The overreactions in the first few weeks of the college football season shouldn’t be surprising. Every week offers a different perspective, and everyone forgets about everything that happened in previous weeks in place of the most recent result.
So it’s not surprising that some of the spreads are looking a bit odd in week 3.
Here’s the best underdogs to back in the week 3 college football picks.
Overall: 4-8 ATS
Underdogs: 1-5 ATS
Rutgers (+2.5) at Kansas
OK, so Rutgers didn’t look so hot in week 2 against Ohio State. That’s to be expected, since the Buckeyes are one of the most talented teams in the nation.
Meanwhile, Kansas put the nation on notice in week 2 after winning a road game, which isn’t necessarily a regular occurrence. So naturally, the team that lost to an FCS team in week 1 is now favored to beat a Big 10 team.
I’m not buying it.
Rutgers has more talent than the Jayhawks. The Scarlet Knights have a decent defense that will show much more this week against a Kansas team that isn’t anywhere near the level Ohio State is on a regular basis.
Rutgers showed some promise offensively in week 1, so I anticipate that will happen once again in this game. Rutgers is the better team, so don’t worry about the underdog status — Go Against The Chalk with Rutgers
Arizona State at San Diego State (+6)
The public is backing the Sun Devils, but don’t get too fast on that side of this matchup.
Herm Edwards is an ultra emotional coach. His teams are high and low with emotions, meaning that games like last week against Michigan State can drain his teams for the following week, leading to a letdown. For some reason, it appears the betting public is unaware of that tendency.
Arizona State has looked good for the most part this season. However, Michigan State was able to move the ball against that defense. San Diego State will have some opportunities in this game and should catch the Sun Devils in a prime letdown mode.
San Diego State has a defense capable of competing, so this will be closer than the public believes. — Go Against The Chalk with San Diego State
Boise State (+1) at Oklahoma State
I’m not sure how good Oklahoma State is in 2018.
The Cowboys haven’t been tested in the first two weeks, but with all the pieces they had to replace form 2017, it’s likely Oklahoma State takes a step back on offense. And while the Cowboys shouldn’t be as productive as the past, Boise State has a top-tier offensive line to go along with a quarterback who could start popping up on Heisman Trophy lists in the upcoming weeks.
Boise State isn’t afraid of this stage and it’s not out of the question that Boise State actually has the more talented team.
Oklahoma State hasn’t been tested this year and that will be a problem heading into this contest against a highly talented Boise State team. — Go Against The Chalk with Boise State
