Caleb Wilfinger
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Last Saturday was a wild day of college football, as we saw upsets galore, overtime thrillers and stunning finishes throughout the day. It was also a very successful day of handicapping, as I hit all three of my best bets on Saturday, plus our mega parlay at +792 odds. Let’s keep the momentum going this week!
We have a full slate of games on Saturday, including a number of intriguing contests. Miami takes on Texas A&M, Penn State travels to Auburn and BYU squares off against Oregon. In addition to the marquee matchups, you’ll find value on a few games that are off the beaten path.
Let’s look at the three components of our mega parlay for Saturday’s action.
Fresno State +12.5 (-110)
Miami ML (+180)
Minnesota team total over 36.5 (-130)
Parlay odds: +845
Odds available at DraftKings Sportsbook at time of publishing.
For this parlay, we are going with one underdog against the spread, one underdog on the money line and a team total. Let’s break down each of these legs one by one.
Get our college football picks for all of the big Week 3 matchups
Fresno State Football +12.5 (-110) over USC Football
This game should be an absolute barnburner. In fact, I’m expecting nothing less from these offenses. USC’s level of talent is well-known at this point and the stars have not disappointed so far. Caleb Williams is playing like a Heisman Trophy frontrunner, Jordan Addison is catching touchdowns left and right, and Travis Dye is quietly stretching opposing defenses on the ground as well. However, the same can’t be said for the Trojans’ clear issues on defense. USC surrendered yards and points at will to Stanford a week ago, needing an insane +4 turnover margin to cover the 10-point spread. Unfortunately for the Trojans, they won’t get to face a turnover-prone quarterback this week.
This is a veteran-laden Fresno State team led by quarterback Jake Haener, who is no stranger to knocking off Pac-12 competition. Haener is one of the Group of 5’s best quarterbacks and leads a balanced Bulldogs offense that had success running and throwing the ball last week against Oregon State. A season ago, Haener was outstanding in a high-scoring victory over UCLA on the road. Don’t be surprised if we see something similar on Saturday. I think the Bulldogs can and will score a ton of points on the Trojans’ defense en route to covering this double-digit spread.
Check out our full Fresno State Bulldogs vs USC Trojans predictions
Miami (FL) Football ML (+180) over Texas A&M Football
At this point, I’ll have to see a solid offensive performance from Texas A&M to believe it. The Aggies have looked absolutely lost this year, and it starts with their quarterback. Haynes King has been a disaster at the position, culminating in just 97 yards passing and 4.9 yards per completion in last week’s loss to Appalachian State. On the other side, Miami is one of the few ACC teams that should be able to hang with the Aggies in the trenches, and coach Mario Cristobal is eager to pick up a statement win in his first year on the job.
Tyler Van Dyke has been extremely efficient under center for the Hurricanes, which bodes well in this hostile environment. Miami has the athletes to compete in this game and their opponent is an absolute mess. I’ll back the Hurricanes to pull off the upset in College Station.
Be sure to check out our Miami (FL) Hurricanes vs Texas A&M Aggies predictions
Minnesota Football team total over 36.5 (-130) vs Colorado Football
To close out this mega parlay, we’re going with Minnesota’s team total over 36.5 against Colorado. By now, you all know the drill. This is my 3rd week in a row of fading Colorado, and for good reason. The Buffaloes are 0-2 against the spread and have looked hapless on both sides of the ball. Colorado can’t sustain drives on offense and they can’t stop a nosebleed on defense. That doesn’t bode well for them, as they’ll take on Minnesota in their second straight road game.
The Gophers are off to a flying start with Tanner Morgan and Mohamed Ibrahim at the controls of their efficient offense. Minnesota typically dominates the game with its stout running game, which is the real Achilles heel for this Colorado defense. Both TCU and Air Force gashed the Buffaloes on the ground and I expect nothing different in this one. Keep fading Colorado.
Be sure to get our college football Week 3 best bets – we went 3-0 last week!
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