College Football Week 3: Point spreads for every game
Two weeks of college football are already in the books, setting the stage for Week 3 of action as many teams begin conference play. Oddsmakers in Vegas are ready, with some of the opening point spreads for the biggest games of the week already out according to FanDuel.
Week 2 saw Texas travel to Tuscaloosa and take down Alabama behind 349 yards and three touchdowns from quarterback Quinn Ewers. The Longhorns jumped up all the way to No. 4 in the AP poll as a result, their highest ranking since the 2009 season in which they lost in the BCS Championship.
This week’s game features several SEC schools facing off against each other such as Florida-Tennessee and South Carolina-Georgia. It also has matchups between Big 12, Big Ten and ACC schools. You can view the point spread for every college football game in Week 3 below.
No. 3 Florida State (-28.5) at Boston College
Details: Noon ET on Saturday, Sept. 16
Florida State started the year with a 45-24 victory against reigning SEC West champion LSU to cement its early spot among the College Football Playoff contenders. The Seminoles followed that up with a 66-13 win against Southern Miss in Week 2 and again enter their first ACC matchup of the season heavily favored.
Quarterback Jordan Travis has been shown why he’s an early Heisman candidate with 517 yards passing, six touchdowns and an interception thus far. Meanwhile, Boston College dropped its season opener to Northern Illinois and defeated FCS school Holy Cross by only a field goal in Week 2.
No. 7 Penn State (-14.5) at Illinois
Details: Noon ET on Saturday, Sept. 16
Penn State quarterback Drew Allar lived up to his preseason hype in Week 1 against West Virginia with 325 yards and three touchdowns in a 38-15 win. If he can keep that up, it should give the Nittany Lions great balance on offense with running backs Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen.
They run into perhaps their biggest test yet in Week 3 against a Fighting Illini team that led the nation in scoring defense in 2022. Illinois seems to have taken a step back this year, however, as it has given up 62 points in the first two weeks combined. Expect this to be a game Penn State can win with little issue, even on the road.
No. 14 LSU (-8.5) at Mississippi State
Details: Noon ET on Saturday, Sept. 16
It might have seemed like the sky was falling after a Week 1 loss to Florida State, but LSU bounced back with a strong performance this past week. Although it came against an FCS opponent in Grambling State, the Tigers delivered a dominant 72-10 victory as quarterback Jayden Daniels threw for five touchdowns and the team totaled 622 yards.
Now they’ll have a chance to do so against a much better foe as SEC play kicks off against Mississippi State. The Bulldogs bring back quarterback Will Rogers and have been much more willing to run the ball this season, as Jo’Quavious Marks has 250 yards rushing and three touchdowns. With this game taking place in Starkville, things could get interesting in Week 3 of college football.
No. 15 Kansas State (-4.5) at Missouri
Details: Noon ET on Saturday, Sept. 16
The two former Big 12 foes met last season for the first time since Missouri left the conference in 2011, and Kansas State won handily, 40-12. Oddsmakers in Vegas believe this year’s matchup will be much closer.
The Tigers struggled last week to narrowly escape Middle Tennessee by a score of 23-19, so there are still some questions to be answered in Columbia. Wildcats quarterback Will Howard has scored eight total touchdowns (five passing, three rushing) over the first two games as K-State won handily against a pair of low-level opponents.
South Carolina at No. 1 Georgia (-28)
Details: 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, Sept. 16
This hasn’t been a competitive game in either of the past two seasons and Vegas expects that trend to stick in 2023. Even missing some of its top playmakers on offense, Georgia rolled to easy victories against a pair of small schools in the first two weeks.
Now there’s a chance running back Daijun Edwards and receiver Ladd McConkey return to start SEC play, which would only make life more difficult for the Gamecocks. South Carolina will need a big game from Spencer Rattler if it hopes to keep things competitive, but that’s easier said than done against this Bulldogs defense.
Minnesota at No. 20 North Carolina (-6.5)
Details: 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, Sept. 16
This game pits a potent Tar Heels offense against a stout Golden Gophers defense and should be one of the more competitive contests of the week. North Carolina narrowly escaped Appalachian State in double overtime on Saturday as Omarion Hampton broke out for 234 yards rushing and three touchdowns.
UNC will need more out of quarterback Drake Maye, who failed to throw a touchdown this past week, if it hopes to beat Minnesota, though. The Golden Gophers ranked fourth in scoring defense last year and have allowed an average of just 8.0 points through their first two games.
No. 11 Tennessee (-7.5) at Florida
Details: 7 p.m. ET on Saturday, Sept. 16
The Volunteers snapped a five-game losing streak to the Gators last season with a 38-33 victory in Knoxville. However, they have not won at The Swamp, where this year’s matchup will take place, in 20 years.
Tennessee should have a chance to get that monkey off its back, though, thanks to a high-octane offense led by quarterback Joe Milton and running backs Jaylen Wright and Jabari Small. There’s a serious question of whether Florida can keep up with the Vols offensively after managing just 11 points in its season opener against Utah.
BYU at Arkansas (-10.5)
Details: 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, Sept. 16
Arkansas walked out of Provo with a 52-35 win last season and will hope for a similar story this year as BYU heads to Fayetteville. Dual-threat quarterback KJ Jefferson leads an offense that leans heavily on the ground game, but has been an efficient passer when needed.
The Razorbacks were without Raheim “Rocket” Sanders due to a left knee injury in Week 2, however, and there’s a chance he could miss this game as well. That would lead to an increased role for AJ Green and Rashod Dubinion against a BYU defense that has yet to allow 100 yards rushing through two games.
Pittsburgh at West Virginia (-1.5)
Details: 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, Sept. 16
The Backyard Brawl rivalry has been decided by a touchdown or less in five of the past six meetings, so be ready for this game to come down to the wire. Pittsburgh managed a 38-31 win last season but enters 2023 as a slight underdog on the road in Morgantown.
The Panthers are coming off of a 27-21 loss to Cincinnati in Week 2 in which quarterback Phil Jurkovec struggled to go 10-of-32 passing. West Virginia was picked to finish last in the Big 12 in the preseason and has a new starting quarterback in Garrett Greene.
Colorado State at No. 18 Colorado (-22.5)
Details: 10 p.m. ET on Saturday, Sept. 16
First-year coach Deion Sanders has already doubled Colorado’s win total from this past season with two victories to open the year. His son, quarterback Shedeur Sanders, has been one of the best players in college football early on with 903 yards passing and six touchdowns thus far.
The Buffaloes have struggled to run the football early on but should get help soon with Alton McCaskill nearing a return from injury. Colorado State lost its Week 1 matchup to Washington State by a score of 50-24, so expect Sanders’ squad to roll to an easy win and start the season 3-0.
College football Week 3 point spreads
Thursday, Sept. 14
Bethune-Cookman at No. 22 Miami (FL) (N/A)
Navy at Memphis (-16.5)
Friday, Sept. 15
Virginia at Maryland (-13.5)
Army at UTSA (-11.5)
Utah State at Air Force (-9.5)
Saturday, Sept. 16
Georgia Southern at Wisconsin (-16.5)
Liberty at Buffalo (N/A)
Louisville (-10.5) at Indiana
Wake Forest at Old Dominion (N/A)
Long Island University at Baylor (N/A)
Iowa State (-3.5) at Ohio
Central Connecticut at Kent State (N/A)
North Dakota at Boise State (N/A)
Weber State at No. 12 Utah (N/A)
VMI at NC State (N/A)
Massachusetts at Eastern Michigan (N/A)
Norfolk State at Temple (N/A)
Indiana State at Ball State (N/A)
Central Michigan at No. 9 Notre Dame (-31.5)
No. 10 Alabama (-31.5) at South Florida
San Diego State at No. 16 Oregon State (-21.5)
No. 19 Oklahoma (-24.5) at Tulsa
Northwestern at No. 21 Duke (N/A)
Western Michigan at No. 25 Iowa (-26.5)
Virginia Tech at Rutgers (N/A)
Florida International at UConn (N/A)
East Carolina at Appalachian State (N/A)
Western Kentucky at No. 6 Ohio State (-27.5)
Louisiana-Monroe at Texas A&M (-30.5)
No. 24 Tulane at Southern Miss (N/A)
Idaho at California (N/A)
No. 8 Washington at Michigan State (N/A)
North Carolina Central at No. 24 UCLA (N/A)
Northern Colorado at No. 23 Washington State (N/A)
Georgia State at Charlotte (N/A)
Villanova at UCF (N/A)
Samford at Auburn (N/A)
North Texas at Louisiana Tech (N/A)
Murray State at Middle Tennessee (N/A)
Northern Illinois at Nebraska (-13.5)
Vanderbilt (-3.5) at UNLV
Miami (OH) at Cincinnati (-16.5)
South Alabama at Oklahoma State (-8.5)
Tarleton State at Texas Tech (N/A)
Louisiana at UAB (N/A)
Prairie View A&M at SMU (N/A)
Texas Southern at Rice (N/A)
Duquesne at Coastal Carolina (N/A)
Stony Brook at Arkansas State (N/A)
James Madison at Troy (-3.5)
San Jose State at Toledo (N/A)
Bowling Green at No. 2 Michigan (-40.5)
Georgia Tech at No. 17 Ole Miss (-20.5)
Akron at Kentucky (-24.5)
Syracuse at Purdue (-1.5)
Wyoming at No. 4 Texas (-27.5)
Hawaii at No. 13 Oregon (-37.5)
Florida Atlantic at Clemson (-24.5)
New Mexico State at New Mexico (N/A)
Sacramento State at Stanford (N/A)
TCU (-7) at Houston
Jackson State at Texas State (N/A)
Fresno State (-2.5) at Arizona State
UTEP at Arizona (-16.5)
Kansas (-26.5) at Nevada