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Jackson's Week 3 college football predictions for all ranked games and top-25 matchups. His picks for Georgia vs. Tennessee, South Carolina vs. Vanderbilt, and more.
Week 3 College Football Predictions
It’s already Week 3 of the 2025 College Football campaign, and this is a reminder to soak up every last minute of action. It ends before you know it, and the season is getting ready to ramp up in a big way. The third slate of 2025 brings several more Power Four schools against inferior opponents, but we’re treated to three “ranked vs. ranked” matchups on Saturday.
Can Tennessee finally get over the hump and beat Georgia? How will Florida respond to the Week 2 loss? Is South Florida ready to take down another ranked in-state foe? Let’s dive in.
No. 25 Missouri vs. Louisiana
Fresh off a win over the arch-rival Kansas Jayhawks, Missouri gets an easy matchup at home against the Ragin’ Cajuns. Tiger quarterback Beau Pribula looks like the real deal, and Eli Drinkwitz continues to build high-powered offenses. Missouri will play in the “Battle of Columbia” next week as the Gamecocks come to town, so it’s important to keep their eye on the task in front of them.
We trust Drinkwitz and company in this spot.
Prediction: Missouri 34, Louisiana 10
No. 24 Auburn vs. South Alabama
It feels like a make-or-break year for Hugh Freeze in Year 3, and so far, he’s delivered. The Week 1 win at Baylor looks better than it did this time last week after the Bears beat SMU on its home turf, so perhaps Auburn can make some real noise in the SEC this season.
South Alabama has looked like one of the better teams in Conference USA, but obviously, there’s a big talent gap here. Expect a lot of Jackson Arnold rushing attempts and yards.
Prediction: Auburn 40, South Alabama 14
No. 23 Michigan vs. Central Michigan
Bryce Underwood faced a Brent Venables defense in Norman last week, a tough test for any true freshman quarterback. He completed just nine of his 24 passing attempts and tallied a loss of one yard on the ground, but we’re not going to overreact to that performance.
Underwood and Michigan are likely a year away from competing for the Big Ten crown, but Central Michigan shouldn’t present much of a challenge.
Prediction: Michigan 27, Central Michigan 7
No. 22 Indiana vs. Indiana State
Well, well, well. Here we go again with Indiana playing in yet another soft matchup. After beating Old Dominion and whooping up on Kennasaw State, the Hoosiers are in another easy spot and should improve to 3-0.
Indiana will host No. 9 Illinois next week and travel to Eugene to play Oregon on October 11. We’ll learn more about Curt Cignetti’s squad soon enough.
Prediction: Indiana 45, Indiana State 13
No. 21 Texas Tech vs. Oregon State
Texas Tech has not been tested yet, and it will be interesting to see how a team full of talented transfers fits in together when Big 12 play begins. Before taking on Utah next week, the Red Raiders should take care of business against Oregon State.
The Beavers have a depleted roster and are off to a 0-2 start. There’s little reason to think this matchup has upset potential.
Prediction: Texas Tech 45, Oregon State 20
No. 20 Utah at Wyoming
We promise to get to more exciting games soon, but here’s another potential snoozer. Utah, led by quarterback Devon Dampier, could be a force to be reckoned with in the Big 12 title race. Kyle Whittingham is one of the nation’s best and most underrated coaches, so it would not be a surprise to see the Utes in the College Football Playoff.
In order to do that, you have to take care of these “gimme” games. Utah does that here.
Prediction: Utah 35, Wyoming 16
No. 19 Alabama vs. Wisconsin
While Wisconsin has only faced Miami (OH) and MTSU, the Badgers look somewhat improved this season. Meanwhile, Alabama is still licking its wounds after getting bullied in Tallahassee to open the 2025 campaign. Will the Tide use that loss to fuel the fire, or will it stick with them in its next opportunity to face a Power 4 foe?
Standout wide receiver Ryan Williams is expected to play on Saturday. Unless Alabama simply can’t rebound from being shocked by FSU, this Big Ten vs. SEC bout should not be all that competitive.
Prediction: Alabama 31, Wisconsin 14
No. 17 Ole Miss vs. Arkansas
Austin Simmons had a rough day in Lexington last weekend. Not only did he throw two early interceptions, but he was banged up and did not finish the game. However, Lane Kiffin said he expects Simmons to be fine.
While the Rebels host Arkansas this week, the performance against Kentucky was concerning, and it could be a sign of things to come. Arkansas is just a touchdown underdog in Oxford this weekend, and we’re calling “upset alert.” Hogs Quarterback Taylen Green, who has scored 11 touchdowns in two games, will make the difference here in what should be a shootout.
Prediction: Arkansas 35, Ole Miss 27
No. 14 Iowa State at Arkansas State
Another Big 12 contender, Iowa State, already has three wins under its belt after playing in Weeks 0, 1, and 2. The Cyclones inched out a close victory over in-state rival Iowa last week and are looking to remain undefeated before the toughest part of the schedule arrives.
Arkansas State, led by former Tennessee head coach Butch Jones, is hosting this contest for some reason. But homefield advantage won’t be enough to turn the tide.
Prediction: Iowa State 31, Arkansas State 14
No. 13 Oklahoma at Temple
Is Oklahoma for real this season? So far, so good. John Mateer flashed last week as he carried the Sooners’ offense and led Oklahoma to a statement victory over Michigan in Norman. Now, the Sooners could be in a “letdown” spot on the road against Temple.
The Owls have won both of their contests by at least 32 points and could put up a fight, but Mateer and OU’s excellent defense will prove too much.
Prediction: Oklahoma 30, Temple 13
No. 12 Clemson at Georgia Tech
Clemson has not looked good to open the 2025 campaign, losing to LSU at home in Week 1 and having to come from behind to beat Troy in Week 2. Meanwhile, Georgia Tech delivered an impressive road victory over Colorado to open the season and handled Gardner-Webb with ease last Saturday.
Conventional wisdom should tell us Georgia Tech should have the advantage here in Atlanta, but we’ll bank on the Tigers bouncing back thanks to its experienced quarterback and elite talent profile overall.
Prediction: Clemson 24, Georgia Tech 20
No. 11 South Carolina vs. Vanderbilt
Many are calling “upset alert” in this SEC contest between the Gamecocks and the Commodores. We’re only in Week 3, yet South Carolina and Vanderbilt share a common opponent. While South Carolina needed a special teams score to pull away from Virginia Tech on a neutral field, Vandy dominated the Hokies in Blacksburg. Does this mean Vanderbilt is better? It doesn’t always work that way.
Diego Pavia vs. LaNorris Sellers is an exciting quarterback duel, so let’s just hope this one lives up to the billing.
Prediction: South Carolina 23, Vanderbilt 21
No. 10 Florida State vs. Kent State
After embarrassing Alabama and East Texas A&M, the Noles have yet another chance to flex their offensive muscles on Saturday. Kent State is one of the worst FBS teams, while FSU could be a prime College Football Playoff contender. We expect those two things to be evident here.
Prediction: Florida State 63, Kent State 7
No. 9 Illinois vs. Western Michigan
Despite what the final score says, Duke played Illinois tough for most of last week’s outing. However, the Illini defense made life miserable for Darian Mensah and forced five Blue Devil turnovers. On the other side of the ball, Luke Altmyer is one of the nation’s top quarterbacks, and he’ll have a chance to show out against the Broncos.
Prediction: Illinois 38, Western Michigan 14
No. 8 Notre Dame vs. No. 16 Texas A&M
Notre Dame heads into this matchup with a 0-1 record after getting last week off. The loss to Miami in Week 1 was a tough one, but there were encouraging signs, especially from freshman quarterback CJ Carr. Texas A&M has not yet faced a high-quality opponent, but there is no shortage of talent and physical specimens on the Aggie roster.
If this game were played on a neutral site, it would be a clear toss-up, but since Notre Dame had an extra week to prepare for Mike Elko’s squad and will enjoy home-field advantage, we lean toward the Fighting Irish. Marcus Freeman has proven he can rebound from a tough loss.
Prediction: Notre Dame 24, Texas A&M 17
No. 7 Texas vs. UTEP
Arch Manning tossed four touchdowns against San Jose State last week, and the Longhorns will enjoy three “gimme” wins before a road trip to Gainesville to take on Florida. Expect more offensive fireworks from Steve Sarkisian and company.
Prediction: Texas 51, UTEP 3
No. 6 Georgia at No. 15 Tennessee
ESPN’s College Gameday is in Knoxville for the showdown between the Volunteers and Bulldogs this week, and for good reason. Joey Aguilar, who traded places with Nico Iamaleava, has been excellent through two starts, but Saturday will be the toughest test of his seven-year college career.
Tennessee and Josh Heupel have gotten over the “Alabama” and “Florida” hump, but a win over Kirby Smart has been elusive. This year could be the year it finally happens, as Georgia has looked underwhelming in matchups against Marshall and Austin Peay. Unfortunately for Tennessee, Smart has likely been game planning for the Vols all offseason, knowing this was the first real test.
Prediction: Georgia 23, Tennessee 16
No. 5 Miami (FL) vs. No. 18 South Florida
South Florida is riding high off a win over Florida in The Swamp, and Miami better be careful if it wants to avoid the same fate as the Gators. USF has stood toe-to-toe with Power 4 programs consistently during the Alex Golesh era, and they won’t be intimidated by any program.
However, Carson Beck has seen it all, and unlike Florida, Miami’s talent seems to be reaching its potential. The Bulls will keep it close in the first half before Miami takes over.
Prediction: Miami 42, South Florida 17
No. 4 Oregon at Northwestern
Through two games, Oregon has proven it will show no mercy against inferior opponents, and although the travel from Oregon to Illinois presents challenges, this should be another lopsided matchup on the Week 3 slate.
Dante Moore could prove to be a Heisman finalist this season, and Dan Lanning is quickly revealing himself as one of the nation’s elite coaches. Oregon by a lot.
Prediction: Oregon 54, Northwestern 10
No. 3 LSU vs. Florida
This time last week, the LSU vs. Florida matchup looked exciting. Unfortunately, Florida did not hold up their end of the bargain, and it’ll now have to face LSU in one of the toughest environments in college football.
Could Florida have a great performance with its back now against the wall? Maybe, but there’s also a chance the sky comes crashing down after another inexcusable loss under Billy Napier. This is not the right opponent or occasion for a bounce-back performance.
Prediction: LSU 33, Florida 19
No. 2 Penn State vs. Villanova
Penn State can’t be serious with these early-season matchups, right? After beating up on Nevada and Florida International, the Nittany Lions will have one last tune-up game before a bye, and then a matchup with Oregon. That makes four full weeks of preparing for the Ducks, so let’s see if it pays off.
Prediction: Penn State 58, Villanova 0
No. 1 Ohio State vs. Ohio
Unlike Penn State, the Buckeyes faced a College Football Playoff National Championship contender to open the season, so matchups against Grambling State and Ohio can be excused. In fact, Ohio might be one of the best Group of Five schools in the country. OSU’s Julian Sayin will continue to build confidence early in the season before the Buckeyes get into Big Ten play.
Ohio State is ranked No. 1 for a reason. Turn this one off after halftime.
Prediction: Ohio State 44, Ohio 13
