Get the weekend started early with Friday college football action, including an ACC affair between Wake Forest and North Carolina and a non-conference clash featuring Washington State and Houston. We look up and down the Week 3 college football betting odds, giving you our best picks and predictions on spread and totals, as well as team totals, player props and derivatives.
ENJOY THE FIREWORKS
There should be points a-plenty at BB&T Stadium on Friday night as the Wake Forest Demon Deacons host the North Carolina Tar Heels. Not only do both teams come into this one with 2-0 records, they also boast two of the Top-15 quarterbacks in the country in passing efficiency to date, with UNC’s Sam Howell ranked 14th and Wake’s Jamie Newman right behind him. It’s also worth noting that the hosts rank outside the Top 100 in yards allowed per play, while UNC sits 73rd in passing yards allowed per game.
With both offenses humming, both defenses struggling and the Demon Deacons possibly without star running back Sage Surratt for a second consecutive game, the ball should be absolutely flying through the air in this one. We favor the Over 65.5 here.
DILLION’S A DYNAMO
The Boston College Eagles aren’t expected to have much trouble with the visiting Kansas Jayhawks on Friday night, entering the home encounter as nearly a three-touchdown favorite. And they’ll almost certainly rely heavily on running back A.J. Dillon, who has amassed 167 rushing yards and four touchdowns on a whopping 40 rush attempts through the first two games of the season. While Kansas has limited opponents to 3.7 YPC and one rushing score, they also rank 89th in rush yards allowed per game.
Look for the Eagles to control this one on the ground, as Dillon carves up the Jayhawks’ suspect defense and chews up the clock in the process. We see Boston College keeping the visitors below their team total of 14.5 points.
FEELS LIKE HOME
It might not be a true home game for the Houston Cougars this weekend, but it’ll almost certainly be the next best thing as they tangle with the Washington State Cougars at NRG Stadium, home of the NFL’s Texans. The Houston Cougars come into this one as 9.5-point underdogs, and that could very well work in their favor. They’re an incredible 10-1-1 ATS in their past 12 when getting seven or more points. But that record will be put to the test against a WSU team that has covered five straight road games.
With the Pac-12 Cougars having to travel two time zones – something they haven’t done often in recent years – and the Houston Cougars having scored 37-plus points in seven straight games in their home city, we like the hosts to cover.
WIMBUSH BACK IN THE MIX?
The Central Florida Knights will likely have their top three quarterbacks in the fold for this weekend’s encounter with the visiting Stanford Cardinal. Reshirt senior Brandon Wimbush missed last week’s game against Florida Atlantic due to an undisclosed injury, but head coach Jeff Lebby says Wimbush will be in action Saturday. Wimbush and Dillon Gabriel have split the majority of the work so far, but Darriel Mack has been cleared to return and might also hit the field against the Cardinal.
While winning the game is certainly the Knights’ top priority, they might be almost as concerned with getting multiple quarterbacks into Saturday’s game. And with this line having climbed all the way to UCF -9, the conditions are ideal for bettors to favor the visitors ATS given the uncertainty of the UCF offense.
