2025 NCAAF: Week 3 Preview

Last weekend is proof that there truly are no “off weeks” in college football.

What was perceived by some to be a hangover week following the number of obvious marquee matchups in Week 1 turned out to be a very competitive slate with plenty of wild results. Two Top 20 teams were knocked off by double-digit underdogs while plenty of other hotly contested affairs played out across the country.

If Week 1 was designed to attract the casuals, Week 2 certainly rewarded the true diehards and ball knowers.

Speaking of ball knowers, thus far neither the guests nor I seem to know much about what will happen from week to week.

The current records after Week 2 are not particularly impressive:

K. Becks – 5-5 SU, 3-7 ATS

Guests – 6-4 SU, 5-5 ATS

This week, my buddy Coleman joins the blog to offer his expertise. I’m somewhat surprised he volunteered, as I know his professional responsibilities have been taxing. But more importantly, it has been a rough couple of years for him as an alumnus of Kent State. In true Sickos fashion, he has taken the Golden Flashes’ struggles with a dose of humor. His response to my text about Kent’s Week 1 victory over Merrimack, its first win in an opener in 11 years?

“Nobody beats us on opening day 12 years in a row. NOBODY”

10-4, Coleman. Maybe 2025 is your year, too, and you can widen the early lead that the guests have built on me through two weeks.

Let’s take a look at the top games of Week 3.

5 Games You Need to Watch This Weekend

#12 Clemson at Georgia Tech (Saturday, 12 PM ET – ESPN)

The Tigers have hardly looked the part as one of the nation’s most experienced teams through two games. Dropping the high-profile battle to LSU was excusable, but far less so was sleepwalking halfway through the game against Troy last weekend before getting it together in the second half. The blame can primarily be placed on the offense, which has looked sloppy more often than not and does not seem to have a clear answer for deploying a consistent rushing attack. Cade Klubnik has shown signs of regression, struggling with accuracy and making some very questionable decisions with the ball that have resulted in costly turnovers. If there is anything positive to say about Dabo Swinney’s team thus far, it is that the defense has generally lived up to its billing and is the reason why the Tigers aren’t completely floundering at this point.

But the defense will only hold off the dogs for so long, especially in this game against the Yellow Jackets. Brent Key’s team has looked potent offensively, averaging nearly 250 rushing yards per game on the ground in large part thanks to dual threat quarterback Haynes King. Healthy coming into this game, King will play a key role in defining the success of either team. Georgia Tech obviously needs him to keep the chains moving, but Clemson containing him provides the Tigers an excellent opportunity to win this game even if the offense continues to struggle to an extent. I’m not particularly confident about this pick based on the way both teams are playing, but will roll with the assumption that the first half against Troy was a wakeup call and that the Clemson I expected to see this season (national title contender) will emerge this weekend. The Yellow Jackets are wholly capable of proving me wrong, though.

My Pick: 24-23 Clemson (does not cover -3 spread)

Coleman’s Take: Georgia Tech over Clemson 24-20

#6 Georgia at #15 Tennessee (Saturday, 3:30 PM ET – ABC)

The first of many ranked vs. ranked matchups in the SEC this season will take place in Knoxville, which is home to an excited fanbase following Tennessee’s first two games of the season. The Volunteers have employed an aggressive style on both sides of the ball, getting out to big leads against both Syracuse and East Tennessee State which both resulted in comfortable victories. In those games the offense flourished and the defense did what it needed to do, especially in the early going. The Georgia defense will be a massive step up in competition, and it will be an opportunity for the rest of the country to either be introduced to Joey Aguilar as a stud, or the Vols faithful to reset its expectations for the rest of SEC play. Right now, Aguilar has those in orange checkered overalls yelling, “Nico who?”

Aguilar has shown an ability to push the ball down the field, which will probably be more difficult to do successfully against this Georgia defense than against Syracuse and ETSU. However, if he can successfully loosen up the Bulldogs’ secondary, this is a Tennessee offense that can be very dangerous engaging in a track meet. In contrast, Georgia will look to control the pace of the game and prevent the Tennessee offense from winning the time of possession battle. If that happens, I expect the Bulldogs to be able to win this game, as there will be holes to exploit in the Tennessee defense, particularly on the ground. The O/U for this game seems appropriately set at about 50 points, which points to Georgia being able to dictate the pace and add to a dominate streak of eight straight victories against the Volunteers.

My Pick: 30-21 Georgia (covers -3.5 spread)

Coleman’s Take: Georgia over Tennessee 31-7

#18 South Florida at #5 Miami (FL) (Saturday, 4:30 PM ET – The CW Network)

When the ACC inked its deal with The CW Network in 2023, it was unlikely within the network’s wildest dreams that it would get the rights to a game with as much attention as this one will draw. The biggest problem is going to be people’s inability to find The CW Network. What hasn’t a problem this season, however, is South Florida’s ability to take down Top 25 competition, going two-for-two in that regard so far en route to securing a Top 25 ranking of its own. Alex Golesh’s team will look to keep the momentum going when the Bulls make the four-hour trip South to Hard Rock Stadium to take on its second in-state opponent in as many weeks. The Hurricanes appear to be the most potent team offensively of the group that the Bulls have faced, but Coach Golesh’s defense has made a habit out of surprising teams so far.

With each upset victory, South Florida is introducing more people to what the program has already known for some time – that Byrum Brown is one of the most dynamic players in the country. His ability to hurt you with his legs and physical running style is immediately apparent, but that threat has opened up opportunities for him to deliver daggers through the air as well. My concern in this game is that while Boise State didn’t appear equipped to handle Brown’s arm, and Florida didn’t appear ready for it, Miami now has two games of film to study Brown’s tendencies. The Hurricanes did a pretty good job containing what is likely a solid Notre Dame offense, albeit not quite as dependent on a physical freak like Brown. As much as I would like to pick the Bulls to make it three in a row, I think that the Hurricanes get the job done following Florida’s letdown last week. I expect Carson Beck to successfully extend South Florida’s defense, eventually opening up opportunities in the run game that the Bulls made sure to crack down on in their first two games.

My Pick: 31-14 Miami (FL) (does not cover -17.5 spread)

Coleman’s Take: Miami over USF 28-24

Florida at #3 LSU (Saturday, 7:30 PM ET – ABC)

The seat is again blazing hot underneath Billy Napier following Florida’s unexpected loss to South Florida at The Swamp. It was a contest that neither team was able to take full control of throughout, but which the Gators did more to give it away than win it. The consolation? Low expectations heading into a date with LSU at Death Valley. The Tigers have already notched a signature win this season having beaten Clemson in the opener, but I am not sold on LSU quite yet. While it isn’t possible to note this game as “can’t miss” action based on the rankings alone, I think it does have a chance to be this weekend’s wildest result.

Generally overlooked as a preparation game for this one, LSU’s 23-7 victory over Louisiana Tech was lackluster for more reasons than just the final score. The Tigers struggled to get out of gate offensively and allowed the Bulldogs to stay in the game thanks to a sloppy performance on the offensive line, allowing three sacks and eight tackles for loss over the course of the evening. While Florida did struggle at times containing Byrum Brown, it will be easier to keep Garrett Nussmeier in the pocket and I think that the Gators can get decent pressure on him. Defensively, the Tigers allowed some room to run the ball last week, suggesting that Florida will have the ability to do the same. I think that LSU’s current ranking is a result of a knee-jerk reaction from a Week 1 result which, surprisingly enough, is still being treated quite positively considering the general opinion of Clemson at the moment. This has the chance to look like a horrible pick, but I think that the Gators are plenty talented enough to shock the Tigers at home. If the Gators avoid the plethora of penalties that helped prevent them from escaping last weekend with a victory, they will have a shot to right the ship rather quickly.

My Pick: 21-20 Florida (covers +7.5 spread)

Coleman’s Take: LSU over Florida 35-17

#16 Texas A&M at #8 Notre Dame (Saturday, 7:30 PM ET – NBC)

The Fighting Irish will have had nearly two weeks off since their loss to Miami by the time they take on the Aggies in South Bend, a rematch of one of the better non-conference games of the 2024 season. This time around, Texas A&M boasts an offensive attack far more sure of itself with Marcel Reed at the helm, and perhaps more difficult for the Notre Dame defense to contain. Reed has picked up where he left off last season, tossing seven touchdown passes and averaging over 250 yards per game passing to go along with over 100 yards rushing and a touchdown on the ground through two games. He leads the team in both categories, though the Aggies are stacked with rushing options and Le’Veon Moss has also looked dangerous despite only 13 carries thus far. As far as Notre Dame is concerned, CJ Carr didn’t look overwhelmed in his first start in a raucous environment, and despite both head coaches being defensive guys, this game should produce a number of offensive highlights.

While some people hopped off the Carson Beck wagon at various points last season or during the offseason, it isn’t overly surprising that he seemed to have regained some of the confidence that placed him amongst the top quarterbacks in college football heading into 2024. I think his pocket presence is still better than that of a guy like Reed, who as a superior athlete is able to break out of the pocket and create options downfield. The goal for the Notre Dame defense will be to keep Reed from doing that, something that I believe Marcus Freeman will get from his defensive front. On the other side, the Aggies have allowed two G5 schools to move the ball fairly well and I don’t think Notre Dame will be bottled up, either. I have already seen enough from Carr to confirm my suspicion that Notre Dame can be more dynamic offensively than they were with Riley Leonard. While both offenses will have their moments on Saturday evening, I trust the Fighting Irish to do a better job controlling the pace of the game and ultimately putting the Aggies into positions where the best option is simply to flip the field with special teams.

My Pick: 27-20 Notre Dame (covers -6.5 spread)

Coleman’s Take: Notre Dame over A&M 21-17

5 Games to Keep an Eye On This Weekend

Wisconsin at #19 Alabama (Saturday, 12 PM ET – ABC)

The Crimson Tide offense came alive last week, albeit against Louisiana-Monroe, but a perfect 17 for 17 passing for Ty Simpson was a positive sign. Alabama returns to playing Power 4 competition this weekend when it welcomes the Badgers to Tuscaloosa, while Wisconsin is playing its first game of the season against such opposition.

Memphis at Troy (Saturday, 12 PM ET – ESPNU)

Say what you want about Clemson’s performance against Troy last weekend, but it may signal just as much about the Trojans and their ability to compete in the Sun Belt this season. Memphis is amongst the current favorites to grab the G5 berth to the Playoff, but will need to play well to avoid what would be viewed as a surprising loss on the road.

Arkansas at #17 Mississippi (Saturday, 7 PM ET – ESPN)

The Rebels came back to earth offensively against Kentucky, which was to be expected following their Week 1 explosion. But a bigger question remains regarding their run defense, which has been gashed by both the Wildcats and Georgia State. Arkansas has looked potent on the ground in its first two games and will probably give Mississippi everything it can handle.

Vanderbilt at #11 South Carolina (Saturday, 7:45 PM ET – SEC Network)

It will be impossible to ignore Vanderbilt any longer if it delivers a positive result in this one, though the Commodores are being overlooked as it is. Diego Pavia is backing up his bold offseason claims and the offense is humming thanks to its vocal leader. The Gamecocks seem to have gotten out of the gate slowly this season and could receive a rude awakening in their SEC opener.

Texas State at Arizona State (Saturday, 10:30 PM ET – TNT)

The Roadrunners dropped the I-35 Rivalry last Saturday, but the offense has looked good and will face an Arizona State defense that has had trouble stopping the pass thus far. It’s a bounceback game for both sides and I think it will be more closely contested than Vegas is suggesting.