NCAAF Week 3 Preview

By Owen Pannell | KZA Sports

The first 2 weeks of the season have certainly lived up to the hype, and I definitely expect week 3 to as well. Let’s get y’all ready for a packed weekend of football.

Biggest Games

1. Georgia (-3.5) at Tennessee - 3:30 pm ET

Whoever wins this game will be universally recognized as a top 3 team in the SEC. If Georgia goes on the road and beats the Vols, we’ll have to talk about them as a major contender. They did struggle vs Austin Peay, and Tennessee has looked pretty good so far. It’s going to be a great game.

2. South Florida at Miami (-16.5) - 4:30 pm ET

It might be crazy to put this at 2, but I am SO excited for this game. If South Florida wins, there is 0 argument for them not to be a top 5 team. Miami is definitely beatable, but it will certainly be a tough task for USF, which is reflected by the spread.

3. Clemson (-3.5) at Georgia Tech - 12:00 pm ET

Clemson has certainly been shaky so far, while the Yellow Jackets have been good. The Tigers are favored by 3.5, but on the road vs a Georgia Tech team who fears nobody will be very difficult. I don’t love this matchup for GT, but sometimes that doesn’t matter in games like these.

4. Texas A&M at Notre Dame (-6.5) - 7:30 pm ET

When this game is number 4, you know you’re in for a treat. A&M goes to South Bend after 2 decent G6 victories. Their defense doesn’t look great, but the Irish are beatable for sure, as demonstrated in week 1. This is a must win for Notre Dame, starting 0-2 would be detrimental, and coming off of an early season bye week, they’ll be hard to stop.

5. Vanderbilt at South Carolina (-5.5) - 7:45 pm ET

South Carolina looked rough vs SC State, and the Commodores are coming off of a great win over Virginia Tech. The spread is a lot closer than I would have expected. It’s going to be a great game, and if Vandy wins, they have a shot for a playoff spot honestly.

HM. Florida at LSU (-7.5) - 7:30 PM ET

This matchup lost a lot of it’s luster after Florida lost, but it’s still going to be a good one. LSU needs to get a big win to secure themselves as one of the top teams in the country, and if Florida loses it will be very hard to see a path to the CFP for them.

Weekday Games

Thursday: NC State (-6.5) at Wake Forest - 7:30 pm ET

This is a solid game for all the die hard college football fans who would rather watch this than the Thursday night NFL game. NC State is coming off of an impressive win over Virginia, and Wake Forest is a team that they should definitely beat, but Thursday night in Winston-Salem could be a little crazy.

Friday: Colorado at Houston (-4.5) - 7:30 pm ET

I honestly don’t know what the QB situation is with Colorado, the report came out that it was going to be Ryan Staub, but then Coach Prime sort of rebutted that. Either way, this Colorado team really needs a road victory, and Houston is off to a good 2-0 start, and they want to make that 3-0.

Kansas State (-1.5) at Arizona - 9:00 pm ET

Kansas State is trash, but Arizona is a team they could beat. The Wildcats (Arizona) have looked impressive in their first 2 wins, but Kansas State is far superior to their opponents. If they get this win, that will be a huge boost of confidence for this squad. Kansas State however, needs this win ore else they are at huge risk of not even making a bowl game, which would be atrocious.

Biggest Storylines

- Is Clemson actually terrible?

Clemson needs to win this game against Georgia Tech or else I, along with most of the country, is completely out on them. They need to look at this as a must win game, and it certainly will not be an easy task to get this done.

- South Florida National Title contenders?

It’s just a fact that if South Florida wins on Saturday, they will be recognized as National Title contenders. Beating Miami is going to be very tough, but honestly not impossible. We could witness something legendary folks.

- Has Notre Dame fallen off?

Notre Dame looked pretty mid vs Miami, and now they’ve got a massive game vs Texas A&M. If they lose, Irish fans should start to panic because an 0-2 start without a conference could be deadly.

- Vandy legit?

In a huge game vs South Carolina, Diego Pavia and Vanderbilt have a chance to show that they meant what they said all offseason. I’m not saying this win would make them contenders, but it would show that they are a very good football team.

Players to watch

- Vanderbilt QB Diego Pavia

Like I just mentioned, Pavia has a chance to prove that he is a legit top 10 QB in the country. Going on the road vs big time competition is always a chance to shine, and we’ll see if he does.

- Georgia Tech QB Haynes King

King is certainly a threat as a runner, but going against the Clemson defensive line will make it very tough for him. For Georgia Tech to win this game, he needs to be able to do his thing.

- Tennessee QB Joey Aguilar

So far it’s looked like the Vols have won the QB trade, but how will Aguilar preform against an elite defense? If he goes out and balls, we might have a serious playoff team on our hands.

- Florida RB Jadan Baugh

On the road in Death Valley, having a run game is very important for success. Jadan Baugh needs to be great to take the load off of Lagway’s shoulders, or the Gators have no chance.

- Texas A&M LB Taurean York

York will be crucial in stopping the lethal Notre Dame rushing attack. The leader of that A&M defense, without him being great, it’ll be very hard for the Aggies to get the win.

Game Predictions

- NC State (-6.5) at Wake Forest: NC State

NC State should easily be able to take care of the Demon Deacons, I don’t think the spread should be this close.

- Colorado at Houston (-4.5): Colorado

No matter who they’ve got at QB, I like the Buffs' roster a lot more than I like Houston’s. Give me Colorado to reverse cover.

- Kansas State (-1.5) at Arizona: Arizona

I actually have no idea how Kansas State is favored, but I’ll still take Arizona.

- Oklahoma (-21.5) at Temple: Oklahoma

This spread has been shrinking fast, but I’m still not worried. The Sooners will dominate Temple, and cover.

- Oregon (-27.5) at Northwestern: Oregon

The Ducks will easily win this, but it’ll be interesting to see if they can cover the spread, 28 points is a lot.

- Clemson (-2.5) at Georgia Tech: Clemson

I know the popular pick would be Georgia Tech, but I still believe Clemson is a talented team, and Dabo will have them ready for this game.

- Wisconsin at Alabama (-20.5): Alabama

Wisconsin is not a good team and, coming off a huge win, I expect the Tide to be rolling.

- Georgia (-3.5) at Tennessee: Georgia

I think Kirby Smart and Georgia will go on the road and get a big win over the Vols. It’ll be a great game though.

- USC (-20.5) at Purdue: Purdue

This is a stunner. Purdue has looked solid so far, and I think the Trojans might go into Lafayette sleep walking a little. Give me the 21 point dawgs.

- Washington State at North Texas (-5.5): Washington State

Wazzu has looked solid so far, and with the Mean Green stumbling a little last week, I think the Cougars can get this win.

- Pittsburgh (-6.5) at West Virginia: Pittsburgh

West Virginia looked pretty bad vs Ohio last weekend and I don’t expect them to be better against a good Pitt team in the Backyard Brawl.

- South Florida at Miami (-17.5): South Florida

Another big upset, I think the Bulls will finish the magical run with a MASSIVE win over Miami, that’ll put them in the top 5.

- Arkansas at Ole Miss (-7.5): Ole Miss

Austin Simmons needs to take care of the football, but I think the Rebels will just beat Arkansas with pure talent.

- Florida at LSU (-7.5): LSU

LSU had a mid game vs Louisiana Tech, but Florida lost to USF. Give me the Tigers.

- Texas A&M at Notre Dame (-6.5): Texas A&M

I don’t love the Notre Dame team this year, and I think the Aggies might be solid. I’ve got A&M in an upset.

- Vanderbilt at South Carolina (-4.5): South Carolina

Vandy will keep it close for a minute, but I think South Carolina will pull away in the 2nd half.

- Duke at Tulane (-1.5): Duke

Darian Mensah will have a huge game against his former team, and after the embarrassment they took vs Illinois, they’re ready for revenge.

- Minnesota (-2.5) at California: Minnesota

Minnesota has been solid so far, and a 3-0 start would be great. I’ve got the Gophers to cover.

- Boston College (-13.5) at Stanford: Boston College

Stanford is just very trash. Boston College will dominate this one even though they are on the road.

- Memphis (-3.5) at Troy: Troy

Troy looked good against Clemson, and I think Tae Meadows will have a great game and lead them to victory.

- Florida Atlantic at Florida International (-2.5): FIU

FAU is not great this year, but I actually think FIU is decent. I think they can get a good win in a rivalry game.

- Old Dominion at Virginia Tech (-7.5): Virginia Tech

I love Old Dominion and they could keep it close for a while, but Virginia Tech is just the better team.

- App State (-2.5) at Southern Miss: Southern Miss

Southern Miss almost beat Mississippi State, who we now know is a solid team, so give me the Golden Eagles.

- Central Michigan at Michigan (-27.5): Michigan

Michigan needs a big bounce back game, and I think they get the win but do not cover.

- Jacksonville State at Georgia Southern (-3.5): Jacksonville State

Jacksonville State should definitely be favored in this game, but I guess I’ll take it as an upset pick.

KZACFBpicks scoring system:

-35+ = 0.5 points

-21.5-34.5 = 1 point

-15.5-21 = 1.5 points

-11-15 = 2 points

-7-10.5 = 2.5 points

-3.5-6.5 = 3 points

-0.5-3 = 3.5 points

+0.5-3 = 4.5 points

+3.5-6.5 = 5 points

+7-10.5 = 5.5 points

+11-15 = 6 points

+15.5-21 = 6.5 points

+21.5-34.5 = 7.5 points

+35+ = 10 points

You can find Owen Pannell on X here.

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