Week 3 doesn’t look very appetizing on the surface. There’s just one matchup between ranked teams on Saturday, so it’s a great weekend to channel surf.
It’s also possibly a great weekend for an upset no one sees coming. There’s always a week or two every year without a lot of standout games. And more often than not, a week that we all think will be straightforward turns out to produce a shocking result. Will that happen this weekend? We’re about to find out.
Here are the games we’re keeping a close eye on Saturday.
(All times are Eastern and all odds are from BetMGM.)
Time: Noon | TV: ABC | Line: LSU -7 | Total: 50.5
South Carolina is coming off a dominant 31-6 win over Kentucky last week. Can the Gamecocks keep the momentum going against an LSU team that still has things to work on? After getting picked apart by USC in Week 1, LSU struggled early in Week 2 against Nicholls before pitching a shutout over most of the second half.
Time: Noon | TV: Fox | Line: Alabama -16.5 | Total: 50.5
What do the Badgers have for the Crimson Tide? Wisconsin is undefeated but has been far from impressive so far this season, with shaky wins over Western Michigan and South Dakota. Alabama is also coming of a surprisingly close win over South Florida. Both teams have something to prove on Saturday.
Time: 12:45 p.m. | TV: SEC Network | Line: Missouri -17 | Total: 54
Saturday’s only game between ranked opponents features two programs on the rise. Boston College is riding high very early in the Bill O’Brien era, especially after a 28-13 win over Florida State in Week 1. Meanwhile, Missouri has yet to allow a point after a pair of shutout wins over Murray State and Buffalo.
Time: 3:30 p.m. | TV: Fox | Line: 16.5 | Total: 50.5
This rivalry continues even though Oregon is now a member of the Big Ten and Oregon State and Washington State are in the Pac-12 wilderness (though they did get some encouraging news this week). Oregon has dropped from No. 3 at the start of the season to No. 9 thanks to two close wins. The Beavers will be hoping to knock down their hated rivals at home, especially after the Ducks bolted from the Pac-12.
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