2024 college football Week 3 picks against the spread, odds, lines, trends: Vegas expert reveals picks

Legendary Vegas handicapper Bruce Marshall has studied the trends and found the best betting values during the Week 3 college football schedule

By CBS Sports Staff

Sep 10, 2024 at 12:48 pm ET • 3 min read

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Conference realignment brings change to many rivalries, including a couple big ones out West. Oregon and Washington have split off to the Big Ten, leaving Oregon State and Washington State behind. Those rivalry matchups used to be played on the final week of the regular season, but now they'll take center stage during the Week 3 college football schedule. The latest Week 3 college football odds via SportsLine consensus list ninth-ranked Oregon at -16 against Oregon State and Washington at -4 against Washington State in the 2024 Apple Cup.

Other Week 3 college football lines of note include No. 4 Alabama (-15.5) vs. Wisconsin, No. 6 Missouri (-16.5) against No. 24 Boston College and No. 1 Georgia (-24) against Kentucky. Before locking in any Week 3 college football picks on those games or others, be sure to see the college football betting guide from legendary Vegas handicapper Bruce Marshall.

For years Vegas-based Marshall was synonymous with The Gold Sheet, the famed sports betting newsletter. With a background in play-by-play work and sports information while in college, Marshall joined TGS in 1981 when hired by the legendary Mort Olshan and served as executive editor for many years.

An in-demand guest on numerous sports talk radio and TV shows across the country, Bruce's vast array of editorial work has been featured in the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the New York Post and many other outlets. He has won various handicapping titles and also is working on several book projects.

Now, using his Tech Corner technique that evaluates all the trends, Marshall has turned his attention to the latest college football odds for Week 3 and evaluated each matchup. Head here to see every pick.

Top college football predictions for Week 3

One of the top college football picks Marshall is recommending for Week 3: He's backing Alabama (-15.5) and going Over 50.5 total points in the noon ET matchup on Saturday between No. 4 Alabama and Wisconsin at Camp Randall Stadium.

Overall, Alabama is on a 13-4-1 Over run that dates back to 2022. Alabama ranks seventh nationally with 52.5 points per game this season. Wisconsin has been a bit more sluggish offensively, averaging 27.5 points per game. However, Luke Fickell has changed the overall mindset of Wisconsin's offense since he arrived in 2023.

He brought in Air Raid offensive coordinator Phil Longo from North Carolina and this is a team that airs it out far more frequently than the Wisconsin teams of a few years back. Marshall expects the Tide to move the ball with relative ease, and for more points to be scored than oddsmakers are expecting week, making the Over and Alabama ATS the strong plays. See which other picks to make here.

How to make college football picks for Week 3

Marshall has evaluated every other matchup and he's found an alarming 20-3 betting trend you need to know in one of the week's biggest games. Get betting analysis for each matchup at SportsLine.

So what college football picks can you make with confidence, and what alarming trend do you need to know about in one of the week's biggest games? Check out the latest college football odds below, then visit SportsLine to see which teams to back, all from the legendary Vegas expert who has won multiple handicapping titles, and find out.