Week 3.
More conference games are beginning to kick off, including Clemson-Georgia Tech and Northwestern-Oregon in the noon window.
As they do every week, our group of college football betting experts has produced tons of sports betting content for you to consume.
Check out our college football picks and NCAAF best bets for the noon slate on Saturday, Sept. 13.
College Football Picks, Best Bets
The team logos in the table below represent each of the matchups that our college football betting staff is targeting from Saturday's slate of noon games. Click on the team logos for any of the matchups below to navigate to a specific bet discussed in this article.
| Game | Time (ET) | Pick |
|---|---|---|
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Specific betting recommendations come from the sportsbook offering preferred odds as of writing. Always shop for the best price using our NCAAF Odds page, which automatically surfaces the best lines for every game. | ||
Collin's Card: Noon Best Bet
From a historical perspective, Georgia Tech has had issues in this series, going without a win since 2014.
Tech received good news from a health perspective, as quarterback Haynes King returned to the practice field as a full participant.
As for the biggest spark on the Clemson offense, wide receiver Antonio Williams is still considered day-to-day leading up to this game.
Considering the poor play by the Yellow Jackets' secondary, there could be plenty of explosives on the outside for Clemson's targets. Georgia Tech cornerbacks Zachary Tobe and Jy Gilmore have already surrendered a touchdown this season, so an anytime touchdown for Bryant Wesco Jr. — who scored twice against Troy last week — should be considered.
The lack of a running game on the Clemson side, combined with the Yellow Jackets' ability to defend the rush, could force quarterback Cade Klubnik to take to the skies.
Georgia Tech's offense will look to take advantage of a Clemson run defense that ranks 67th nationally in Success Rate allowed.
The Tigers have been mauled by outside zone read so far this season, producing a low 40% Success Rate. Georgia Tech has excelled in several run concepts this season, including a high Success Rate of 57% on outside zone.
Both teams will have opportunities to advance the ball into scoring territory, while special teams may also contribute to improved field position. Clemson ranks 133rd nationally in the latest SP+ special teams rankings, a benefit for Georgia Tech in numerous categories.
Read the entire Clemson-Georgia Tech breakdown and the rest of Wilson's Week 3 picks in this edition of Collin's Card:
Pick: Over 52 (-110, bet365)
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Stuckey's Spots: Noon Best Bet
By Stuckey
Nobody has looked better to start the year than the Ducks, who I had major questions (relative to market) about coming into the season.
I've certainly upgraded Oregon quite a bit after two purely dominant performances. However, I still can't reach this number, even after downgrading Northwestern following a poor showing at Tulane in Week 1, where new quarterback Preston Stone looked awful.
Although losing the turnover battle 5-0 certainly didn't help matters.
It's also worth noting that Oregon has played two home games against an FCS opponent and an Oklahoma State that looks like it could be in the running for the worst Power 4 team once again.
With Penn State on deck and knowing the Nittany Lions are on a bye week, the Oregon staff might elect not to show as much on film here and pull their starters (or rest a few that are dealing with injuries) a bit earlier than normal with a big lead (but the backup quarterback situation is still pretty solid).
The Ducks could also get caught peeking ahead to that top-10 showdown, and they might come out a bit sleepy for an 11 a.m. local kick (8 a.m. PT) on the lake.
From a matchup perspective, the athletic and talent gap between these two teams is drastic. That will be evident from the opening kick, but that's also why we are catching four touchdowns here.
Northwestern head coach David Braun has already hinted at slowing this game down offensively, and Northwestern's defense will, in all likelihood, sell out to prevent explosive plays as usual. Both help a large underdog in theory.
Northwestern caught right around this price last year at home against Ohio State in a game it covered, 31-7. Oregon is likely near the top of many power ratings as of this moment, but it's not in the same league as that Ohio State team to me (at least not yet).
Plus, I still need to see more from quarterback Dante Moore against real competition.
I do worry about the Northwestern receiving corps getting any separation and potential Stone turnovers. The speed on the back end also isn't ideal, and leading rusher Cam Porter is out for the season with an injury.
Regardless, I have to play the spot at this number, but I do need four touchdowns.
Check out the rest of Stuckey's Spots here:
Pick: Northwestern +28 (-110, Caesars)
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BBOC Group of 5 Deep Dive: Noon Best Bet
Bill Connelly's college football rankings place Kent State at 190th nationally, which means multiple Division II teams like Ferris State, Harding and Grand Valley State are above the Golden Flashes.
Even North Central out of Illinois — a Division III team — is only 16 spots behind Kent.
That gives you a feel of the neighborhood the Flashes are playing in right now.
Their offense won't be able to run against Buffalo. The Golden Flashes would be lucky to get 40 rushing yards in this game, which shifts all of the pressure over to the two-quarterback system they're running.
The saying is, if you have two quarterbacks, you have zero quarterbacks, and they have Dru DeShields and CJ Montes.
I don't see this coming together for these guys because it's all been boom or bust for the Flashes through the air. They haven't been efficient.
Buffalo head coach Pete Lembo and his defensive coordinator Joe Bowen reflected on their nine-win campaign during the offseason, and the top thing that they needed to improve was limiting aerial explosives. They were far below average in that department last year.
However, the Bulls have really tightened up through two games thus far, as they're playing their safeties back. They're playing that two-high safety look and are basically looking to keep everything in front of them, allowing the run defense to take care of shutting down the box.
Then, the opposing offense must be efficient, hitting those holes and utilizing timing throws, such as slants, in the RPO.
Unfortunately for Kent, that isn't its bread and butter. What it wants to do is spark those 50-plus-yard plays, and I don't see it stringing together 10-play scoring drives with any consistency in this game.
Offensively, Buffalo can unleash Ta'Quan Roberson fully. You saw it last week from a rushing perspective, and I think the Bulls will be able to do it again.
I think this will be a very similar game script to what it was at the end of last year when Buffalo beat Kent State 43-7. The running game did the dirty work there, and I think it's going to be the same formula.
Al-Jay Henderson will probably run for almost 175 yards on the ground, and I think Roberson is an upgrade as a runner over C.J. Ogbonna, who had 50-plus yards in 2024.
I'll say Buffalo 42-10 in a snoozer on the road to kick off its MAC season.
Check out the entire Group of 5 Deep Dive Week 3 preview here:
Pick: Buffalo -21.5 (-110, FanDuel)
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Our Featured Bet Labs System
This game triggered one of our Action Labs PRO Betting Systems, powered by Evan Abrams:
Large home favorites in non-conference matchups often create conditions for higher scoring than the market anticipates.
When the point spread is large but the total is low, it signals expectations of a dominant performance by one side while undervaluing their ability to score quickly and consistently.
Non-conference games can feature mismatches in talent and depth, leading to offensive surges and late scoring from backups against overmatched defenses.
This combination often pushes the total over despite conservative pregame projections.
Michigan’s offense has looked pretty lame through two games, but I’m slightly higher on the unit than the market. Bryce Underwood looks decent — even if his wide receivers don’t — and the Wolverines rank in the top 50 nationally in EPA per Rush behind Justice Haynes and an experienced offensive line.
Hopefully, Michigan bullies Central Michigan at the line of scrimmage and creates some explosive runs.
Furthermore, perhaps this is a good time for Underwood to air it out and gain some valuable chemistry with his wide receivers before Big Ten play. Central Michigan has strong linebackers, but I don’t love the cornerbacks, which was evident against Pitt last week — the top three cornerbacks have allowed 20 receptions on 33 targets (61% completion rate) for 310 yards (9.4 YPA) through two games.
On the other side of the rock, Central Michigan has revamped its offensive scheme under new coordinator Jim Chapin (formerly at Eastern Washington), adopting a power spread with an increased emphasis on 12-personnel packages.
The offensive line appears to be improved, and the Chips rank 52nd nationally in EPA per Dropback.
Perhaps both teams can air it out in a higher-scoring-than-expected affair, which is what our PRO betting system is indicating.
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Pick: Over 43 (-110, bet365)
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