College Football Week 3 Expert Picks, Predictions For Ole Miss-LSU And More

Can Ole Miss spoil Lane Kiffin’s return to Oxford? Will Houston prove it is a legitimate Big 12 contender against defending conference champion Texas Tech? And which teams will make an early statement in SEC play? The college football season rolls into Week 3 with a loaded slate headlined by LSU-Ole Miss. Kiffin returns to a hostile environment for one of the most anticipated games on the college football calendar. Elsewhere, Houston and Texas Tech meet Friday night on FOX, Kansas and Arizona State battle in London for “Big Noon Kickoff,” and SMU faces Louisville in a huge ACC showdown with major conference implications. So before Week 3 kicks off, we’re breaking down our straight-up picks and the matchups to watch closely throughout the weekend. Let’s dive into the action. When: Friday, 8 p.m. ET (FOX)Where: Galaxy Stadium, Lubbock, TexasLine: Texas Tech -7.5 RJ Young: HoustonThe Cougars are an experienced roster with a formidable rushing attack, putting up at least 225 rushing yards in each of their first two games. If running back Makhi Hughes can gash the Tech defense, Houston has a chance to pull off a remarkable upset, even as a top-25 team. Laken Litman: Texas TechIn what will be one of the better regular season matchups, the Red Raiders get their biggest conference win as they won’t have to play BYU or Utah until potentially meeting in the Big 12 championship game. Michael Cohen: Texas TechThere’s definitely some sneaky upset potential in this one, given how solid Houston has looked to start the season. But the fans in Lubbock have created an elite home environment during this NIL-fueled resurgence, and that should be the difference. Ben Portnoy: Texas TechTexas Tech lost as many top-end defensive players as any team in the country between last year and this year. It’s shown up in spots so far this year, and I think it’s the difference on Saturday and Houston scores a big-time win. When: Saturday, noon ET (FOX)Where: Wembley Stadium, London, EnglandLine: Arizona State -5.5 Young: Arizona StateThe Sun Devils the clear advantage at quarterback with a consistent and precise Cutter Boley. Litman: Arizona State Quarterback Cutter Boley — who leads the Big 12 with 641 passing yards and eight touchdowns through two games — helps the Sun Devils bounce back from their loss to Texas A&M with a conference win over Kansas in London. Cohen: Arizona StateIt’s fair to wonder about a potential letdown for the Jayhawks following last week’s incredibly emotional rivalry game against Missouri. Arizona State bounces back from the loss to Texas A&M to take this one at home. Portnoy: Arizona StateArizona State gave Texas A&M a serious scare, and quarterback Cutter Boley has looked like a natural fit in Kenny Dillingham’s scheme. I like the Sun Devils in this one. When: Saturday, noon ET (ABC)Where: Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium, Fayetteville, ArkansasLine: Georgia -24.5 Young: Georgia Even if the Arkansas defense plays lights out, the offense still has to score. The Dawgs have allowed just three offensive touchdowns in their first two games. Litman: GeorgiaThe Bulldogs get another dominant win before facing Oklahoma next week, and quarterback Gunner Stockton continues to make noise in the Heisman Trophy race (he has 436 passing yards and eight touchdowns through two games). Cohen: GeorgiaThe Bulldogs have come flying out of the gates this season by scoring 133 points in their first two games combined. But they’re also fifth in the country in total defense. That’s far too much balance for Arkansas to handle. Portnoy: Georgia Nothing hard here. Arkansas looked terrible a week ago at Utah. Georgia is still an SEC frontrunner. Dawgs by a lot. When: Saturday, noon ET (ESPN)Where: Memorial Stadium, Clemson, South CarolinaLine: Clemson -3.5 Young: North CarolinaClemson hasn’t demonstrated it can score with any consistency against teams in its weight class, and Carolina has allowed just one offensive touchdown all year. Litman: North CarolinaBill Belichick gets off to a 3-0 start in his second year in Chapel Hill while Clemson continues its slide after naming true freshman Tait Reynolds its new starting quarterback. Cohen: North CarolinaThis might be one of the few times all season when North Carolina will face an opponent that is under just as much scrutiny as the Tar Heels. Things feel really, really messy at Clemson right now. The Tar Heels score an upset. Portnoy: North CarolinaLoser leaves town game for Dabo Swinney and Bill Belichick? Somehow, UNC suddenly has the better vibes at the moment. The Tar Heels win this one as the chatter in the Upstate gets louder. When: Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)Where: Kyle Field, College Station, TexasLine: Texas A&M -16.5 Young: Texas A&M The Aggies not only have more ways they can beat UK, but also a better roster. It can survive some miscues and still get a win against a Kentucky team that looks like upsetting someone — just not A&M. Litman: Texas A&M The Aggies’ defense controls the game and makes a statement as their former defensive coordinator, Jay Bateman, returns to College Station with Kentucky. Cohen: Texas A&MEven though Texas A&M has been somewhat pedestrian this season, the Aggies still have the seventh-most talented roster in the country based on the 247Sports Team Talent Composite. Eventually, talent wins out. They’ll take care of Kentucky. Portnoy: KentuckyI’m still a bit shocked to see how many people have A&M ranked as highly as they do now and during the preseason. Kentucky couldn’t keep pace with Alabama, but I like the Wildcats to score an upset here. When: Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET (ABC)Where: Bryant-Denny Stadium, Tuscaloosa, AlabamaLine: Alabama -19.5 Young: AlabamaMike Norvell’s seat was hot before the season started. Now, he faces a Tide team without the athletic director who hired him to have his back should things go terribly wrong in Tuscaloosa. Litman: AlabamaKeelon Russell improves after throwing two picks in Week 2’s win over Kentucky and Florida State misses its chance to get a statement non-conference win. Cohen: AlabamaIt wouldn’t be too surprising if Florida State went belly up early in this one. Not only is the seat beneath head coach Mike Norvell scorching hot, but the school also just fired its athletics director. Alabama could make this one ugly. Portnoy: AlabamaAlabama scored a nice win last week, rolling Kentucky in the second half. Florida State, meanwhile, fired its AD as heads are starting to roll in Tallahassee. Tide win huge. When: Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET (ESPN2)Where: L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium, Louisville, KentuckyLine: Louisville -1.5 Young: LouisvilleIt’s not just that I liked how the Cardinals performed in their loss to Ole Miss; I also didn’t like how the Mustangs looked in their win over Florida State. Litman: SMUIn a game with CFP implications, the Mustangs stake their claim as the second-best team in the ACC behind Miami as quarterback Kevin Jennings continues to roll. Cohen: LouisvilleJeff Brohm is a darn-good football coach. He’s already transformed raw, athletic quarterback prospect Lincoln Kienholz into a legitimate player — something that never happened when Kienholz was at Ohio State — and the ceiling for this team feels quite high. Portnoy: LouisvilleI really liked what I saw from Louisville Week 1 against Ole Miss. Quarterback Lincoln Kienholz continues to look more comfortable in Jeff Brohm’s offense, and I think he’s the difference here. When: Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET (FOX)Where: Rice-Eccles Stadium, Salt Lake City, UtahLine: Utah -27.5 Young: UtahMorgan Scalley’s first two games have gone so well that I am already looking forward to this game to see more of backup quarterback Byrd Ficklin. Add to this Utah State’s loss to FCS Idaho State earlier this year. Litman: UtahThe No. 6 scoring offense piles up points against an in-state rival and first-year head coach Morgan Scalley improves to 3-0 ahead of Big 12 competition beginning next week. Cohen: UtahKyle Whittingham might be gone, but Utah remains an incredibly solid program. It demolished Arkansas last week and should do the same to Utah State on Saturday. Portnoy: UtahUtah annihilated a bad Arkansas team last week, while Utah State arguably should’ve beaten Washington a week ago. I’ll take Utah, but this game could get spicy if the Aggies hang around late. When: Saturday, 7:00 p.m. ET (ESPN)Where: Jordan-Hare Stadium, Auburn, AlabamaLine: Florida -2.5 Young: FloridaQuarterback Aaron Philo might actually be elite. It helps to have Dallas Wilson and Vernell Brown on your team, but I have been wildly impressed by his decision-making and accuracy this season. Litman: AuburnByrum Brown continues to shine as Alex Golesh’s offensive revamp gets underway in SEC play. Cohen: AuburnThe Tigers have struggled on defense this season and enter the weekend ranked 77th nationally on that side of the ball, but stopping the run hasn’t been the problem. Auburn’s rush defense, which ranks 23rd, bows up and handles Jadan Baugh to score the small upset. Portnoy: FloridaPlain and simple, Florida has the better quarterback in this one. Jadan Baugh draws the headlines, but Aaron Philo has been uber-efficient against a soft opening slate. Jon Sumerall gets his first SEC win. When: Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET (ABC)Where: Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, Oxford, MississippiLine: LSU -3 Young: LSUForget about Lane. Blake Baker’s defense is the best in the country and has everything it needs to upset and frustrate Heisman candidate Trinidad Chambliss. Litman: LSULane Kiffin gets the W in his highly anticipated return to Oxford. While most of the headlines surrounding LSU have been about off-field drama, the Tigers have a talented team that will contend for a CFP spot. Cohen: LSUThe Rebels are at home. The Rebels have the better quarterback. But they don’t have Lane Kiffin. And in a moment like this — when all eyes are on him in a critical moment — the sport’s greatest villain finds a way to get it done. Portnoy: LSUThe only thing I’m certain of in this one is that the kegs in the Grove are going to have their work cut out for them pregame. I’m still skeptical of Ole Miss’ defense long term, even after LSU and quarterback Sam Leavitt looked a bit shaky last week. Lane Kiffin wins the Revenge Bowl in Oxford.