College Football Best Bets for Week 3: Can LSU Put Up Points Against Ole Miss?
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College Football Best Bets for Week 3: Can LSU Put Up Points Against Ole Miss?

Kody Malstrom breaks down his three best college football bets for Week 3, including angles on LSU versus Ole Miss and USC versus Rutgers.

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Heading into Week 3, the LSU Tigers have a great opportunity to light up the scoreboard by taking advantage of a defense that struggles to defend all three levels of the field. Before their highly anticipated matchup gets underway, we go back to the well by fading Western Kentucky, with Indiana possessing clear advantages on both sides of the ball.

College Football Best Bets for Week 3

LSU (Team Total o31.5) vs. Ole Miss (-108, FanDuel)

Since taking the reins as the head coach at LSU, Lane Kiffin has been able to successfully use the transfer portal to help turn them back into a playoff contender, poaching Sam Leavitt from Arizona State to guide the Tigers' offense. With Leavitt under center, the Tigers have been efficient, ranking in the top half of the board in pass play PPA and explosiveness.

Every bit of LSU’s production on offense will be on full display against Ole Miss by ambushing a defense that struggles to keep opponents in front of the sticks, per its below-league-average marks in defensive success rate and havoc allowed. By cutting the distance to gain in half, the Tigers' probability of converting on later downs improves, making it easier for Leavitt to march down the field.

On the other side of the ball, the Tigers have been dominant on defense, leading the nation in success rate while hovering in the top-15 in explosiveness and in havoc. By holding the Rebels to early outs, the Tigers' number of possessions on offense will increase, leading to an uptick in the total number of scoring opportunities as well.

USC (Team Total o41.5) vs. Rutgers (-108, BetMGM)

It has been a rough start to the year for Rutgers, kicking off their 2026 campaign with a loss to UMass before dropping their Week 2 matchup against Boston College. The Scarlet Knights' lack of production on defense has made it difficult to compete, entering Week 3 ranked near dead last in defensive EPA, finishing drives and havoc.

By creating disruptions at a low rate, USC will be able to methodically move the ball down the field and turn scoring opportunities into points on the board. Even though the sample size is small, Jayden Maiava has excelled at taking care of the ball, throwing just one interception in three games while leading the Trojans to a top-10 mark in havoc allowed.

Western Kentucky vs. Indiana (-44.5) (-109, Caesars)

After successfully fading Western Kentucky last week, we go back to the well this weekend by betting on Indiana to cover the lofty spread. In two games, the Hilltoppers have been abysmal on defense, fielding a group that ranks 135th in success rate, 133rd in explosiveness, 135th in finishing drives and 130th in havoc allowed.

After losing Fernando Mendoza, Josh Hoover has been able to keep the Hoosiers afloat, averaging 13.9 yards per reception while completing 70.4% of his passes. His success through the air forces the defense to pull LBs to the outside, freeing up more space in the middle for Turbo Richard and Lee Beebe Jr. to exploit, with both RBs averaging over 4.5 yards per carry.

Not only have the Hilltoppers been abysmal on defense, but they have also struggled to generate any sort of offense, grading out nearly equally as poor in the same previously mentioned metrics. With massive advantages at every position on the field, expect the Hoosiers to score at a blistering pace while consistently holding the Hilltoppers to hard stops. If Indiana’s spread crosses through 45, then reduce the size of your wager.

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