Free College Football Picks Week 3 Part 3-9/14/2024
Nevada vs. Minnesota College Football Pick Prediction 9/14/2024
Nevada at Minnesota 3:30PM ET—Nevada is 1-1 after their 20-17 home defeat to Georgia Southern. The Wolf Pack put up 498 yards with 227 rushing for five yards per run. They held the Eagles to 285 yards with 243 passing on 37 attempts. Brendon Lewis hit 23 of 35 for 271 yards with a touchdown. He rushed for 97 yards and a touchdown. Minnesota is 1-1 with their 48-0 home win to FCS Rhode Island. The opened with a 19-17 home defeat to North Carolina. Three missed field goals were costly. The team gained only 244 yards with 79 rushing for under three yards per run. Defensively they limited the Tar Heels to 252 yards with 105 passing on 23 attempts. Max Brosmer hit 13 of 21 for 166 yards with 7.9 yards per pass attempt. He had a big day in his win against the FCS team.
The Pick:
Nevada has played a tough schedule early on. They are getting 5.1 yards a carry on the ground with accurate passing. The Golden Gophers are having trouble getting their run game going with 2.7 yards pe run. Lewis is a dual threat quarterback who can cobble up yardage on the ground. Play Nevada +17.5.
Notre Dame vs. Purdue College Football Pick Prediction 9/14/2024
Notre Dame at Purdue 3:30PM ET—Notre Dame fell to 1-1 with their 16-14 home defeat to Northern Illinois. The Fighting Irish produced 286 yards with 123 rushing for over four yards a carry. Defensively they allowed 388 yards to the Huskies with 190 rushing for over four yards per run. Riley Leonard hit 20 of 32 for 163 yards and two interceptions. Purdue is 1-0 after their 49-0 home win to FCS Indiana St. Purdue went 4-8 last year for head coach Ryan Walters. They return eight starters on offense with six on defense. They put up 23.9 points a game last season but allowed 30.4. The Boilermakers rushed for 4.4 yards per carry but were ineffective in the passing game. They limited opponents to 3.9 yards per carry with 54.3% completion rate. Purdue lost their top players from offense and defense to the transfer portal. Hudson Card returns under center. Last year with Purdue he completed 58.9% of passes with only 6.5 yards per pass attempt with five rushing touchdowns.
The Pick:
Notre Dame passing under Riley Leonard has been inefficient with 5.3 yards per pass attempt. The Boilermakers defended well last year and looked good in their opener against an FCS team. Play Purdue +10.
Appalachian St vs. East Carolina College Football Pick Prediction 9/14/2024
App St at East Carolina 4PM ET—App St fell to 1-1 after their 66-10 road defeat to Clemson. The Mountaineers rushed for 149 yards for under five yards per carry. On defense they allowed 682 yards to the Tigers with 460 passing on 39 attempts. Joey Aguilar hit 18 of 41 for 214 yards and a touchdown. East Carolina is 2-0 following their 20-14 road win at Old Dominion. The Pirates gained 466 yards with 183 rushing for over five yards per carry. On defense they held the Monarchs to 287 yards with 192 passing on 34 attempts. Jake Garcia hit 25 of 38 for 283 yards and four interceptions. He has seven picks on the year in two games with a lost fumble.
The Pick:
Appalachian St lost half of their starters this year. The Pirates are showing good offense numbers in the passing game. Their run defense has been outstanding by allowing 1.6 yards per run. Pass defense limits foes to 5 yards per pass attempt. Play East Carolina +2.5.
Troy vs. Iowa College Football Pick Prediction 9/14/2024
Troy at Iowa 4PM ET—Troy is 0-2 following their 38-17 road defeat to Memphis. The Trojans put up 251 yards with 101 rushing for three yards per run. Defensively they surrendered 372 yards to the Tigers with 211 rushing yards for seven yards a carry. Goose Crowder hit 5 of 7 for 37 yards. He injured his shoulder and expected to be available. Iowa is 1-1 after their 20-19 home defeat to Iowa St. The Hawkeyes blew a 13-0 lead at halftime. They gained 303 offensive yards with 204 rushing yards. On defense they allowed 361 yards to the Cyclones with 272 passing yards on 36 attempts. Cade McNamara hit 13 of 29 for 99 yards and two interceptions.
The Pick:
Troy is rushing for 4.2 yards per carry and getting accurate quarterback play. Iowa is getting inefficient play at quarterback with poor accuracy and 5.8 yards per pass attempt. The Trojans are 11-2 to the spread on the road. Play Troy +22.5.
UAB vs. Arkansas College Football Pick Prediction 9/14/2024
UAB at Arkansas 4:15PM ET—UAB fell to 1-1 after their 32-6 road defeat to UL Monroe. The Blazers put up 255 yards with 92 rushing for under three yards a carry. They allowed 296 yards to the Warhawks with 209 rushing for over four yards per carry. The Blazers had a -3-turnover margin. Jacob Zeno his 22 of 32 for 167 yards and had two interceptions. Arkansas fell to 1-1 with their 39-31 road defeat to Oklahoma St in overtime. The Razorbacks produced 638 yards with 232 rushing for nearly five yards per run. Defensively they limited the Cowboys ground attack but surrendered 326 yards passing on 48 attempts. Taylen Green completed 26 of 45 for 416 yards with a touchdown and interception. He rushed for 61 yards.
The Pick:
UAB offense is struggling with only 2.6 yards per run and passing for only 5.2 yards per pass attempt facing weak competition. Arkansas is holding opponents to 1.3 yards per run and only 6.3 yards per pass attempt. Play UAB and Arkansas under 60.5.
Utah vs. Utah St College Football Pick Prediction 9/14/2024
Utah at Utah St 4:30PM ET—Utah is 2-0 after their 23-12 home win to Baylor. The Utes gained 292 yards with 170 rushing with 4.5 yards a carry. On defense they held the Bears to 223 yards with 108 rushing for under three yards per carry. Cam Rising hit 8 of 14 for 92 yards and two touchdowns. He injured his hand and is questionable. Freshman Isaac Wilson relieved and went 4 of 9 for 30 yards. Utah St sits at 1-1 after their 48-0 road defeat to USC. The Aggies put up 190 yards with 87 rushing for under four yards per run. Defensively they gave up 544 yards to the Trojans with 249 rushing for over seven yards per run. Spencer Petras missed the game due to injury and is questionable. Bryson Barnes hit 18 of 27 for 103 yards and an interception.
The Pick:
With a freshman quarterback possibly starting would expect the Utes to keep it on the ground and play a conservative style game. They went scoreless in the second half without Rising. Play Utah St +20.
Virginia Tech vs. Old Dominion College Football Pick Prediction 9/14/2024
Virginia Tech at Old Dominion 6PM ET—Virginia Tech improved to 1-1 after their 31-14 home win to Marshall. The Hokies gained 338 yards with 208 rushing for four yards per run. On defense they allowed 278 yards to the Thundering Herd with 147 rushing with over five yards a carry. Kyron Drones hit 14 of 21 for 130 yards with a touchdown. Old Dominion fell to 0-2 with their 20-14 home defeat to East Carolina. The Monarchs put up 287 yards with 95 rushing for under three yards per run. On defense they gave up 466 yards to the Pirates with 283 passing yards on 38 attempts. Grant Wilson completed 20 of 34 passes for 192 yards with a touchdown and interception.
The Pick:
The Monarchs are defending well by holding foes to 3.3 yards per run and only 57.4% completions with 6.5 yards per pass attempt. Virginia Tech struggles defending the pass as they are allowing 75% completions with 11.9 yards per pass attempt. The Hokies have lost 9 of 12 on the road. ODU is 7-3 to the spread when an underdog of +10.5 to +21. Play Old Dominion +15.
UTEP vs. Liberty College Football Pick Prediction 9/14/2024
UTEP at Liberty 6PM ET—UTEP is 0-2 after their 27-24 home defeat to FCS Southern Utah. They opened at Nebraska and dropped a 40-7 decision. They put up only 205 yards offensively with 56 rushing for 2.3 yards per run. On defense they allowed 507 yards to the Cornhuskers with 284 passing on 36 attempts. Skyler Locklear hit 11 of 17 for 115 yards with a touchdown and interception. His numbers showed much improvement facing the FCS team. Liberty sits at 2-0 with their 30-24 road win at New Mexico St. The Flames produced 473 yards with 217 rushing with seven yards per run. On defense they held the Aggies to 285 yards with 127 rushing for three yards per run. Kaidon Salter completed 16 of 29 for 256 yards.
The Pick:
UTEP is getting accurate passing with 69.6% completion rate with 8 yards per pass attempt. Liberty is giving up big plays in the passing game by allowing 8.8 yards per pass attempt. The Miners are 5-3 to the spread against Conference USA on the road. Liberty is 0-5 to the spread when a home favorite is between +21.5 and +28. Play UTEP +23.
UCONN vs. Duke College Football Pick Prediction 9/14/2024
UCONN at Duke 6PM ET—UCONN is 1-1 after their 63-17 home win to Merrimack. They opened with the 50-7 road defeat at Maryland. In that game the Huskies put up 310 yards with 88 rushing for nearly three yards per run. On defense they allowed 629 yards with 381 passing on 37 attempts. Nick Evers hit 6 of 17 in the loss for 73 yards and a pick. Duke is 2-0 after their 26-20 road overtime win to Northwestern. The Blue Devils rushed for 343 yards with 93 rushing yards for 3.1 yards a carry. On defense they limited the Huskies to 288 yards with 156 passing on 35 attempts. Maalik Murphy completed 24 of 39 for 232 yards with three touchdowns and an interception.
The Pick:
The Huskies offense rushed for 2.9 yards a carry and got ineffective work in the passing game. The Blue Devils are struggling with their rushing game. But defensively they are holding foes to 2.2 yards per run and 4.5 yards per pass attempt. Play UCONN and Duke under 47.5.
FIU at FAU College Football Pick Prediction 9/14/2024
FIU at FAU 6PM ET—FIU improved to 1-1 with their 52-16 home win to Central Michigan. The Panthers gained 309 yards with 185 rushing for nearly six yards per rush. Defensively they allowed 368 yards to the Chippewas with 179 rushing for 4.5 yards per run. Keyone Jenkins hit 10 of 18 for 124 yards with two touchdowns. FAU is 0-2 with their 24-7 home defeat to Army. The Owls put up 235 yards with 42 rushing for 3.2 yards per rush. Defensively they allowed 449 yards to the Black Knights with 404 rushing for over 6.5 yards per rush. Cam Fancher completed 25 of 37 for 193 yards with a touchdown and interception.
The Pick:
The Panther’s defense is defending the pass well. FAU defense struggles with their run defense as they are allowing 292 yards rushing per game with 6.1 yards per run. On offense they run for only 2.8 yards a carry and average only 5 yards per pass attempt. Only four starters back for the Owls. Play FIU +5.
Mississippi vs. Wake Forest College Football Pick Prediction 9/14/2024
Ole Miss at Wake Forest 6:30PM ET–Ole Miss is 2-0 following their 52-3 home win to Middle Tennessee St. The Rebels produced 655 yards with 258 rushing for over 6.5 yards per carry. Defensively they stuffed the Blue Raiders run game and allowed 250 passing on 40 attempts. Jaxson Dart completed 25 of 27 for 377 yards with a touchdown. Wake Forest is 1-1 with their 31-30 home victory to Virginia. The Demon Deacons posted 544 yards with 141 rushing for 3.5 yards a carry. On defense they allowed under three yards per run with 357 yards passing with 43 attempts. Hank Bachmeier hit 27 of 42 for 403 yards with a touchdown.
The Pick:
First major test for the Rebels after facing a small conference and FCS team. Ole Miss defending well holding opponents to 1.00 yards per run and only 5.3 yards per pass attempt. Wake Forest got good producing from their run defense by giving up 3.6 yards a carry. The Rebels are 5-2 to the under as a favorite and 4-0 to the under following a win by 17 or greater points. Play Ole Miss and Wake Forest under 64.5.
Western Kentucky vs. Middle Tennessee St College Football Pick Prediction 9/14/2024
Western Kentucky at Middle Tennessee St 7PM ET—Western Kentucky is 1-1 after their 31-0 home win to FCS Eastern Kentucky. They opened with a 63-0 road defeat at Alabama. The Hilltoppers put up only 145 yards with 42 rushing for under two yards a carry. On defense they allowed 600 yards to the Crimson Tide with 334 rushing for nearly seven yards per carry. TJ Finely hit 18 of 31 for 92 yards and two interceptions. He put up a good performance last week at home to their FCS opponents. Middle Tennessee St is 1-1 after their 52-3 road defeat at Ole Miss. The Blue Raiders put up 278 yards with 28 rushing for just over one yard a carry. On defense they allowed 655 yards to the Rebels with 397 passing on 31 attempts. Nicholas Vattiato completed 21 of 33 for 209 yards and an interception.
The Pick:
WKU returned only five on defense. Their defense allows six yards per run and 9 yards per pass attempt. Vattiato is an experienced quarterback who was accurate last season and averaged 7.2 yards per pass attempt passing for over 3000 yards. Play Middle Tennessee St +7.
Jacksonville St vs. Eastern Michigan Football Pick Prediction 9/14/2024
Jacksonville St at Eastern Michigan 7PM ET—Jacksonville St is 0-2 after their 49-14 road defeat at Louisville. The Gamecocks. Produced 290 yards with 130 rushing for four yards per carry. On defense they allowed 610 yards to the Cardinals with 377 passing on 35 attempts. Logan Smothers was injured in the first game and missed last week. He is questionable. Tyler Huff completed 17 of 27 for 160 yards with a touchdown and interception. Eastern Michigan fell to 1-1 with their 30-9 road defeat at Washington. The Eagles gained 204 yards with 75 rushing for two yards per carry. On defense they allowed 501 yards to the Huskies with 316 yards passing on 29 attempts. Cole Snyder completed 16 of 27 for 129 yards.
The Pick:
Both defenses have been hammered on the year. The downfield passing game has been better for the Gamecocks with 7.2 yards per pass attempt. The Buffalo transfer Snyder was inefficient the past two seasons with the Bulls. Play Jacksonville St +2.