Sep 18, 20212 min read

CFB: Week 3 preview, predictions

Oregon and Iowa jumped into College Football Playoff contention with résumé-building road victories at #3 Ohio State and #9 Iowa State, respectively. Texas A&M and Notre Dame also remained unbeaten with narrow wins. There aren't as many marquee games this week but #12 Arizona State at BYU and #21 Auburn at #13 Penn State should be entertaining, while #1 Alabama is expected to blowout #11 Florida on the road. The Crimson Tide (+150) remain favorites to win the national championship as their odds have slightly increased per Vegas Insider. Bryce Young, Spencer Rattler, and CJ Verdell are leading the way in the Heisman race. Check out the top-25 teams, playoff odds, weekly picks, and more!

Top-25 Teams:

1. Alabama (2-0)

2. Georgia (2-0)

3. Oklahoma (2-0)

4. Oregon (2-0)

5. Texas A&M (2-0)

6. Cincinnati (2-0)

7. Iowa (2-0)

8. Notre Dame (2-0)

9. Clemson (1-1)

10. Ohio State (1-1)

11. Florida (2-0)

12. Arizona State (2-0)

13. Penn State (2-0)

14. Wisconsin (1-1)

15. Iowa State (1-1)

16. Miami (1-1)

17. Ole Miss (2-0)

18. Coastal Carolina (2-0)

19. UCLA (2-0)

20. TCU (2-0)

21. Auburn (2-0)

22. UCF (2-0)

23. Indiana (1-1)

24. North Carolina (1-1)

25. USC (1-1)

Next Up:

26. LSU (1-1)

27. Liberty (2-0)

28. Pittsburgh (2-0)

29. Oklahoma State (2-0)

30. Utah (1-1)

Biggest Movers:

- Iowa (+7)

- Oregon (+6)

- Ohio State (-6)

- Iowa State (-9)

- USC (-20)

Notre Dame hasn't played up to their full potential in tight wins against Florida State and Toledo but they'll have a chance to get things going with Purdue coming into town on Saturday. Brian Kelly's team should be able to improve to 3-0 as they're favored by a touchdown. Alabama is fresh off a 48-14 win over Mercer and even though I don't think they will beat Florida by that much, I do expect the Crimson Tide to cover. Georgia starts SEC play against South Carolina this weekend and the Bulldogs are 31.5-point favorites ahead of kickoff. BYU (+3.5) and Penn State (-6.0) host ranked opponents with hopes of staying undefeated. We're picking Notre Dame, Alabama, South Carolina, Arizona State, and Penn State to cover the spread.

Week 3 Picks:

- Purdue @ Notre Dame (-7.0)

- Alabama (-15.5) @ Florida

- South Carolina @ Georgia (-31.5)

- Arizona State (-3.5) @ BYU

- Auburn @ Penn State (-6.0)

Overall Record: 8-2

Heisman Contenders:

1. Bryce Young (Alabama, +0)

2. Spencer Rattler (Oklahoma, +0)

3. CJ Verdell (Oregon, +7)

4. Desmond Ridder (Cincinnati, +2)