CFB Week 3 Saturday Best Picks and Predictions

Week 3 of the college football season fills out with marquee matchups, and Saturday’s slate delivers plenty of betting value across the board. From SEC power clashes under the lights in Baton Rouge, to an early Big Ten vs. SEC showdown in Tuscaloosa, to a prime-time measuring stick game in South Bend, bettors have multiple angles to attack this week.

We’ve zeroed in on three spots in which numbers and situational factors line up: fading LSU’s offense against Florida, backing Alabama’s defense to suffocate a slow-starting Wisconsin team early and trusting Notre Dame’s star running back Jeremiyah Love to bounce back at home against Texas A&M.

Let’s dive into the best picks for Saturday.

CFB Week 3 Predictions

LSU Team Total Under 27.5 Points vs Florida (-115) Click Here to Bet

Wisconsin 1H Team Total Under 6.5 Points (+135) Click Here to Bet

Jeremiyah Love to Record 80+ Rushing Yards vs Texas A&M (-103) Click Here to Bet

PICK #1: LSU Team Total Under 27.5 Points vs Florida (-115)

Saturday night in Death Valley has all the makings of a grinder. LSU enters as more than a touchdown favorite, but the Tigers’ offense hasn’t looked like an elite unit. Facing Louisiana Tech and Clemson, LSU ranks 101st nationally in points per drive and 107th in negative play rate, routinely shooting themselves in the foot with sacks and tackles for loss.

The offensive line is the clear weak spot. LSU surrendered three sacks last week to Louisiana Tech and has struggled to generate consistent push in the run game. That’s especially concerning against a Florida defensive front that sacked Garrett Nussmeier six times last season. Several of those same Gators pass rushers – Tyreak Sapp, George Gumbs Jr. and Kamran James – are back, and Caleb Banks could debut this week to bolster the rotation.

Florida’s defense had its issues last week in the shocking home loss to South Florida, but the personnel is there to disrupt LSU’s rhythm. With LSU likely leaning on short passes and screen plays to Aaron Anderson, drives could bog down without explosive runs to balance things out.

If Nussmeier doesn’t have clean pockets, LSU will struggle to sustain drives and reach 28 points. Add in the SEC rivalry atmosphere and a Florida team desperate to rebound from a Week 2 loss, and this sets up as a dogfight. Take LSU’s team total under 27.5.

PICK #2: Wisconsin 1H Team Total Under 6.5 Points (+135)

Wisconsin sits 2-0, but early wins over Miami (OH) and Middle Tennessee don’t reveal much beyond this: the Badgers are in for another middling season, in part thanks to a monstrous schedule, which the Badgers begin to taste this week. They head to Tuscaloosa as 21-point underdogs against No. 19 Alabama, and the first half is the key betting angle.

Bama looked sluggish in its opener at Florida State, failing to score after an impressive opening drive and eventually losing 31-17. But the Crimson Tide responded with fury last week, destroying UL Monroe 73-0, with 42 points in the first half alone. Ty Simpson went a perfect 17-for-17 through the air.

Wisconsin, on the other hand, has been a slow starter. Across their first two games, the Badgers mustered just 17 combined first-half points, compared to 42 after halftime. That trend matches their profile: an offensive line that lacks a run game, a freshman RB1 and a backup quarterback in Danny O’Neil who lacks the arm strength and experience to threaten Alabama’s secondary early.

Against a locked-in Tide defense eager to prove Week 1 was a fluke, betting against Wisconsin to score a first-half touchdown makes sense. At +135 odds, the value is too strong to ignore.

PICK #3: Jeremiyah Love to Record 80+ Rushing Yards vs Texas A&M (-103)

Notre Dame’s 27-24 loss to Miami in Week 1 spotlighted both promise and problems. Freshman QB CJ Carr held his own, but the offensive line was manhandled, and Doak Walker-candidate Jeremiyah Love was bottled up for just 33 yards on 10 carries. Expect the Irish to make him the focal point this Saturday against Texas A&M.

Against UTSA, A&M surrendered 203 rushing yards, and Utah State running backs managed nearly five yards per carry in Week 2. This isn’t last year’s dominant Aggie defensive line, and it appears to be a group that can be moved off the ball.

Love gashed A&M for 91 yards on 14 carries in College Station last season, and the setup at home looks even more favorable. Notre Dame can’t afford to start 0-2, and the game plan will lean heavily on establishing the run to take pressure off Carr. Expect Love to get 15–20 carries, and with his burst, that’s plenty of volume to top 80 yards.

This is a bounce-back spot for the Irish star, and the rushing prop is a fair price. Back Love to record 80+ yards on the ground.