If it wasn't for Clemson mailing in their fourth quarter last week, we would have started our 2020 college football picks a perfect 3-0. But we’ll never say no to profit, so let’s try to keep that rolling with some more NCAA football predictions this week.
We are still a week away from the SEC joining the fray, but the college football betting board is still chock-full of value in Week 3, including another strong performance from a Sun Belt team and an epic ACC showdown.
The Triple Option returns with my best college football picks and predictions for Week 3.
NCAA Football Picks and Predictions for Week 3
Miami Hurricanes vs Louisville Cardinals
Louisville came through for us last week, taking down the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers 35-21 as an 11.5-point favorite, and we’re soaring with the Cardinals once again, even against some stiffer competition this week.
Miami and graduate-transfer QB D'Eriq King got off to a bit of a slow start last week, but showed what makes him so dynamic as The U pulled away from UAB 31-14, covering the spread as a two-touchdown favorite.
King ended up going 15-for-23 for 141 yards and a touchdown while adding 83 yards and a score on the ground. And starting running back Cam’Ron Harris ran through the Blazers for 134 yards and two touchdowns. While the Cardinals defense was gashed by the run last season, they limited the Hilltoppers to just 3.4 yards per carry.
But what makes the Cardinals slight favorites is what they’ve got going on the offensive side of the ball. The Cardinals may have the most underrated offense in the country, led by their three-headed monster of QB Micale Cunningham, RB Javian Hawkins and WR Tutu Atwell.
Louisville picked up where it left off last season, racking up 487 yards versus WKU. And while the Hurricanes won last year’s matchup in a blowout, they did it through the air and didn’t do anything to slow down Cunningham, Hawkins and Atwell.
Miami is a talented bunch, but the offense may be a bit one-dimensional and King might not be the best quarterback in this game. Expect Scott Satterfield and Louisville to make a big statement on national television and pull out the win against a solid opponent.
PREDICTION: Louisville -2.5 (-110)
Appalachian State Mountaineers vs Marshall Thundering Herd
You may have heard, but the Sun Belt dummied the Big 12 last week, going 3-0 straight up against the Power Five conference. And you could make the argument that the best Sun Belt team didn’t even partake in that.
Appalachian State is the two-time defending conference champion and finished last season ranked in the Top 25. It got its 2020 campaign off on the right foot by taking down Charlotte 35-20, although the Mountaineers failed to cover the 16-point spread. Now, they take on a Marshall team that also hopes to make some noise as a Group of Five school.
The Mountaineers got off to a slow start against the 49ers, but ended up with a ridiculous 308 rushing yards. One of the reasons for the slow start was that senior QB Zac Thomas wasn't as sharp as he normally is, but the dual-threat signal caller has been a huge part of the Mountaineers rise to dominance in the Sun Belt. His game brings balance to the Mountaineers attack, and if he can get rolling in this one, App State will be hard to stop.
Meanwhile, Marshall redshirt freshman QB Grant Wells will face his first real challenge in college football after a cakewalk last week against Eastern Kentucky.
Expect App State to clean up its mistakes from last week, limit the explosive plays from Marshall and take down the Herd with a balanced attack on the way to winning by a touchdown.
PREDICTION: Appalachian State -4.5 (-125)
UCF Knights vs Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
We hit with a solid underdog last week with Louisiana at +11.5, so can we do it again in Week 3 with the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, who are coming off a huge upset 16-13 win over Florida State in Tallahassee as 13-point underdogs? You’re damn right we can!
Georgia Tech, who famously ran the triple-option offense for years, are in Year 2 of transitioning to a spread offense under Geoff Collins, and the head coach got an important piece to the puzzle this offseason in freshman quarterback Jeff Sims.
Sims was a little shaky in the first half in Tallahassee, but ended up going 24-35 for 277 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions while adding 64 yards on the ground. And the Georgia Tech defense did their part to help out as well, limiting Florida State to 4.3 yards per play and recorded three sacks and three turnovers.
Meanwhile, Dillon Gabriel will be back under center for what should be another explosive Knights offense (despite losing some starters from last season). That said, this is UCF’s first game of the season and it had 10 players opt out before the schedule started.
UCF will probably win this one, but I like Georgia Tech to keep this one close while the Knights work some kinks out.
PREDICTION: Georgia Tech +7.5 (-110)
Last week's NCAAF record: 2-1
Triple Option NCAA football betting card for Week 3
- Louisville -2.5 (-110)
- Appalachian State -4.5 (-125)
- Georgia Tech +7.5 (-110)
Did you know that if you parlayed this week’s NCAA Triple Option picks, you could win $55.60 on a $10 bet?
Use our NCAA parlay calculator to create your own parlays and see their potential payouts.
Where can I bet on college football?
You can bet on college football odds at every online and casino sportsbooks, including NCAA football point spreads, Over/Under totals, derivative bets and even prop plays as well. Head over to our best-suggested sportsbooks for the top spots to bet on college football odds in your area.
