Opening Odds and Spreads for Week 3 of 2020 College Football Season

• The opening lines for Week 3 of the 2020 college football season have been released
• Notre Dame and North Carolina are the biggest favorites, with both going as -26.5 favorites
• Look at every spread and total for each game below

With Week 2 of this already strange college football season — and the first games played by Power 5 Conference schools — in the books, it’s on to Week 3.

We’ve already seen one intriguing Week 3 matchup — Virginia vs Virginia Tech — postponed due to coronavirus concerns in Blacksburg. Officials will try to move the game between the Cavaliers and Hokies to a later date. The BYU vs Army game has also been postponed due to a small number of positive cases among the Cougar football team.

Meantime, there’s a handful of other interesting contests still on the slate, with 11 ranked teams, including No. 1 Clemson in action.

Let’s take a look at the College Football odds for Week 3 of the 2020 Season.

College Football Week 3 Opening Odds

Odds taken Sept. 13th

Still Fighting

Despite hundreds of COVID-19 cases on the South Bend campus, the Notre Dame football team has been able to stay healthy. The Fighting Irish looked undeterred in Week 2 against Duke, winning easily 27-13.

Check out the highlights from the 27-13 win over Duke. #GoIrish x #Rally pic.twitter.com/Px09TcTF2i

— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) September 12, 2020

Sophomore running back Kyren Williams did it all for the Irish. He ran for 112 yards on 19 carries and two touchdowns. He also finished with 93 yards receiving, including a 75-yard catch on a screen pass.

That performance helps make the No. 7 Fighting Irish a 26.5-point favorite against South Florida in Week 3. The Bulls are coming off a solid 27-6 win over The Citadel. But the level of talent first-year head coach Jeff Scott’s team will face this Saturday is a little higher.

These two programs have only faced off once before. That game was back in 2011 when the Bulls marched into Notre Dame Stadium and upset the Irish 23-20 in a game marked by the only weather delay and evacuation of the stands in the historic venue’s history.

Scott, a former Clemson assistant, also knows a thing or two about beating Notre Dame. The Tigers knocked off the Irish 30-3 in the 2018 CFP Semifinal on their way to a National Championship.

And while I expect Notre Dame to prevail in Week 3, that’s an awfully big spread. I like South Florida +26.5.

Marquee Matchup

While we’re still a week away from SEC play, a pair of teams that play in SEC country are featured in the game with Week 3’s smallest spread. The Miami (FL)-Louisville matchup is also the first contest between ranked teams in the 2020 season. Even ESPN’s College Gameday is heading to Papa John’s.

Next stop: Louisville, KY!

We're headed to see @CanesFootball take on @UofLFootball next Saturday 🏈 pic.twitter.com/TzaragzHHN

— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) September 13, 2020

The Hurricanes beat UAB 31-14 behind Cam’Ron Harris’ impressive performance on the ground. Harris ran for 134 yards and scored twice as The U looked good, unveiling new offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee’s spread offense.

Meantime, Louisville knocked off in-state foe Western Kentucky 35-21. Junior quarterback Micale Cunningham accounted for four touchdowns (3 pass, 1 rush) and had a career-high 343 yards passing.

While the Cardinals are a slight favorite at -1.5, I wouldn’t be surprised at all if Manny Diaz’s ‘Canes pull off the road win.

Surprising Spread

The Blue Devils are 6-point home favorites against the Boston College Eagles in a game that marks the beginning of the Jeff Hafley Era on Chestnut Hill.

Duke hung with Notre Dame, a team with legitimate title aspirations in a season without the Big Ten (though that may change), through the first two quarters. The Irish led 10-6 at the half. But the Blue Devils, who had 246 yards at halftime, had just 82 the remainder of the game.

Devils head coach David Cutcliffe likes what he has in Clemson grad transfer quarterback Chase Brice. But I have a sneaking suspicion the Eagles swoop into Durham and pull away with a straight up win.

Hafley comes into the ACC with high credentials (he was Ohio State’s co-defensive coordinator last season) and a victory in this spot is a very realistic possibility.

Good luck and good wagering in Week 3!