Gene Ross
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Notable opening lines for Week 3 of college football
Gene Ross via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Brandon Sumrall/Getty Images
With Ohio State off this week, we take a look at some opening odds across the rest of the college football world.
While Ohio State will be using this week to build on its 56-0 win over Western Michigan, there is no game on the schedule for the Buckeyes in Week 3. As such, there is obviously no opening line to discuss. Instead, we will take a look at how the oddsmakers feel about some of the big matchups across the sport this upcoming weekend.
All odds are courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook.
No. 20 Arizona vs. No. 17 Kansas State (-8.5) - 8:00 p.m. ET Friday, FOX
The lone ranked-on-ranked matchup of the week is scheduled for Friday night in a battle of Wildcats. Kansas State narrowly avoided an upset against Tulane on Saturday, needing a pair of late takeaways, including a defensive score, to escape Yulman Stadium with a 34-27 victory. Arizona, meanwhile, trailed FCS Northern Arizona 10-6 at halftime before pulling away for a 22-10 win.
This should be a fun battle between two young quarterbacks. After throwing for over 400 yards and four TDs against New Mexico, Arizona QB Noah Fifita came back to earth against the Lumberjacks with 173 yards passing, one TD and a pick. K-State QB Avery Johnson has gotten off to a bit of a slow start this season, failing to eclipse 200 yards passing in either game, but has thrown four touchdown passes to just one interception.
No. 4 Alabama (-15.5) vs. Wisconsin - 12:00 p.m. ET Saturday, FOX
In a rare game up north for one of the SEC powers, Kalen DeBoer’s Alabama will travel to Camp Randall to take on Luke Fickell’s Wisconsin. For a second-straight year, the Crimson Tide struggled with USF for three quarters before ultimately running away with a 42-16 win — a score that does not accurately reflect the game. Wisconsin has played two near-identical games against subpar opponents, beating Western Michigan 28-14 and FCS South Dakota 27-13.
Alabama is more than a two-touchdown favorite here, and with how the Badgers have looked to begin the year that makes sense. That being said, the Tide were over 30-point favorites against USF and were locked in a 21-16 game early in the fourth quarter. Wisconsin’s offense hasn’t exactly impressed this season, but maybe a tough environment in Madison can make things interesting.
No. 18 LSU (-8.5) vs. South Carolina - 12:00 p.m. Saturday, ABC
Having watched both of these two teams play football so far this season, 8.5 points for either side seems a bit too rich for my blood. LSU lost its first game of the year against USC, and followed that up by being in a 23-21 game in the third quarter against FCS Nicholls in Week 2 before pulling away for a 44-21 win. South Carolina struggled in its opener against Old Dominion, winning 23-19, but dominated Kentucky 31-6 on Saturday.
This is a game between two electric players on each side of the ball. For the Gamecocks, five-star freshman defensive end Dylan Stewart has been a menace to opposing QBs, recording 2.5 sacks in his first two collegiate games. For LSU, wide receiver Kyren Lacy has already hauled in four touchdowns to go along with his 12 receptions for 159 yards through two contests.
Memphis vs. Florida State (-3.5) - 12:00 p.m. Saturday, ESPN
Boy oh boy have Florida State fans had a miserable stretch dating back to last season. After losing Jordan Travis to injury and missing the College Football Playoff despite a 12-0 record, the Seminoles have lost their last three games — including a 63-3 loss in the Orange Bowl to Georgia and back-to-back losses to Georgia Tech and Boston College to begin the 2024 season.
Things won’t get much easier for the ‘Noles in Week 3, as they host a Memphis team that is one of the favorites to represent the Group of 5 in the College Football Playoff. The Tigers easily dispatched North Alabama 40-0 in the opener before knocking off Troy 38-17 in Week 2. It will be interesting to see how much longer Florida State sticks with D.J. Uiagalelei at quarterback, as the two-time transfer has struggled mightily in both losses.
Texas A&M (-3.5) vs. Florida - 3:30 pm. Saturday, ABC
These are definitely two football teams that play in the SEC, and that is the nicest thing I can say about them. Texas A&M dropped a 23-13 contest to Notre Dame — which now looks worse, given what happened to the Fighting Irish against NIU — before bouncing back with a 52-10 win over McNeese. Florida got manhandled in a 41-17 loss to Miami in the opener, but DJ Lagway shined in a 45-7 win over Samford with 456 yards and three touchdowns.
Billy Napier needs to start winning some games to save his job, and the switch to Lagway at quarterback could potentially buy him some time. Florida has lost each of its last five games against FBS opponents, while Texas A&M has lost its last three against FBS programs. Something has to give!
Indiana (-3.5) vs. UCLA - 7:00 pm. Saturday. NBC
Ah, yes. A classic Big Ten clash between Indiana and UCLA in Week 3. The new-look Hoosiers offense under head coach Curt Cignetti has gotten off to a hot start, scoring 107 points over their first two games including an all-time program high 77 points over Western Illinois. The Bruins had to travel to Hawaii in Week 1, so the 16-13 win over the the Rainbow Warriors has been their lone contest of the year thus far.
Cignetti has brought his winning ways with him from James Madison, becoming the fourth Indiana head coach since 1948 to win his first two games. Ohio transfer QB Kurtis Rourke has been stellar with his new squad, throwing for 448 yards and three scores with no picks, but will see an uptick in competition against UCLA. The Bruins, however, would really like to win this game with a brutal three-game stretch upcoming against LSU, Oregon and Penn State.
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Gene Ross via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Brandon Sumrall/Getty Images
With Ohio State off this week, we take a look at some opening odds across the rest of the college football world.
While Ohio State will be using this week to build on its 56-0 win over Western Michigan, there is no game on the schedule for the Buckeyes in Week 3. As such, there is obviously no opening line to discuss. Instead, we will take a look at how the oddsmakers feel about some of the big matchups across the sport this upcoming weekend.
All odds are courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook.
No. 20 Arizona vs. No. 17 Kansas State (-8.5) - 8:00 p.m. ET Friday, FOX
The lone ranked-on-ranked matchup of the week is scheduled for Friday night in a battle of Wildcats. Kansas State narrowly avoided an upset against Tulane on Saturday, needing a pair of late takeaways, including a defensive score, to escape Yulman Stadium with a 34-27 victory. Arizona, meanwhile, trailed FCS Northern Arizona 10-6 at halftime before pulling away for a 22-10 win.
This should be a fun battle between two young quarterbacks. After throwing for over 400 yards and four TDs against New Mexico, Arizona QB Noah Fifita came back to earth against the Lumberjacks with 173 yards passing, one TD and a pick. K-State QB Avery Johnson has gotten off to a bit of a slow start this season, failing to eclipse 200 yards passing in either game, but has thrown four touchdown passes to just one interception.
No. 4 Alabama (-15.5) vs. Wisconsin - 12:00 p.m. ET Saturday, FOX
In a rare game up north for one of the SEC powers, Kalen DeBoer’s Alabama will travel to Camp Randall to take on Luke Fickell’s Wisconsin. For a second-straight year, the Crimson Tide struggled with USF for three quarters before ultimately running away with a 42-16 win — a score that does not accurately reflect the game. Wisconsin has played two near-identical games against subpar opponents, beating Western Michigan 28-14 and FCS South Dakota 27-13.
Alabama is more than a two-touchdown favorite here, and with how the Badgers have looked to begin the year that makes sense. That being said, the Tide were over 30-point favorites against USF and were locked in a 21-16 game early in the fourth quarter. Wisconsin’s offense hasn’t exactly impressed this season, but maybe a tough environment in Madison can make things interesting.
No. 18 LSU (-8.5) vs. South Carolina - 12:00 p.m. Saturday, ABC
Having watched both of these two teams play football so far this season, 8.5 points for either side seems a bit too rich for my blood. LSU lost its first game of the year against USC, and followed that up by being in a 23-21 game in the third quarter against FCS Nicholls in Week 2 before pulling away for a 44-21 win. South Carolina struggled in its opener against Old Dominion, winning 23-19, but dominated Kentucky 31-6 on Saturday.
This is a game between two electric players on each side of the ball. For the Gamecocks, five-star freshman defensive end Dylan Stewart has been a menace to opposing QBs, recording 2.5 sacks in his first two collegiate games. For LSU, wide receiver Kyren Lacy has already hauled in four touchdowns to go along with his 12 receptions for 159 yards through two contests.
Memphis vs. Florida State (-3.5) - 12:00 p.m. Saturday, ESPN
Boy oh boy have Florida State fans had a miserable stretch dating back to last season. After losing Jordan Travis to injury and missing the College Football Playoff despite a 12-0 record, the Seminoles have lost their last three games — including a 63-3 loss in the Orange Bowl to Georgia and back-to-back losses to Georgia Tech and Boston College to begin the 2024 season.
Things won’t get much easier for the ‘Noles in Week 3, as they host a Memphis team that is one of the favorites to represent the Group of 5 in the College Football Playoff. The Tigers easily dispatched North Alabama 40-0 in the opener before knocking off Troy 38-17 in Week 2. It will be interesting to see how much longer Florida State sticks with D.J. Uiagalelei at quarterback, as the two-time transfer has struggled mightily in both losses.
Texas A&M (-3.5) vs. Florida - 3:30 pm. Saturday, ABC
These are definitely two football teams that play in the SEC, and that is the nicest thing I can say about them. Texas A&M dropped a 23-13 contest to Notre Dame — which now looks worse, given what happened to the Fighting Irish against NIU — before bouncing back with a 52-10 win over McNeese. Florida got manhandled in a 41-17 loss to Miami in the opener, but DJ Lagway shined in a 45-7 win over Samford with 456 yards and three touchdowns.
Billy Napier needs to start winning some games to save his job, and the switch to Lagway at quarterback could potentially buy him some time. Florida has lost each of its last five games against FBS opponents, while Texas A&M has lost its last three against FBS programs. Something has to give!
Indiana (-3.5) vs. UCLA - 7:00 pm. Saturday. NBC
Ah, yes. A classic Big Ten clash between Indiana and UCLA in Week 3. The new-look Hoosiers offense under head coach Curt Cignetti has gotten off to a hot start, scoring 107 points over their first two games including an all-time program high 77 points over Western Illinois. The Bruins had to travel to Hawaii in Week 1, so the 16-13 win over the the Rainbow Warriors has been their lone contest of the year thus far.
Cignetti has brought his winning ways with him from James Madison, becoming the fourth Indiana head coach since 1948 to win his first two games. Ohio transfer QB Kurtis Rourke has been stellar with his new squad, throwing for 448 yards and three scores with no picks, but will see an uptick in competition against UCLA. The Bruins, however, would really like to win this game with a brutal three-game stretch upcoming against LSU, Oregon and Penn State.
Continue reading...