College football odds, lines, schedule for Week 3: Georgia, Tennessee favored in key SEC East games

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The third full weekend of college football action will be here soon on the heels of a wild Week 2 slate. The schedule features multiple high-profile conference games that will define the early-season landscape of the College Football Playoff race. It also features several out-of-conference games that will test road favorites.

No. 1 Georgia will take on South Carolina in a battle of SEC East rivals that have played their fair share of thrillers over the last decade. The Bulldogs dominated UT-Martin and Ball State in consecutive weeks to start the season but weren't necessarily firing on all cylinders in either contest. The Gamecocks are battle-tested after a wild loss to rival North Carolina in Charlotte to open the season and will have their hands full against the fast, physical and deep Bulldogs defensive front.

No. 8 Washington, which has flown under the radar during the first two games, will have an interesting test this week when it will travel across the majority of the country to take on a Michigan State. No. 10 Alabama will look to rebound from last week's loss to No. 4 Texas on the road against South Florida.

Week 3 lines are out, so let's take a look at what oddsmakers are thinking as we look ahead to Week 3.

Odds via SportsLine consensus

The big games

South Carolina at No. 1 Georgia -27: Nobody has been able to solve the Georgia defense thus far, but Spencer Rattler will be the best quarterback the unit has faced so far this season. Rattler, however, hasn't been able to get any help from his offensive line. Can Georgia rattle the veteran signal-caller? Oddsmakers think that will likely be the case based on the massive spread.

No. 7 Penn State -15 at Illinois: The Nittany Lions have been solid in their first two games with Drew Allar taking the snaps. This game was pegged to be a relatively intersting matchup before the season as the Fighting Illini defense was projected to perform above average. That hasn't been the case, so this could be a chance for Penn State to further state its case as a Big Ten title contender.

No. 8 Washington -14.5 at Michigan State: The Huskies will travel across three-quarters of the country to tee it up against the Spartans and oddsmakers seem to think that the public hasn't caught on to this Washington team yet. They are a complete team in every facet of the game, but a two-plus touchdown spread against the lowly Spartans suggests there might not be as much faith in Michael Penix Jr and Co. as there should be.

No. 10 Alabama -33.5 at South Florida: The Crimson Tide lost a 34-24 heartbreaker to Texas last weekend, but a game against South Florida is a perfect chance to get back on track. Oddsmakers clearly believe a road trip to Tampa to take on the Bulls isn't going to be much of a challenge. With that said, this will be South Florida's "Super Bowl." Does that matter? We'll see.

No. 11 Tennessee -7 at Florida: The latest edition of this storied rivalry will take place in the Swamp after the Gators offense erupted in a 49-7 win over McNeese. The Volunteers, on the other hand, struggled with Austin Peay on Rocky Top. It seems like oddsmakers have more faith in Florida even though its offense sputtered in the Week 1 loss at Utah.

No. 14 LSU -9 at Mississippi State: The Tigers' first game within the conference will be a big test on the road in one of the loudest environments in the country: Davis-Wade Stadium in Starkville, Mississippi. The Tigers rolled through Grambling last weekend, but the last time we saw them against a good opponent, they were getting blown out by Florida State in Week 1. The Bulldogs topped Arizona in an overtime thriller last weekend, and first-year full-time coach Zach Arnett would love to make a statement in his first conference game.

Colorado State at No. 22 Colorado -20.5: The Deion Sanders Show will continue on Saturday night in Boulder, Colorado, when the Buffaloes host the rival Rams in a late-night tilt. The Buffaloes have won five straight in the Rocky Mountain Showdown, but the two teams haven't met since 2019.