stillwater on Saturday.
For the latest lines on these games, go to DraftKings.
Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET, NBC
Purdue had one of the more interesting starts to the season.
Purdue dropped its opener at home to the Fresno State Bulldogs and then went on the road to beat the Virginia Tech Hokies.
The Purdue team we saw in Week 2 should be the one we see for the rest of the season, and that gives us a good idea of how the Boilermakers will compete with Syracuse in Week 3.
Syracuse produced two blowout wins over the Colgate Raiders and Western Michigan Broncos that taught us very little about its 2023 identity.
At least we know both teams have experienced quarterbacks with Garrett Shrader at Cuse and Hudson Card at Purdue.
Shrader led the Orange to a three-point win over Purdue at home last season. A reversal of that result is possible at night in West Lafayette, Indiana.
Purdue righted the ship against Virginia Tech and it should be motivated to win at home after suffering the rough loss to Fresno State.
Look for Card to have a strong day in the pocket and to be complemented by running back Devin Mockobee, who had 95 yards on 21 carries against Virginia Tech.
The Boilermakers could also be buoyed by a home crowd at night, and that could make up the 2.5-point difference on the spread in a game that looks even on paper.
Saturday, Noon ET, SEC Network
Kansas State might be flying directly into a trap against its former Big 12 conference mate.
Missouri has not been too impressive over the first two weeks of the season, but at least it has two wins on the board.
The Tigers can at least say they played good defense against the South Dakota Coyotes and Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders.
Mizzou held both opponents under 20 points and they conceded 239.5 total yards per game.
The SEC East side has home field, an experienced quarterback in Brady Cook and revenge on its mind on Saturday.
Kansas State whooped Missouri 40-12 in Manhattan last season, a game that was dominated by Wildcats running back Deuce Vaughn.
Missouri does not have to deal with Vaughn this time around, and it has the edge with the most talented skill player on the field in wide receiver Luther Burden III, who has 15 receptions for 213 yards.
The way to beat the Kansas State defense is through the air. The Wildcats gave up 218.5 yards per game through the air and 38 rushing yards per contest to open the season.
The Cook-Burden connection could create a few big plays to help the Tigers push K-State for four quarters and potentially land an upset.
Saturday, 7 p.m., ESPN+
Oklahoma State needs to be careful on Saturday night.
Mike Gundy's team hosts one of the best Group of Five teams in the South Alabama Jaguars, who have already been tested in a tough road environment in 2023.
South Alabama fell by 20 points to the Tulane Green Wave in Week 1, and while some may discredit its chances in Stillwater because of that result, the Jaguars are a live underdog.
Oklahoma State is not going to blow many teams out. The Cowboys scored 27 points in each of their two victories.
The Cowboys are still trying to figure out their quarterback situation. Alan Bowman, Garret Rangel and Gunnar Gundy have all thrown for over 100 passing yards so far.
The three quarterbacks combined for an average completion percentage of 65 and they only produced three total touchdown passes.
OK State's lack of offensive firepower will eventually come back to hurt it, and South Alabama could be the perfect team to exploit that.
South Alabama averaged nine more total yards per game through two contests, and it carries a ton of experience into Boone Pickens Stadium on both sides of the ball.
The Jaguars should be motivated to put a better version of themselves on the field after the Tulane loss, and they could catch the Cowboys off guard before they enter Big 12 play.
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