College football odds, lines, schedule for Week 3: LSU favored at Ole Miss, SMU-Louisville offers ACC intrigue
An early look at Week 3's top games and all betting lines involving nationally-ranked teams
• 3 min read
We haven't yet reached "Separation Saturday" across the Power Four just yet, but Week 3 in college football does provide a couple appetizers within the SEC and ACC pitting nationally ranked teams that will spark the early playoff conversation.
Expect a raucous environment at Ole Miss when the eighth-ranked Rebels entertain No. 7 LSU and Lane Kiffin as a home underdog this weekend. A matchup dripping with hype the entire offseason is finally here, and both teams have managed to enter without a blemish after opening the campaign with marquee wins over nonconference threats.
Remember Kiffin's return to Tennessee in 2021 and the rude welcoming he received from Vols fans? He'll need to keep his head on a swivel Saturday given the disdain those at Ole Miss have for their former coach.
The other top-25 matchup in Week 3 pits 16th-ranked SMU at No. 23 Louisville with the Cardinals installed as a narrow favorite. The Mustangs have won both previous meetings since entering the ACC two years ago despite Jeff Brohm's progress at Louisville. This has the makings of a good old-fashioned shootout between two offenses who have encountered little resistance thus far.
CBS Sports 138: Texas surges to No. 1 spot, Michigan returns to top 25 in college football rankings
Chip Patterson
Week 3 lines are out across the AP Top 25 are out, so let's take a look at what oddsmakers are thinking as we look ahead.
Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook
The big games
No. 7 LSU (-3.5) at No. 8 Ole Miss: Kiffin's highly anticipated return to Ole Miss has arrived in the form of college football's only top-10 matchup in Week 3. Two rosters armed with a litany of elite transfers go to war in Oxford with the winner pushing closer to the top 5 in the SEC. The Tigers are a narrow road favorite following wins over Clemson and Louisiana Tech while the unbeaten Rebels' aim to rectify early issues in the secondary under Pete Golding.
No. 16 SMU at No. 23 Louisville (-2.5): The winner of this one in the ACC determines the co-leader alongside Miami at the top of the league and offers a clear path toward College Football Playoff contention early this season. Both starting quarterbacks — Kevin Jennings and Lincoln Kienholz — have sparked for their respective offenses and this is the only nationally-ranked opponent left on the slate for the Cardinals.
Kentucky at No. 9 Texas A&M (-16.5): Coming off a decisive 24-point fourth quarter in last week's home win over Arizona State, the Aggies look to open the SEC portion of their schedule. This is only the second meeting between the two programs since Texas A&M joined the league in 2012. Texas A&M scored two defensive touchdowns last time out while Kentucky turned the ball over three consecutive times during a 45-17 loss to Alabama. Takeaways are the key factor to watch in this one.
Florida State at No. 10 Alabama (-20.5): Here's a payback opportunity for the Crimson Tide for last season's loss to the Seminoles, a squad fighting to stay above water under Mike Norvell. Florida State nearly clipped nationally-ranked SMU on Labor Day during Ousmane Kromah's second straight 100-yard game on the ground. Alabama's offense has looked the part with new starting quarterback Keelon Russell. He shook off multiple first-half turnovers to help the Crimson Tide run away from Kentucky in Week 2.
West Virginia at No. 25 Virginia (-9.5): A couple surprise unbeaten square off in Charlottesville on Saturday night for the first time since 2002. Anchored by the ground-and-pound attack led by transfers Michael Hawkins Jr. and Cam Cook, the Mountaineers hope to churn clock and keep Virginia's offense off the field. Since starting 11-23 overall over his first three seasons with the Cavaliers, coach Tony Elliott has won 13 of his last 16 games for Virginia.
Best of the rest
- UTSA at No. 1 Texas (-30.5)
- No. 2 Georgia (-24.5) at Arkansas
- Michigan State at No. 3 Notre Dame (-29.5)
- WKU at No. 4 Indiana (-44.5)
- No. 5 Miami (-22.5) at Wake Forest (Friday)
- Kent State at No. 6 Ohio State (-52.5)
- No. 11 BYU (-17.5) at Colorado State
- No. 12 USC (-24.5) at Rutgers
- Buffalo at No. 14 Penn State (-39.5)
- Kennesaw State at No. 15 Tennessee (-35.5)
- Utah State at No. 17 Utah (-28.5)
- Northern Iowa at No. 18 Iowa (-41.5)
- UTEP at No. 19 Michigan (-35.5)
- Troy at No. 20 Missouri (-27.5)
- Portland State at No. 21 Oregon (-58.5)
- New Mexico at No. 24 Oklahoma (-22.5)
KioskNews shows a cleaned-up reading view extracted from the publisher’s page — the original always lives on their site, not ours.