Eight college football teams on upset alert in Week 3

College football's Week 3 schedule has a ton of very competitive matchups. The SEC in particular took a major dive into conference play with a handful of potentially epic matchups. Here's a rundown of eight squads that better be careful, because a Week 3 stumble is entirely within reach.

Miami (-17.5 vs. South Florida)

This would be the potential big deal game of Week 3. South Florida can't sneak up on Miami at this point, but the Bulls have done the little things well that good teams do in upsetting a pair of ranked foes. The Bulls haven't committed a turnover yet, and they've given up only two plays of 30+ yards in the first two games. USF has a puncher's chance and Miami has to be on its game.

Houston (-4.5 vs. Colorado)

Here's the Friday upset special. Yes, Colorado has struggled at times in 2025. And yes, Houston's defense played well in two easy wins. But Colorado has rarely struggled to score in the Sanders era and Houston is tremendously unproven.

Ole Miss (-6.5 vs. Arkansas)

There are some issues with the Rebels. QB Austin Simmons has big-play ability, but he also has five turnovers in two games. Ole Miss has electric moments, but also has some issues sustaining drives and avoiding penalties. Arkansas is a thoroughly motivated underdog with an impressive passing game. Could be interesting.

LSU (-7.5 vs. Florida)

On paper, there's very little wrong with LSU. But the underdog has won four of the last five in this series and there's nobody with his back farther to the wall than Billy Napier at Florida. The combination of an upset-riddled series and a desperate underdog is intriguing.

Notre Dame (-6.5 vs. Texas A&M)

This is a massive game for CFP purposes, because of how Notre Dame's no-conference thing clogs up the system. The Irish were very mortal against Miami and A&M has done nice things with Marcel Reed. The Aggie defense is a bit of a question mark, but then, Notre Dame's offensive identity wasn't sharp in Week 1. Somebody's going to figure some things out in Week 3.

Minnesota (-2.5 at California)

There's no massive belief in Cal that underlies this pick, but a freshman QB makes his first road start is usually a recipe for some struggles. The game is essentially a coin flip (FPI gives Cal a 47.4% shot at the upset) and as sold as Drake Lindsey is, he's still a freshman.

South Carolina (-3.5 vs. Vanderbilt)

The interesting thing here is that common opponents are an often-used litmus test. Rarely do two teams play in Week 3 after facing one common opponent already. It's hard to say Vandy's more impressive performance against Virginia Tech isn't really comparable to Carolina's game. Diego Pavia has been sharp and South Carolina's offensive line has been spotty (6 sacks allow, 12 TFLs allowed).

Virginia Tech (-5.5 vs. Old Dominion)

The one thing college football should have learned is that Virginia Tech is a miserable second half team. Playing Vandy and Carolina, Tech led by a combined 28-20 margin at the half of those games... and was outscored 44-3 in the second half. Meanwhile, Old Dominion gave Indiana a competitive game in Week 1. The Monarchs could be a good under-the-radar pick if they can hang close for a half.

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