by Ben Perks
Week 3 of college football has some exciting matchups. Three National Collegiate Athletic Association Football games (NCAAF) this weekend are between top-ranked teams: No. 1 Alabama at No. 11 Florida, No. 22 Auburn at No. 10 Penn State, and No. 19 Arizona State head to No. 23 BYU Cougars. Get the odds of this weekend’s top college football games and discover which players to keep an eye on.
Top Week 3 Games
Alabam Crimson Tide visit the Florida Gators this weekend. Alabama goes into the game having already defeated one team from the state of Florida this season when they destroyed Miami (13-44) in Week 1. QB Bryce Young’s stellar performances have already put him in the mix for the Heismann Trophy after just two games. Also, judging from previous matchups, the Alabama defense looks as dominant as it was last season.
The Gators will face Alabama with an ongoing quarterback competition. Florida head coach Dan Mullen has a tricky decision to make, as quarterbacks Emory Jones and Anthony Richardson have both shown they can run well at opposition defenses. The battle for a QB starting place in this matchup will make for interesting viewing for anyone looking to place futures and prop bets.
NCAAF players to look out for: QB Bryce Young (ALA), WR John Metchie (ALA), LB Christian Harris (ALA) LB Will Anderson (ALA), QB Emory Jones (FLA), QB Anthony Richardson (FLA), WR Jacob Copeland (FLA), DE Zachary Carter (FLA), CB Kaiir Elam (FLA)
The Lions take on the Tigers in a South Eastern Conference/Big Ten clash. Auburn’s rushing attack has led them to two easy wins to open the season. The Tigers’ success is down to having one of the best running backs in the US in Tank Bigsby. As for Penn State, the team opened the season with a gritty conference win over Wisconsin. The Nittany Lion defense has flown around the ball this season, and in this weekend’s matchup, it’ll be up to the Penn State offense to provide scoring support.
NCAAFPlayers to look out for: QB Bo Nix (AUB), RB Tank Bigsby (AUB), LB Zakoby McClain (AUB), LB Owen Pappoe (AUB), QB Sean Clifford (PSU), WR Jahan Dotson (PSU), LB Ellis Brooks (PSU), S Jaquan Brisker (PSU)
The Cincinnati Bearcats are looking to continue their mission to be the first Group of 5 team to make the College Football Playoff in Bloomington, Indiana. Cincinnati will face a Power 5 school (teams considered from the best five conferences) for the first time since last year’s Peach Bowl loss to Georgia. However, the Indiana Hoosiers are looking to beat the Bearcats to make up their one ranked loss of the season. The latest odds from reputable online sportsbooks show that Cincinnati is a clear favorite to win the matchup.
NCAAF players to look out for: QB Michael Penix Jr. (IU), WR Ty Fryfogle (IU), LB Micah McFadden (IU), CB Tiawan Mullen (IU), QB Desmond Ridder (CIN), RB Jerome Ford (CIN), DE Myjai Sanders (CIN), CB Ahmad Gardner (CIN), CB Coby Bryant (CIN)
Many pundits believe Notre Dame could lose this matchup because of Purdue’s recent form. The Fighting Irish have been far from convincing after just scraping two wins over Florida State and Toledo. In this Week 3 matchup, they come up against a Purdue Boilermakers offense that has shown it can compete with anyone after throwing for six touchdowns last week. Therefore, this could be another tight game for the Fighting Irish. However, Online bookmakers still make Notre Dame the odds-on favorite to win the game.
NCAAF Players to look out for: QB Jack Plummer (PUR), WR Davis Bell (PUR), DE George Karlaftis (PUR), CB Cory Trice (PUR), QB Jack Coan (ND), WR Michael Mayer (ND), S Kyle Hamilton (ND)
After defeating then-No. 21 Utah in Week 2 – their first victory against the Utes since 2009 – the BYU Cougars face another ranked college team in Arizona State this weekend. However, having so far crushing overmatched competition, the Arizona Sun Devils remain hot favorites to win this tie. Still, the Cougars will go into the game confident of pulling off an upset.
As for personal player performances, QB Jayden Daniels, who leads Arizona State in passing and rushing yards, will have a chance to put his name in the conversation of the country’s best quarterbacks if he continues playing as he has been.
NCAAF players to look out for: QB Jayden Daniels (ASU), RB Rachaad White (ASU), LB Darien Butler (ASU), CB Chase Lucas (ASU), QB Jaren Hall (BYU), RB Tyler Allgeier (BYU), C James Empey (BYU), LB Payton Wilgar (BYU)
Ben is a sports journalist & part-time trader with a passion for finding +EV bets. Ben lives in Madrid, Spain where he enjoys the live poker scene, and sunshine where he covers UFC, MLB, NHL, NBA, as well as tennis betting.
