CFB Pick 'Em: Top Week 3 Games, Including LSU-Ole Miss, SMU-Louisville And More

Not 300 days ago, Lane Kiffin left Ole Miss for LSU right before the Rebels began their College Football Playoff run. Since then, the entire sport has waited for his return to Oxford, and it has arrived.

Kiffin will face his former team under the bright lights of Vaught Hemingway Stadium in what could be one of the most hostile environments in college football this season.

But Week 3’s loaded slate extends far beyond LSU-Ole Miss.

Houston and Texas Tech meet as ranked opponents for the first time since 1989, while Dabo Swinney and Bill Belichick face mounting pressure before Clemson-North Carolina. Alabama looks to carry its second-half momentum against Florida State, and Auburn meets Florida in a battle of first-year SEC coaches.

Here are our expert picks for the biggest games of the Week 3 college football season.

2026 College Football Expert Picks Week 3

2026 College Football Expert Picks Week 2 — 2026 College Football · Week 3

Matchup	RJ Young	Laken Litman	Ben Portnoy	Michael Cohen	Chris Fallica	Geoff Schwartz	Sam Panayotovich	Will Hill
#5MIA@WAKE
#22HOU@#13TTU
PORTST@#21ORE
KENT@#6OSU
UNC@CLEM
BUFF@#14PSU
#2UGA@ARK
ASU@KU
USU@#17UTAH
#12USC@RUTG
UTEP@#19MICH
FSU@#10ALA
#16SMU@#23LOU
UK@#9TXA&M
WKU@#4IND
UNI@#18IOWA
TROY@#20MIZZ
FLA@AUB
#7LSU@#8MISS
MSU@#3ND
UNM@#24OKLA
#11BYU@CSU
WVU@#25UVA
KennSt@#15TENN
UTSA@#1TEXAS

College football in Week 3 kicks off with No. 5 Miami at Wake Forest (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN), followed by No. 22 Houston at No. 13 Texas Tech (8 p.m. ET, FOX) and No. 21 Oregon hosting Portland State (10:30 p.m. ET, Big Ten Network). 

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