College football odds, picks, predictions for Week 3, 2020: Advanced model backing Syracuse, Louisiana Tech

Ben Queen / USA TODAY Sports

The SEC will be back next week, while the Big Ten is aiming for a return on the weekend of Oct. 24. The Big 12 had a pair of teams scheduled to play this weekend, but is now down to just Oklahoma State taking on Tulsa (+23) after Baylor's matchup against Houston was cancelled due to concerns surrounding COVID-19. That leaves much of the attention for the Week 3 college football schedule centered on the ACC.

The latest Week 3 college football odds from William Hill list Duke as a six-point favorite against Boston College. Louisville is laying 2.5 points against Miami (FL), while NC State has a slight one-point edge against Wake Forest, according to the latest college football spreads. Before making any Week 3 college football picks on those games or others, be sure to see the latest college football predictions from SportsLine's proven model.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every FBS college football game 10,000 times. Over the past four years, the proprietary computer model has generated a stunning profit of over $3,500 for $100 players on its top-rated college football picks against the spread. It is a stunning 9-0 on top-rated picks through two weeks of the 2020 college football season, returning almost $800 in profit already. Anybody who has followed it is way up.

Now, it has turned its attention to the latest college football odds for Week 3 and locked in picks for every FBS matchup. Head to SportsLine to see every pick.

Top Week 3 college football predictions

One of the top Week 3 college football picks the model is recommending: Syracuse (+21.5) travels to Heinz Field and stays within the spread against Pitt in a noon ET kickoff on Saturday. The Orange failed to stay within the spread as 23.5-point underdogs against North Carolina in Week 1. But the 31-6 final score in that matchup wasn't completely indicative of how that game played out. Syracuse was down just 10-6 heading into the fourth quarter before UNC pulled away late.

The Orange will look to put four quarters together against a Pitt squad that was untested in a 55-0 season-opening win against FCS-level Austin Peay. SportsLine's model is projecting that Syracuse quarterback Tommy Devito accounts for over 200 yards of offense. The Orange defense, meanwhile, keeps Pitt under 30 points as Syracuse keeps it within the spread in well over 70 percent of simulations.

Another one of the top Week 3 college football predictions from the model: Louisiana Tech (+5.5) goes on the road and stays within the spread against Southern Mississippi at 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday. The Golden Eagles were embarrassed in their opener against South Alabama. Despite being 12.5-point underdogs, the Jaguars went to Hattiesburg and won 32-21.

Southern Miss coach Jay Hopson resigned after that loss, leaving Scotty Walden as the interim head coach. Louisiana Tech, meanwhile, hasn't played this season yet, but returns several important pieces from a squad that went 10-3 last season. SportsLine's model projects that the Bulldogs cover in almost 60 percent of simulations, while the under (58.5) hits well over 70 percent of the time.

How to make Week 3 college football picks

The model has also made the call on who wins and covers every other FBS game in Week 3, and it also says a favorite goes down hard in a shocking upset this week. You can only get every pick for every game at SportsLine.

So what college football picks can you make with confidence in Week 3? And which surprising underdog pulls off a shocking upset? Check out the latest Week 3 college football odds below, and then visit SportsLine to see which teams win and cover the spread, all from a proven computer model that has returned over $3,500 in profit over the past four seasons, and find out.