The NCAA football lines have remained largely the same after two weeks of action. Last week’s featured game between the No. 1 Clemson Tigers and the No. 12 Texas A&M Aggies could have been seismic, but Clemson had little trouble beating the Aggies 24-10, even if they failed to cash in as 15.5-point home favorites after Texas A&M got the matador cover. Following RB Travis Etienne’s stellar performance in Week 1, it was RB Lyn-J Dixon stepping up in Week 2 with 79 yards rushing and a touchdown on just 11 carries. The Aggies dropped out of the Top-25 rankings after that performance.
More bad news for Lone Star football fans: The Texas Longhorns are down from No. 9 to No. 12 after losing 45-38 to the LSU Tigers (–6.5 away), who have moved up two spots to No. 4. This could finally be the return to prominence LSU fans have been waiting for since head coach Les Miles was let go in 2016. Ed Orgeron is getting maximum results from QB Joe Burrow, who went 31-of-39 against Texas for 471 yards and four TD passes. With their modernized spread offense firing on all cylinders, it could be Tigers vs. Tigers atop the NCAA odds board once the College Football Playoff rolls around.
NCAA Odds Week 3: Best Odds and Matchups
1. No. 19 Iowa Hawkeyes at Iowa State Cyclones (Saturday, 4 PM ET, FS1)
First, there are some juicy rivalry games to wrap up the non-conference portion of the FBS schedule. Iowa have claimed the Cy-Hawk Trophy in each of their last four meetings with Iowa State, and the NCAA football odds are once again in their favor for Saturday’s matchup – but just barely. The Hawkeyes are 2.5-point road favorites at press time after opening at –1. This is despite Iowa State needing three overtimes to defeat visiting Northern Iowa (representing the Mountain Valley Football Conference in the FCS) 29-26 in Week 1.
2. Pittsburgh Panthers at No. 13 Penn State Nittany Lions (Saturday, 12 PM ET, ABC)
It’s always more exciting to bet on NCAA football when school pride is at stake. The Lions go into this game as 17.5-point home favorites, holding steady since the open, but the “Keystone Classic” could turn into a low-scoring affair. These are two quality defenses at work here, and there’s a 30-40% chance of rain over Beaver Stadium in the game-time forecast. The Pitt offense is also in a bit of shambles, especially on the offensive line, while Penn State’s running game hasn’t been up to snuff.
3. No. 1 Clemson Tigers at Syracuse Orange (Saturday, 7:30 PM ET, ABC)
At some point, Clemson will have to face a team that isn’t a giant underdog on the NCAA football betting board. The Tigers are 28-point road favorites versus Syracuse; the Orange were No. 21 in the polls before last week’s 63-20 destruction at the hands of the Maryland Terrapins (–2 at home). Now that Syracuse have dropped out of the Top 25, the Tigers have no more ranked teams on their regular-season schedule – they’ll have to wait until the CFP for some real competition.
4. No. 2 Alabama Crimson Tide at South Carolina Gamecocks (Saturday, 3:30 PM ET, CBS)
Chances are that competition will come from Alabama. They’re 26-point road favorites in this contest, after blowout wins over the Duke Blue Devils and the New Mexico State Aggies, but the Tide offense hasn’t been quite as potent since the return of offensive co-ordinator Steve Sarkisian to Tuscaloosa. South Carolina’s chances of pulling off the upset look dim after QB Jake Bentley broke his left foot in their season-opening loss to the North Carolina Tar Heels; freshman Ryan Hilinski will take his lumps against ‘Bama in this one.
5. Stanford Cardinal at No. 17 Central Florida Knights (Saturday, 3:30 PM ET, ESPN)
Stanford were also in the rankings at No. 23 before their surprisingly poor 45-20 loss to the USC Trojans (–3 at home). Davis Mills started at quarterback instead of KJ Costello, who was ruled out with a head injury. It appears that Costello will make his return against UCF, making the Cardinal 7.5-point underdogs. The Knights have thrived thus far with former Notre Dame QB Brandon Wimbush, even if they haven’t yet faced a team anywhere as good as Stanford.
*Odds as of September 10, 2019