2021 NCAA Week 3 Picks

3:30 pm #1 Alabama (15 1/2, 57 1/2) at #11 Florida (CBS) - As usual, the Gators have high hopes. After two blowout wins over lesser teams (FAU and South Florida), they face the ultimate test, hosting #1 Alabama. It's notable that the Gators gave the Tide all they could handle in last season's SEC championship, losing, 52-46, in one for the ages.

Coming off another national championship, Alabama dusted Miami, 44-13, in week one and lit up Mercer, 48-14, last week. Some believe they are actually better than last year's squad, and that may be true, but Florida has unfinished business and will strive to keep this one within reach.

Florida stats Emory Jones at QB, but redshirt freshman Anthony Richardson will get plenty of playing time. A dual threat, Richardson is one of the most highly-touted players in the country. Alabama's Bryce Young is making his first road start. He's tossed seven TD passes in his first two games.

The Crimson Tide hold the nation's longest winning streak at 16 games. They've won 31 straight over SEC East opponents, dating back to 2010.

Coin Flip: Alabama

Prediction: Crimson Tide 38 Gators 34

3:30 pm Georgia Tech at #6 Clemson (-28 1/2, 51) (ABC) - Don't let Clemson's 1-01 record fool you. That 10-3 loss to Georgia in the season opener was a total knockout by the Georgia defense, limiting the Tigers to two years rushing for the game. That's right, two yards.

Clemson hasn't been dominated like that since, well, maybe never. Georgia did a number on them. Of course, the Tigers took out their anxieties on South Carolina State, routing them, 49-3, last Saturday.

The Yellow Jackets come in 1-1 following a 3-7 2020 campaign in which they were blown out numerous times, including a 73-7 knockout by the Tigers.

Will this one be closer? It almost has to be. Can Georgia Tech cover? Doubtful. if only because Clemson's defense is still very good.

Coin Flip: Clemson

Prediction: Tigers 48 Yellow Jackets 10

3:30 pm Tulsa at #9 Ohio State (-26, 61) - The Buckeyes proved to be very vulnerable, losing last week to Oregon, their first home loss since 2017, ending a 22-game home win streak. Oregon dominated from the very start in the 35-28 upset.

The Buckeye defense looked shaky there and also in their opener, a 45-31 win at Minnesota. The inability to stop solid offenses could prove to be an ongoingg issue at Ohio State, but Tulsa doesn't seem to have the guns to challenge them.

Tulsa comes in 0-2, with losses to UC-Davis (19-17) and Oklahoma State (28-23). It would be easy to write off the Golden Hurricanes, but this is a team that was 6-3 last year with close losses to Oklahoma State (16-7, season opener), Cincinnati (27-24, AA conf. champ.) and Mississippi State, 28-26, in the Armed Forces Bowl. While Ohio State works to fix what's broken on their defense, Tulsa may find some openings.

Coin Flip: Ohio State

Prediction: Buckeyes 42 Golden Hurricane 28

7:00 pm South Carolina at #2 Georgia (-30, 48) (ESPN) - Georgia is no doubt a beast, having knocked off Clemson, 10-7, in week one. South Carolina came back to beat East Carolina, 20-17, last week to even their record with the Bulldogs. Both teams come in 2-0.

While the Gamecocks aren't at the same level as the Bulldogs, they're not a bad team. Georgia beat them, 45-16, last season, but South Carolina is unlikely to give in easily. The pastime Georgia beat SC by 30 or more was in 2015, a 52-20 win between the hedges. Taking a flyer on the Gamecocks to cover wouldn't be the dumbest move ever.

Coin Flip: South Carolina

Prediction: Bulldogs 38 Gamecocks 13

7:30 pm #22 Auburn at #10 Penn State (-6 1/2, 53) (ABC) - Auburn hasn't played the best teams in their first two weeks, but they made sure to strut their stuff on both sides of the ball, ripping Akron, 60-10, and then steamrolling Alabama State, 62-0. Coming off a sub-par 6-5 season, Bo Nix returns at QB, and the defense looks ferocious.

Penn State was supposed to be good and they are, downing Wisconsin on the road, 16-10, to start the season, following up with a 44-13 easy win over Ball State last week. Despite the Tigers having played just two games against questionable opponents, it's tough to see Penn State winning this by more than a touchdown. Auburn's defense will limit the Nittany Lions on offense and a couple of scores will keep them close in a low-scoring affair.

An upset possibility is real.

Coin Flip: Auburn

Prediction: Tigers 21 Nittany Lions 18

8:00 pm Tulane at #17 Ole Miss (-14, 73) - These Rebels might be dynamite against non-conference schools, having already topped Louisville, 43-24, and Austin Peay, 54-17. They were 4-5 in the SEC last season, so a win here may translate into some conference credit.

Tulane could pose a problem, as they lost by just five points in their season opener at Oklahoma, 40-35, and pounded Morgan State, 69-20, last week. The Green Wave is a pretty balanced team, and they'll be able to stay on the field at Ole Miss, but one wonders for just how long. Rebel QB Matt Corral can light people up, and Ole Miss might just be getting into the proper frame of mind before meeting #1 Alabama next week.

Coin Flip: Ole Miss

Prediction: Rebels 49 Green Wave 27

10:15 pm #19 Arizona State (-3 1/2, 50 1/2) at #23 BYU - Tough call, as ASU is 2-0, but has beaten nobody (Southern Utah, UNLV), while the Cougars have solid wins over Arizona (24-16) and Utah (26-17). The Cougars are home again and the wins over quality PAC-12 opponents should have given the team a ton of confidence.

The Cougars have a heady schedule which includes Boise State, Baylor, Virginia and USC among others. Don't be surprised to see them roll up in the rankings though October and into November.

Coin Flip: BYU

Prediction: Cougars 30 Sun Devils 17

10:45 pm Fresno State at #13 UCLA (-10 1/2, 61) - Fresno State is 2-1, having beaten UConn, 45-0, and Cal Poly, 63-10, with a 31-24 loss to Oregon sandwiched in between. The Bulldogs may be a little light defensively, but they can score from anywhere on the field. QB Jake Haener will test UCLA's secondary.

So far, the Bruins haven't skipped a beat, knocking off Hawaii, 44-10 to open the season and skewering visiting LSU on September 4, 38-27. The week off might have them a little too comfortable for their down the highway visitors this week.

Fresno State has a legitimate shot at an upset win if the Bruins turn the ball over or miss assignments on defense. That said, the Bruins appear to be one of the top teams in the PAC-12 and should register a hard-fought win.

Coin Flip: UCLA

Prediction: Bruins 30 Bulldogs 24

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