College football betting odds, expert picks for the Big 12 and beyond in Week 3
If you tailed all 11 of my college football betting suggestions last week you had a profitable experience, as my picks went 8-3 on Saturday.
Still, I feel like I owe the world an apology before I pen my next column.
Why? Because one of my picks was so far off the mark last week that it made me want to run and hide. I am talking about Oklahoma State +28.5 at Oregon. Turns out, the Cowboys needed +66.5 to cover that one.
I didn’t expect Oregon coach Dan Lanning to take it personally when Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy pointed out that the Ducks have a well-funded football team. Is that not a compliment? Oregon didn’t think so and went on a mission to obliterate the Cowboys.
Oops. Sorry about that.
Fortunately, most of my other picks got us to the window. Let’s find some more winners in Week 3!
K-State (-1.5) at Arizona State
There are two schools of thought on this game.
1. Chris Klieman’s team of Wildcats will come together after hearing three solid weeks of criticism from the outside world and play inspired football on the road.
2. K-State is a deeply flawed football team that stands little chance of winning at Arizona, even though it enters the game as a small favorite.
I’m not really sure which side of the fence I’m on with that one yet. But I do expect lots of points to be scored on Friday. There might be value on betting over 54.5.
Louisiana (+27.5) at Missouri
Look, the Tigers can probably beat the Ragin’ Cajuns by any score of their choosing. But they are coming off an emotional victory over rival Kansas. Could Missouri suffer a letdown here or take its foot off the gas with a big lead in the fourth quarter? I’m tempted to take the points with Louisiana.
My favorite college football bets for Week 3
1. Wisconsin (+21.5) at Alabama: After what I saw from Alabama in its season-opening loss against Florida State, the Crimson Tide have no business laying this many points against any respectable team. Pick: Wisconsin.
2. Vanderbilt (+4.5) at South Carolina: The Commodores won us some money last week, but I’m jumping off the Vanderbilt bandwagon for at least a day. South Carolina is a bad matchup for Vandy. It dominated this game 28-7 last year in Nashville. It also crushed Kentucky in its early SEC opener last season. Pick: South Carolina.
3. Texas State (+16.5) at Arizona State: The Sun Devils are 0-2 against the spread this season, and they are coming off a painful loss to Mississippi State. The Bobcats are 2-0 against the spread and coming off a huge win over rival UTSA. This was a close game when they played last year in San Marcos, Texas. I expect another competitive battle in Tempe. Pick: Texas State.
4. Middle Tennessee State (+8.5) at Nevada: This may seem like an incredibly boring game that you should avoid at all costs. But sometimes you can find winners on games that are only available on the Mountain West Network. MTSU is one of the worst teams in the country, and it may not put up much of a fight after making a long road trip. Pick: Nevada.
5. Oregon State (+23.5) at Texas Tech: California and Fresno State both topped 30 points against Oregon State in games that were played in Corvallis. Texas Tech scored at least 62 points in its first two games. I don’t have a prediction on the final score, but I do feel like the Red Raiders will keep scoring this week. Pick: Texas Tech team total over 41.5.
Last week: 3-2.
Season record: 5-5 (-0.5 units).
Other bets worth considering
Colorado (+4.5) at Houston: Willie Fritz has the Cougars looking like a much-improved team in Year 2. It’s too early to know what to make of this Colorado team under Deion Sanders. Home field could be a serious advantage for Houston on Friday night. Lean: Houston.
Oklahoma (-21.5) at Temple: This is a great spot for the Owls. Oklahoma is coming off a gigantic win over Michigan, and I seriously doubt the Sooners will be amped up for a road game one week later against a team from the American. Temple is also off to a 2-0 start. It could catch Oklahoma napping and keep this game within three touchdowns. Lean: Temple.
Texas A&M (+7.5) at Notre Dame: This is the type of game that should be decided by one score. Notre Dame is understandably favored at home, but Texas A&M has a gifted offense that can keep up in a road environment. Lean: Texas A&M.
Florida (+7.5) at LSU: Nobody is rushing to bet Florida one week after it suffered an embarrassing home loss to South Florida. But the Bulls are a good team. It’s not like the Gators lost to Gainesville High. This could be a nice buy-low spot with Florida Lean: Florida.
Minnesota (-1.5) at California: The Golden Bears are off to a 2-0 start and Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele has looked incredible at quarterback. There is value in them as underdogs against a Big Ten team that will be traveling across the country for this game. Lean: California.
Last week: 4-1.
Season record: 8-2 (+5.8 units).
Upset pick of the week
Duke at Tulane (+120): If you’re looking for an upset pick with more upside, try rolling with Texas State (+525) or Texas A&M (+250) for the reasons I listed above. But I see serious value on Tulane as a home underdog. Duke has not played well in either of its games and quarterback Dorian Mensah will have to go up against his old team this week. Revenge games rarely seem to go well for high-profile transfers. Tulane is also off to a great start at 2-0 with wins over Northwestern and South Alabama. The Green Wave know how to win this type of game. Pick: Tulane.
Last week: 1-1 (+0.6 units).
This story was originally published September 11, 2025 at 6:30 AM with the headline "College football betting odds, expert picks for the Big 12 and beyond in Week 3."