College Football Betting Preview: Week 3 picks

Each week during the college football season, theScore's Dane Belbeck will handicap the board and offer up a pack of picks.

Season record

Gold/Silver/Bronze: 4-2
Other: 3-3
Twitter picks: 2-1
Overall: 9-6

LSU at Mississippi State (+7)

If the last three years have taught us anything, it's that LSU and Mississippi State will likely play a close game. This contest has been decided by five points or less each of the last three years, and it's doubtful that changes on Saturday night. The Tigers have looked sensational to start the season, outscoring BYU and Chattanooga by a combined 72-10 margin, and new offensive coordinator Matt Canada is firing on all cylinders with quarterback Danny Etling. While that may be the case, seven points feels like way too much to give the home Bulldogs and their own star pivot Nick Fitzgerald. The Tigers might come away with the win, but it will be within the touchdown spread. LSU 27, Mississippi State 24

Texas (+16.5) at USC

Tom Herman thrived on beating top-25 opponents during his time at Houston, posting a perfect 6-0 record in such games, and the chance to post his first ranked win with Texas comes Saturday at USC. The Longhorns got off to a disappointing start in Herman's debut with a home loss to Maryland, but looked much better last week against San Jose State. With USC coming off a huge win over Stanford, there is letdown potential for the Trojans. Herman won't work his usual magic over ranked teams, but 16.5 points is way too much for this one. USC 38, Texas 28

Arizona State at Texas Tech (-7)

There will be points in Lubbock, Texas on Saturday night. While there probably won't be as many points as there were in last season's epic 68-55 contest in Tempe, both teams are loaded on offense yet again. Arizona State has played two close games so far this season, beating New Mexico State 37-31 before losing to San Diego State 30-20. Texas Tech has only played once, smashing Eastern Washington 56-10 in the opener, but are an impressive 4-0 against the spread in their last four games after bye weeks. Nic Shimonek lights up the Arizona State defense and the Red Raiders roll. Texas Tech 48, Arizona State 31

Other games of note

UCLA (-3) at Memphis

(Photo courtesy: Action Images)

As a result of Hurricane Irma, Memphis hasn't played since a Week 1 win over Louisiana Monroe, so the Tigers will be well-rested for their home game against UCLA. While the early kickoff and lengthy travel will surely zap the Bruins to an extent, it doesn't seem wise to bet against Josh Rosen right now. The junior star has completed 68 percent of his passes through two games for a whopping 820 yards and nine touchdowns. Tigers quarterback Riley Ferguson is no slouch, but the Bruins defense will get enough stops to win this one. UCLA 45, Memphis 40

Central Michigan at Syracuse (-10)

Syracuse looked atrocious last week in a home loss to Middle Tennessee, while Central Michigan scored its second straight road win versus a Big 12 foe against Kansas. Naturally then, the play is to fade the Chippewas and hammer the Orange. Eric Dungey had arguably the worst game of his career under Dino Babers last week and will look to rebound in a big way. It's hard to imagine the Syracuse offense struggling for the second week in a row, and Central Michigan will have a tough time keeping up in the Carrier Dome. Syracuse 42, Central Michigan 28

Kentucky at South Carolina (-6.5)

South Carolina has sneakily built one of the best resumes in the league through two weeks of the season. The Gamecocks followed a neutral site win over NC State in the opener with a conference road win at Missouri on Saturday. Deebo Samuel has staked his claim as one of the most dangerous players in the country with a kick return touchdown in each contest, and quarterback Jake Bentley looks more than capable of starring in the SEC. The Wildcats are 2-0, but looked very uninspired in the wins over Southern Mississippi and Eastern Kentucky. Will Muschamp gets to 3-0 in his second season with the Gamecocks with a big Saturday night win. South Carolina 31, Kentucky 20