Week 3 College Football Predictions: Tennessee on Upset Alert

The first two weeks of the college football season have brought plenty of excitement to fans around the country. Week 3 began earlier this week with a quintet of games on Thursday and Friday, but the vast majority of teams are in action on Saturday. Deion Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes will be looking to stay perfect as they host their in-state rivals. Tennessee has a tough test on the road against Florida, and Texas will look to keep a grasp on their top-four ranking after last week’s win over Alabama.

Below, we take a look at five best bets worth considering on your Saturday college football card!

Week 3 College Football Bets

Florida State vs. Boston College, Under 47

The #1 sports meteorologist in the industry, Kevin Roth, commented on this matchup earlier in the week and predicted a low-scoring affair due to adverse weather conditions. The total has continued to drop throughout the week, but the number still feels too high. As of this writing, the forecast is still calling for extreme wind gusts and heavy rain remains a possibility. Simply, these are not good conditions for offense, making the under worthy of consideration.

#14 LSU (-9.5) vs. Mississippi State

LSU has not looked great to begin the year, but there is little doubt that they are the more talented football team in this matchup. Mississippi State has only four returning starters on defense, and their offense appears to be operating under significant limitations with a new system being installed. The Bulldogs have placed much more emphasis on the running game, but that could be an issue against a strong LSU front seven. The road favorites could turn this game into a blowout if they avoid turning the ball over.

#10 Alabama vs. South Florida, Under 61.5

Alabama likely saw their national title hopes go out the window last weekend after losing to Texas by double-digits at home. This weekend, they have South Florida, a team that is unlikely to command much of their attention. South Florida has gotten off to a poor start to the year, but they have a respectable linebacker corps and nine returning starters on defense, which should be enough to slow down a limited Alabama offense led by a mediocre quarterback and a struggling (by Alabama standards) run game. Don’t expect much from South Florida’s offense in this matchup – take the under.

South Carolina (+27.5) vs. #1 Georgia

Georgia enters play on Saturday as the top team in the country and are fresh off of back-to-back wins. However, their defense has not generated nearly as much pressure as expected against two weaker opponents, and there is a notable lack of explosiveness from this offense so far in 2023. South Carolina has holes everywhere on their roster, but they have a capable signal caller who should be able to do enough to cover a four-touchdown spread on Saturday afternoon. Do not expect an outright upset here, but a somewhat competitive game is within the realm of reasonable outcomes.

#11 Tennessee vs. Florida (+6)

Florida lacks upside offensively this year without a dual-threat quarterback. However, they have shown enough through two weeks defensively to earn bettors’ trust with a six-point spread at home in this spot. Tennessee is 2-0 entering play, but they have not been tested by any real competition, with wins over Virginia and Austin Peay. This is Tennessee’s first road game of 2023 and their first matchup against a team that is capable of upsetting them. In prime time, the Gators are live dogs.