Dan Mullen picks six of Week 3’s top games, including two Top 20 upsets

Dan Mullen is locking in his prediction for some of the biggest showdowns in Week 3.

The former Florida Gators and Mississippi State Bulldogs leader now cuts his teeth at ESPN, and has a self-proclaimed 12-3 record on the season with his predictions. That bodes well for the teams he believes will find victory in Week 3, and may be a bad omen for the ones he’s picking against.

There’s an exciting slate of showdowns, and Mullen made his choices known for the biggest matchups of the weekend. He isn’t afraid to go out on a limb either, as he picked two Top 20 upsets to take place.

Here’s Mullen’s picks for Week 3, representing who he believes in moving forward in the college football season.

Dan Mullen’s Week 3 Picks, via Twitter:

12-3 on the year. Let’s see if I can keep it going. pic.twitter.com/YjdmwoqKRZ

— Dan Mullen (@CoachDanMullen) September 15, 2023

• No. 14 LSU Tigers (-9.5) over Mississippi State Bulldogs
• No. 11 Tennessee Volunteers (-6.5) over Florida Gators
• No. 8 Washington Huskies (-16) over Michigan State Spartans
• Minnesota Golden Gophers (+7.5) over No. 20 North Carolina Tar Heels
• Illinois Fighting Illini (+14.5) over No. 7 Penn State Nittany Lions
• No. 15 Kansas State Wildcats (-5) over Missouri Tigers

First off, Mullen is betting against his two former schools, but it’s easy to see why he’s picking against them in Week 3.

The Bulldogs are facing a tough challenge, with Brian Kelly and the Tigers on their schedule. After a demoralizing Week 1 loss, LSU took out some frustrations in Week 2, but they’re going to need to continue stacking wins moving forward.

As for the Gators, a showdown with Tennessee is on the docket, another team with College Football Playoff aspirations. While Billy Napier’s bunch is coming off a Week 2 victory, the Volunteers are simply on another level at the moment.

Elsewhere, Mullen predicted Washington take easily take care of Michigan State. This may have been a close game, but the suspension of Mel Tucker has truly put a damper on the showdown’s hype at the moment.

As for Mullen’s upset predictions, he has Minnesota covering against North Carolina, and Illinois covering against Penn State. Whether they outright defeat their ranked opponents remains to be seen, but it tells you something when Mullen is picking against them handling their business.

Finally, the former college football coach has Kansas State getting a victory against an SEC opponent, albeit the Missouri Tigers. The Wildcats have plans on getting back to the top of the Big 12, and out-of-conference victories like this will help.

Time will tell if Dan Mullen’s picks are right in Week 3, but he’s on a hot streak. We’ll be waiting to see his results following this weekend’s action.