College football picks, predictions, odds for Week 3: Virginia Tech vs. West Virginia among best bets

Each week, I will use this space to tell you what I think are a few of the best bets heading into the weekend. I will also throw in an upset of the week, which will be a team that is at least a touchdown underdog that I am picking to win outright.

I will also give you picks on other games involving potential College Football Playoff teams. Just about everybody is technically a CFP candidate right now, so I’ll go with the top 12 teams in the AP Top 25 until things settle in.

I went 2-1 on the picks again last week, so I’m now 4-2 on the season. The upset special was anything but special though, so it’s now 1-1. Somehow, I missed out on Oregon and Stanford.

Here are the best bets for Week 3 with odds from Caesars Sportsbook.

Week 3 picks

No. 15 Virginia Tech at West Virginia

The Hokies are off to a great start this season with wins over No. 21 North Carolina and Middle Tennessee State. West Virginia started off with a loss to Maryland and defeated FCS program Long Island last week. Despite that, oddsmakers see these teams as relatively even on a neutral field, which of course, this is not. Still, I think the wrong team is favored here and I’m happy to take the points. Pick: Virginia Tech (+3)

Tulsa at No. 9 Ohio State

When good teams lay an egg and get upset, the next team up often pays for it. Tulsa has most likely picked a bad day to play Ohio State. The Buckeyes offense, which has functioned very well so far, will have an easier time finishing drives against the Golden Hurricane then it did last week against Oregon. Ohio State’s defense should be able to use this game as a confidence builder. Pick: Ohio State (-26.5)

Georgia Tech at No. 6 Clemson

Clemson bounced back from a tough game offensively against Georgia with a 49-3 rout of South Carolina State, as expected. Georgia Tech lost at home to Northern Illinois to start the season. The Yellow Jackets picked up a win over Kennesaw State, an FCS program, last week, but there is no hiding the fact that this is it will be a struggle for this team to avoid finishing last in the ACC. The Tigers should win easily. Pick: Clemson (-28.5)

Upset of the week

Michigan State at No. 24 Miami

Michigan State has come out of the gate on fire. The Spartans scored on the first play of the season at Northwestern and has not looked back. The Canes got smoked by Alabama to open the season – why should they be any different? – and needed a late field goal to beat Appalachian State in their home opener. I like the Spartans’ mojo right now and am playing the hot hand. Pick: Michigan State (+205)

Other CFP candidates

• No. 1 Alabama (-15.5) at No. 11 Florida — Pick: Alabama
• South Carolina at No. 2 Georgia (-31) — Pick: Georgia
• Nebraska at No. 3 Oklahoma (-22) — Pick: Oklahoma
• Kent State at No. 5 Iowa (-22.5) — Pick: Iowa
• New Mexico at No. 7 Texas A&M (-28) — Pick: New Mexico
• No. 8 Cincinnati (-3.5) at Indiana — Pick: Cincinnati
• No. 22 Auburn at No. 10 Penn State (-6) — Pick: Auburn
• Purdue at No. 12 Notre Dame (-7) — Pick: Notre Dame

Which college football picks can you make with confidence in Week 3, and which Top 25 favorite goes down hard? Visit SportsLine to see which teams will win and cover the spread — all from a proven computer model that has returned over $3,500 in profit over the past five-plus seasons — and find out.