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USATSI

Well, that was certainly a chaotic week of football. And it was almost even more so, but Alabama managed to come back to beat Texas. Also, who knew that the Sun Belt Conference would jump to the top of the Group of Five, at least for now. Now that we're a few weeks in, maybe things will settle down a bit.

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. Since most teams have not played yet, just about everybody is technically a CFP candidate at the moment. So for the first few weeks of the season at least, I'll go with the current AP top 12.

I was 2-1 on my Week 1 picks not including missing on the Upset of the Week. After a week off, I am back at it. Given the chaos of last week, it may have been just as well.

Week 3 Picks

South Florida at No. 18 Florida

The Gators are licking their wounds following a home loss to Kentucky last week. This week, they get a team they can take out some frustrations on. South Florida gave up 50 to BYU in its only game against FBS competition so far. Florida's offense should also have a field day and do enough to cover this spread. Pick: Florida (-24.5)

Air Force at Wyoming

Air Force may be the best team in a Mountain West conference that is stacked at the top this season. Like all the service academies, the Falcons will run on nearly every play and they have been very successful so far this season. They piled up 435 yards against Colorado a week ago. Wyoming did not do well against the Illinois run-first offense, giving up over six yards per carry. The Cowboys will have to cowboy up to make this competitive. Pick: Air Force (-17)

Western Kentucky at Indiana

Indiana is off to a 2-0 start, but struggling to find a rhythm offensively. The Hoosiers did get things going late against Idaho last week, and it is a good thing because they were shut out in the first half. The Hilltoppers have been very productive on offense, which is what we have come to expect from them. IU will probably win, but I expect Western Kentucky to keep it close. Pick: Western Kentucky (+6.5)

Upset of the Week

Kansas at Houston

The Cougars were thought to be able to dethrone Cincinnati in the American Athletic Conference and make a run at a spot in the New Year's Six as the Group of Five representative. That could still happen, but it's been rough going for Houston so far, which needed three overtimes to win at UTSA and lost in overtime at Texas Tech last week. Meanwhile, Kansas has posted 56 and 55 points in its first two games, the latter of which was a win at West Virginia. This should be a shootout and I like the Jayhawks. Pick: Kansas (ML +278)

Other CFP candidates