We have reached the final stretch of the Week 3 slate.
But our college football betting experts are still locked in, with Florida-LSU, Texas A&M-Notre Dame, Vanderbilt-South Carolina, and more set to kick off shortly.
Check out our Week 3 college football best bets and NCAAF picks for Saturday night below.
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Week 3 College Football Best Bets
| Game | Time (ET) | Pick |
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  | 8 p.m. | |
  | 7:45 p.m. | |
  | 8:30 p.m. | |
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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: Evening Best Bet
No head coach loves coming off a bye week more than Notre Dame's Marcus Freeman. Since taking over in 2021, Freeman has generated an 11-2 mark against the spread with extra rest.
There's enough evidence to believe the Notre Dame rushing attack could be a menace against A&M's defense, as the Aggies rank 134th nationally in EPA per Rush allowed.
Running backs Jadarian Price and Jeremiyah Love were both limited in their roles against Miami, but they had two weeks to prepare to face an Aggies team that has been tormented by inside zone read.
The Notre Dame defense boasted an average Success Rate in Cover 1 and Cover 3 against Miami, but was dominated in quarters coverage.
Fighting Irish cornerbacks Leonard Moore and Christian Gray are two of the best corners in the nation, but look for Concepcion to cook in the middle of the field on slant and hitch routes.
The Notre Dame defense also struggled when Miami crossed the 40-yard line, indicating that both offenses have a high probability of creating scoring opportunities on Saturday night.
Read the entire Texas A&M-Notre Dame breakdown and the rest of Wilson's Week 3 picks in this edition of Collin's Card:
Pick: 1H Over 24.5 (+100, bet365)
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Stuckey's Spots: Evening Best Bet
By Stuckey
Who wants to back Florida after last week? I guess I'll be the lone person to buy low on the Gators above the key number of 7.
We've seen the Gators experience these early-season head scratchers under head coach Billy Napier before, but we've also seen them rebound when nobody expected them to get back on their feet.
It's also worth noting that Florida should get back defensive lineman Caleb Banks from injury. That will be an enormous addition up front, especially with LSU starting center Braelin Moore dealing with an injury.
If he can't go, LSU would turn to DJ Chester, who isn't an SEC-caliber starting center at the moment. The Tigers may also have to make do without tight end Trey'Dez Green, who will be particularly missed in the red zone.
Admittedly, I came into the season bullish on the potential upside of LSU (and still am). Still, part of that had to do with the offensive line coming together to provide more balance for the offense with a viable rushing attack.
The Tigers still have a way to go in that department after averaging under four yards per carry against Louisiana Tech last week. And that picture gets much murkier if Moore can't go.
Lastly, the LSU hype train started after a huge road upset at Clemson, but it's possible that result spoke more about Dabo Swinney's squad than it did about the Bayou Bengals after what we saw last week.
I like that the Gators get to hit the road after an embarrassing loss, and expect them to keep this competitive throughout.
Check out the rest of Stuckey's Spots here:
Pick: Florida +7 (-105, BetMGM)
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Ianniello's Group of 5 Card: Evening Best Bet
There will be a lot of talk about Tulane seeking revenge on Darian Mensah for leaving for Duke, but when it comes to the play on the field, the Blue Devils have the better quarterback.
Mensah has completed 73.5% of his passes through two games for the Blue Devils, throwing five touchdowns. He ranks second nationally in passing, working with a deep and talented receiver room.
Tulane tried to replace Mensah with like four different quarterbacks throughout the offseason before eventually landing on BYU transfer Jake Retzlaff right before the season started. Retzlaff is a fine player, but a bit overrated. He had 18 Turnover Worthy Plays at BYU, despite completing just 12 Big Time Throws. He already has two TWPs this season and is completing just 55% of his passes.
We know Manny Diaz is going to have a great defense, and I expect them to make things very difficult for Retzlaff. The Blue Devils ranked in the top 10 nationally in creating Havoc last season and are strong against the run. Expect them to put pressure on Retzlaff and force him to use his arm more.
The Green Wave are coming off a close game against South Alabama, where they were outgained and won on a failed two-point conversion late for the Jaguars.
Meanwhile, Duke was blown out by a top-15 Illinois team, but it outgained the Illini by 15 total yards — unfortunately, the Blue Devils turned the ball over five times, losing four fumbles. That obviously needs to be cleaned up, but if the ball bounces differently, that could have been a different game.
Manny Diaz has been a pretty good coach throughout his career. His teams are 25-19-1 against the spread, including an 8-2-1 ATS mark at Duke last season. Diaz teams are 12-4-1 ATS as an underdog and 12-6-1 ATS on the road. As an underdog of less than 10, Diaz is 11-1 against the spread with nine outright wins.
Check out the rest of Ianniello's Group of 5 Card here:
Pick: Duke ML (+100, BetMGM)
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Our Featured Bet Labs System
In early-season college football, nationally ranked opponents often face intense public interest, particularly in high-profile matchups during September, August, or October.
When a team is playing a ranked foe in the 4 to 25 range and the full game spread shows a modest advantage, the betting market’s attention often drives early pressure on the favorite.
In the first half, however, these games tend to be more competitive than expected, as underdogs enter with heightened energy and game plans tailored for a fast start before talent and depth gaps emerge later.
This creates value in taking the team against the spread early, capitalizing on crowd influence and inflated perception before halftime adjustments shift the momentum.
Diego Pavia and the Commodores fit this system for Saturday.
Why wouldn’t you want to back Pavia? The ‘Dores are 8-2 ATS as an underdog with him under center — that sample includes five outright upsets and a 4-0 ATS record on the road.
Vandy abused Virginia Tech last week, while South Carolina played the Hokies to a box-score draw the week before.
I love Vanderbilt in this spot, and so do many of our favorite experts, including Stuckey and Collin.
I'm playing them on the full-game spread, but I'll also take some first-half spread because of this lucritively profitable system — for what it's worth, teams that fit this system are 4-1 against the first-half spread this year.
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Pick: Vanderbilt 1H +2.5 (-108, DraftKings)
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Akron vs. UAB
I, Michael Calabrese, of sound mind and free will, enter into a gambling pact with Trent Farris Dilfer.
Week 3 feels like a good spot to back UAB against Akron.
Part of this play is backing the sometimes-dynamic Blazers’ offense, and the other part is fading the completely dead-in-the-water Zips.
Akron has yet to score in 2025. The Zips have been outscored by 78 in back-to-back shutouts by Wyoming and Nebraska. There is no path to bowl eligibility for them. Ben Finely can’t elevate this unit on his own — in fact, he’s regressed behind a patchwork offensive line and a downgraded wide receiver corps.
Meanwhile, UAB is healthier than it’s been all season.
The defense should be focused and energized because the team needs a big statement win against an inferior opponent — the Blazers are hanging on to Bowl eligibility by a thread.
The loss against Navy was tough, but UAB did score three consecutive touchdowns in the first half en route to 24 points before halftime. Things got murky in the second half, partially because of lightning delays, which I think may have messed with young quarterback Jalen Kitna — he’s only made nine or 10 career starts.
After watching Coach Dilfer’s press conference earlier this week, I believe he feels confident in his team following a hard-nosed effort against a veteran Navy offense. The Blazers allowed 38 points, but they also had plenty of opportunities to get off the field — the effort was better than it’s been.
That’s where you’ll see the difference in this game.
UAB’s defense is healthier and improving, and it should piece together a statement effort against a worthless Akron offense.
Meanwhile, UAB's offense is decent, ranking 14th nationally in EPA per Play, and it should piece together a statement effort against an Akron defense that ranks 104th nationally in EPA per Play allowed.
The Zips should open this game up and put pressure on Finley to keep pace, which he won’t be able to do with the support system around him — Akron ranks dead last among FBS teams in Success Rate.
And for one notable betting nugget: FBS teams coming off of back-to-back shutout losses are 7-16-2 ATS in the following game.
Check out the entire Group of 5 Deep Dive Week 3 preview here:
Pick: UAB -11.5 (-110, BetMGM)
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BBOC Group of 5's Full Action App Card
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