Week 3 College Football Betting Tips: Odds, Lines, Key Notes

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Week 3 of the college football season is here, and honestly, it looks like a wild one. With only two weeks of games behind us, it’s tough to know which trends are legit and which are just early-season noise.

Some teams have seen their odds swing dramatically, with a few even flipping from underdogs to favorites. Add in a handful of key injuries and you’ve got a betting landscape that’s anything but straightforward.

Let’s take a look at the college football odds, NCAAF lines, and more for Week 3.

Table of Contents

Key Line Movements

Week 3 has already brought some pretty dramatic shifts in betting lines. That’s not unusual for this time of year, but it does make things interesting.

Here are a few of the biggest changes worth noting:

Wake Forest: Moved from +7.5 to +7 at home against NC State.
Arizona: Flipped from a +2.5 underdog to a -1 favorite against Kansas State.
North Texas: Swung all the way from a +3.5 underdog to a -4.5 favorite against Washington State.
Georgia Tech: Dropped from +7.5 to +4 at home against Clemson, with the total plummeting from 58.5 to 52.
Pitt: Went from a -1.5 favorite to -5.5 at West Virginia in the Backyard Brawl.
Missouri: Jumped from a -21.5 favorite to a -27.5 favorite against Louisiana.

Impact of Injuries

Injuries are already shaking things up. Some teams are dealing with missing starters, and that’s bound to influence both the games and the lines.

Clemson: Missing left tackle Tristan Leigh, top receiver Antonio Williams, and running back Jay Haynes.
Georgia Tech: QB Haynes King sat out last week with a lingering injury, but there’s a chance he’s back.
Oregon State: Lost WR Darrius Clemons for the season, which stings.
Tennessee: Still without cornerbacks Jermod McCoy and Rickey Gibson II for a third straight week.
Texas A&M: QB Marcel Reed left last week’s game early, but it sounds like he’ll play.

Rivalry Matchups to Watch

This week’s schedule is packed with rivalry games. These always seem to bring out the best—or the weirdest—in college football.

Georgia at Tennessee

The SEC rarely disappoints, and this matchup is no exception. Both teams are looking to make a statement, and the winner could shake up the conference standings.

Pitt at West Virginia

The Backyard Brawl is back, and it’s got some extra juice with Pitt now a -5.5 favorite. Should be a fight from start to finish.

Florida at LSU

This one’s always spicy. LSU’s line has moved from -7.5 to -9.5, so bettors are clearly feeling confident.

Weather and Other Factors

Weather’s always a wildcard, right? This week could see a few games get weird because of it.

South Florida: Storms might mess with USF at Miami and FAU at FIU.
Missouri and Arkansas: Both states are heating up—temps in the 90s could wear teams down.
Northwestern: Early forecasts suggest rain, which could make things sloppy.

Potential Letdown Spots

Letdown spots are lurking this week—teams coming off big games or looking ahead to bigger ones sometimes stumble. It happens more than you’d think.

Oregon: After an emotional 69-3 win over Oklahoma State, covering a massive spread against a lesser opponent could be tricky.
Virginia Tech: They’re 0-2 against SEC foes and now face Old Dominion at home. Given their struggles outside the conference, this one feels a bit dicey.
UAB: Coming off a tough game with Navy and with Tennessee on deck, UAB might not bring their best against Akron.

Conclusion

Week 3 of the college football season feels like it could go just about any direction. There are some wild line movements happening.

Key injuries are already shaking things up, and a few of those rivalry matchups? They’re making things even more unpredictable.

If you want to dig in deeper or just need the latest info, the full article on The Action Network is worth a look.

Guess we’ll see what happens. Enjoy the games!

Joe Hughes is the founder of CollegeNetWorth.com, a comprehensive resource on college athletes' earnings potential in the NIL era. Combining his passion for sports with expertise in collegiate athletics, Joe provides valuable insights for athletes, fans, and institutions navigating this new landscape.

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