Week 3 of the college football season should be a telling one for several top-25 teams throughout the nation.
You have No. 12 LSU and Joe Burrow taking on seventh-ranked Auburn in Jordan-Hare. You have No. 17 Boise State, the class of the Group of 5, taking on 24th-ranked Oklahoma State. And of course, you have No. 4 Ohio State taking on No. 15 TCU in its final game without Urban Meyer.
MORE: Week 3 ATS picks
It should be a lot of fun to watch, and Sporting News is here to help you make your picks. We're 10-6 on the season in our picks after a slew of Week 1 upsets, but we got back on the right track with a 6-2 finish last week.
That said, here are our picks for the biggest games of the week in college football in Week 3 (odds reflect consensus picks from VegasInsiders.com as of Sept. 11).
(All Times Eastern)
Oklahoma (-17.5) at Iowa State
Noon, ABC
The loss of Rodney Anderson hurts, but Oklahoma's offensive proficiency shouldn't take a hit against Iowa State. The Cyclones struggled mightily on offense in a 13-3 loss to rival Iowa last week — while David Montgomery and others should have a little more success moving the ball, it won't be nearly enough to keep up with Kyler Murray, Trey Sermon, Marquise Goodwin and others. Oklahoma wins big. Oklahoma 45, Iowa State 27
Vanderbilt at No. 8 Notre Dame (-14.5)
2:30 p.m. ET
The Commodores have looked impressive through two games so far this season, but we’ve been here before. They face a Notre Dame team that simply has more talent. Still, Vanderbilt can stick around if the defense forces Brandon Wimbush (one touchdown, four interceptions this season) to make errant throws, which is certainly possible given the Commodores have nine sacks through two games. It’s tempting to pick them to pull off what would be the biggest upset of the season by far … but we think Brian Kelly has his team on high alert after a letdown performance against Ball State last week. Notre Dame 28, Vanderbilt 20
MORE: SN's Week 3 Power Rankings
No. 12 LSU at No. 7 Auburn (-9.5)
3:30 p.m., CBS
LSU and Joe Burrow face their toughest test of the season so far when they travel to Jordan-Hare take on seventh-ranked Auburn. Burrow will get his first true road test in the SEC against a defense that has averaged 4.5 sacks through two games and limited a talented Washington team to 16 points earlier in the year. Burrow has yet to complete over 50 percent of his passes for more than 151 yards. He’ll need to command LSU to a win against Auburn. We don’t see that happening, even if LSU’s defense keeps it close. Auburn 20, LSU 10
No. 17 Boise State at No. 24 Oklahoma State (-3)
3:30 p.m., ESPN
Perhaps the most competitive game between top-25 opponent in Week 3. Oklahoma State only has one non-Power 5 loss since 2010 (a controversial finish against Central Michigan in 2016), but Boise State’s offense can score with the best of them, ranking fourth nationally with 617 yards of offense and fifth with 59 points per game. That stands up well against an Oklahoma State team that puts up 675 yards of offense a game (first nationally) and 56.5 points (eighth). The difference in this one may be on defense, where Oklahoma State has allowed a paltry 237 yards of offense on average in two games. That could be the difference-maker in a close game. Oklahoma State 42, Boise State 38
MORE: Week 3 bowl projections
No. 1 Alabama (-21) at Ole Miss
7 p.m., ESPN
This game is more a matter of how big Alabama wins than if they leave Oxford with a victory. The Tide enter the game as a three-touchdown favorite on the road at Ole Miss, which seems ludicrous on its face given the Rebels have averaged 61.5 points a game against Texas Tech and Southern Illinois. But they haven’t played a defense as good as Alabama’s, and now the Tide have an offense, led by Tua Tagovailoa, that seems to have no problem moving the ball up and down the field. Ole Miss may have early success against a young secondary, but look for the Tide to pull away in the third quarter. Alabama 49, Ole Miss 21
No. 4 Ohio State (-12.5) vs. No. 15 TCU (Arlington)
8 p.m., ABC
Ohio State finally takes on a team that can threaten a win, and in Urban Meyer’s final game on suspension. The game essentially amounts to a home contest for TCU, so it will be interesting to see how Ohio State’s high-flying offense does against a Horned Frogs defense that ranks sixth nationally in 214 yards allowed per game. The Buckeyes will need to key in on Corey Bethley and Ty Summers, who’ve combined for six tackles for loss and five sacks through two games. That said, Ohio State is too talented across the board for TCU to keep up the entire game. The Buckeyes will score on offense while the Nick Bosa-led defense keeps TCU at arm’s length. Ohio State 35, TCU 20
MORE: Week 3 Playoff picture
No. 22 USC (PK) at Texas
8 p.m., FOX
This game has lost a lot of its preseason luster as both teams enter with a .500 record, but it’s still worth keeping an eye on simply for the fact it knocks someone out of the College Football Playoff. JT Daniels and Co. were exposed in a 17-3 loss to Stanford that makes it look closer than it actually was. But Texas has struggles of its own, losing to Maryland and scrambling to a 28-21 win over Tulsa in Week 2. This could turn out to be an ugly game, but we’ll choose the visiting Trojans. USC 27, Texas 20
No. 10 Washington (-6.5) at Utah
10 p.m., ESPN
The Utes enter with the nation’s No. 1 statistical defense (giving up 144 yards a game), but that stat line comes against Weber State and Northern Illinois. How will they fare against Washington which, despite being 1-1, remains one of the favorites to win the Pac-12? We think Washington exposes Utah a little while Jake Browning and Myles Gaskin keep the Utes at a comfortable distance before Utah scores late. Washington 30, Utah 24
