College football Week 3 picks, predictions by proven computer model

Locking in our game predictions as the Week 3 college football schedule kicks off with the aid of the Football Power Index computer analytic models

Just two weeks into the 2023 college football season, and we may have already seen the statement upset of the year after Texas went into Alabama as touchdown underdogs and came out with a 10-point victory, changing the landscape once again near the top of the rankings as we move into our first conference games this week.  

Rankings: AP | Coaches | ESPN

What can we expect from the Week 3 slate of games? This week, we turn to FPI to guide us in making our own predictions for the biggest matchups.

Football Power Index (FPI) college football rankings and computer prediction model are a measure of team strength that predicts a team’s future performance.

Devised by ESPN analysts, its rankings and scores predictions are based on 20,000 simulations of a team’s season, using a combination of analytics, including scores to date, quality of opponents, and a team’s schedule.

College football Week 3 picks, predictions by computer model

College football picks, predictions / USA Today Images

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Early college football picks

Florida State at Boston College
Sat., Sept. 16 | 12 p.m. | ABC
Line: Florida State -25.5
FPI pick: Florida State 96.4%

Penn State at Illinois
Sat., Sept. 16 | 12 p.m. | Fox
Line: Penn State -14.5
FPI pick: Penn State 86.4%

LSU at Mississippi State
Sat., Sept. 16 | 12 p.m. | ESPN
Line: LSU -10.5
FPI pick: LSU 67.5%

Kansas State at Missouri
Sat., Sept. 16 | 12 p.m. | SECN
Line: Kansas State -5.5
FPI pick: Kansas State 68.9%

Louisville at Indiana
Sat., Sept. 16 | 12 p.m. | BTN
Line: Louisville -9.5
FPI pick: Louisville 74.4%

Afternoon college football picks

South Carolina at Georgia
Sat., Sept. 16 | 3:30 p.m. | CBS
Line: Georgia -27.5
FPI pick: Georgia 91.7%

Alabama at USF
Sat., Sept. 16 | 3:30 p.m. | ABC
Line: Alabama -31.5
FPI pick: Alabama 98.6%

San Diego State at Oregon State
Sat., Sept. 16 | 3:30 p.m. | FS1
Line: Oregon State -24.5
FPI pick: Oregon State 96.4%

Oklahoma at Tulsa
Sat., Sept. 16 | 3:30 p.m. | ESPN2
Line: Oklahoma -27.5
FPI pick: Oklahoma 96.4%

Minnesota at North Carolina
Sat., Sept. 16 | 3:30 p.m. | ESPN
Line: North Carolina -7.5
FPI pick: North Carolina 72.9%

Northwestern at Duke
Sat., Sept. 16 | 3:30 p.m. | ACCN
Line: Duke -18.5
FPI pick: Duke 73.0%

Western Kentucky at Ohio State
Sat., Sept. 16 | 4 p.m. | Fox
Line: Ohio State -27.5
FPI pick: Ohio State 97.1%

Washington at Michigan State
Sat., Sept. 16 | 5 p.m. | Peacock
Line: Washington -16.5
FPI pick: Washington 66.0%

Primetime college football picks

Tennessee at Florida
Sat., Sept. 16 | 7 p.m. | ESPN
Line: Tennessee -6.5
FPI pick: Tennessee 54.1%

Bowling Green at Michigan
Sat., Sept. 16 | 7:30 p.m. | BTN
Line: Michigan -40.5
FPI pick: Michigan 98.2%

Georgia Tech at Ole Miss
Sat., Sept. 16 | 7:30 p.m. | SECN
Line: Ole Miss -19
FPI pick: Ole Miss 90.2%

BYU at Arkansas
Sat., Sept. 16 | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN2
Line: Arkansas -8
FPI pick: Arkansas 79.1%

Pittsburgh at West Virginia
Sat., Sept. 16 | 7:30 p.m. | ABC
Line: Pittsburgh -1
FPI pick: Pittsburgh 64.0%

TCU at Houston
Sat., Sept. 16 | 8 p.m. | Fox
Line: TCU -7.5
FPI pick: TCU 62.8%

Colorado State at Colorado
Sat., Sept. 16 | 10 p.m. | ESPN
Line: Colorado -23
FPI pick: Colorado 88.1%

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