NC State vs. Texas Tech odds, spread, lines: Week 3 college football picks, predictions by computer model

Expert picks, predictions for NC State vs. Texas Tech on the Week 3 college football schedule

A crucial non-conference tilt between hopefuls in the ACC and Big 12 as NC State and Texas Tech meet in college football's Week 3 action this Saturday.

Both teams come in at 2-0 on the year, but Texas Tech owns a win over formerly ranked Houston, while the Wolfpack edged East Carolina by 1 in the opener and is coming off a rout over Charleston Southern.

What do the experts think of this matchup? Let's see how the College Football Power Index computer prediction model projects this game.

NC State vs. Texas Tech football picks, predictions

Week 3 college football schedule: NC State vs. Texas Tech

Football Power Index projects a tight game for NC State, which has a 67.6 percent chance to defeat Texas Tech on Saturday.

Tech has the 32.4 percent shot to upset the Wolfpack on the road, according to the computer.

The oddsmakers are siding with the home team, as NC State comes in as 11 point favorites, according to the opening line at SI Sportsbook, which set the over/under mark at 55.5 points.

The index is skeptical of the Wolfpack, placing it at just No. 34 overall in its latest college football rankings, good for just 5th in the ACC, and that's with an improvement of 2 spots over the last week.

AP top 25 voters bumped the Pack up 2 spots to No. 16 after its win last weekend, but still 3 spots down from its preseason No. 13 ranking.

FPI projects NC State is 8.5 points better on average than the teams on its schedule with just a 5.4 percent chance to win the division.

Texas Tech checks in at No. 44 in the FPI rankings and projected to win 6.2 games this season out of the Big 12.

College Football Power Index

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

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 rankings

According to AP top 25 poll

1. Georgia
2. Alabama
3. Ohio State
4. Michigan
5. Clemson
6. Oklahoma
7. USC
8. Oklahoma State
9. Kentucky
10. Arkansas
11. Michigan State
12. BYU
13. Miami
14. Utah
15. Tennessee
16. NC State
17. Baylor
18. Florida
19. Wake Forest
20. Ole Miss
21. Texas
22. Penn State
23. Pittsburgh
24. Texas A&M
25. Oregon

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