The 2025 College Football season rolls on with a full Saturday slate of Week 3 games. Welcome to our CFB Best Bets as we break down CFB picks for this week’s action. Let’s focus on two matchups for our top CFB predictions. Plus, check out more college football bets below.  

Saturday’s Week 3 college football slate lasts all day and night long. That means we have plenty of ways to go for our CFB picks. Note that all bets below are for one unit unless otherwise noted. Without further ado, let’s dive into our CFB Best Bets. 

CFB Picks, Predictions & Best Bets: Week 3 Saturday, 9/13

Let’s kick off Saturday’s Week 3 CFB Best Bets with a Top 25 matchup between in-state rivals as Miami (FL) hosts South Florida. Plus, Vanderbilt travels to South Carolina for an intriguing SEC matchup. Be sure to check out more CFB picks below for Florida vs. LSU and more Week 3 games. Good luck!  

 

 


 

South Florida vs. Miami (FL) Prediction: Saturday, September 13th

South Florida is the surprise team of the college football season so far. The Bulls upset No. 25 Boise State in Week 1, and then pulled off a road upset over No. 13 Florida last week. Now, USF has jumped up to No. 18 itself in the latest AP Poll after beginning the year unranked. 

As impressive as this start has been, it’s a prime time to sell high on South Florida. It now plays a second straight road game against a ranked opponent. Miami (FL) enters as a three-score favorite, despite USF’s early-season success. The No. 5 Hurricanes will be licking their chops to earn a convincing win over the Group of Five’s possible College Football Playoff rep. 

Miami announced its presence as a legit title contender with a 27-24 victory over a top-10 Notre Dame team in Week 1. The Hurricanes proved they can compete with the sport’s best by beating last year’s national runner-up. Then they benefited from a cupcake matchup against Bethune-Cookman last game. In what was essentially a “bye week” ahead of this showdown, the ‘Canes rolled to an easy 45-3 win. 

The Miami defense looks strong under new defensive coordinator Corey Hetherman and with valuable transfer adds this offseason. The Hurricanes’ talented defensive line will especially play a big role this week in limiting dual-threat QB Byrum Brown. If his legs are held in check, then it could be a long day for South Florida’s offense. 

On the other side, Miami QB Carson Beck looked good in the season opener against a tough Notre Dame defense. The Hurricanes have multiple playmakers in the receiving corps and boast a solid run game, led by veteran RB Mark Fletcher Jr. This attack will be hard to stop for USF, which benefited from facing a pair of inefficient offenses in the first two weeks. 

There’s no denying the hot start from South Florida. Yet, the Bulls may come crashing back down to Earth against Miami. The ‘Canes should use this game as a tune-up before facing Florida and Florida State in the next two weeks. The spread is big for a reason. Bank on the Hurricanes to cover as big favorites, just as they did last year in a 50-15 romp of USF. 

 

 


 

Vanderbilt vs. South Carolina Prediction: Saturday, September 13th

Finding trustworthy data points and stats this early in the college football season can be hard. NIL and the transfer portal, not to mention the offseason coaching carousel, make it tough to get the right reads on teams over the first few games. When it comes to Vanderbilt and No. 11 South Carolina, though, we already have a common opponent between them. 

Both teams have faced Virginia Tech in their first two games. How each squad performed in their respective matchups can give us some key insights into this week’s SEC showdown. As you’ll notice, Vanderbilt fared much better. 

Vandy went on the road and dominated Virginia Tech last week with a 44-20 victory. The Commodores outgained the Hokies by a sizable margin, with 490 total yards compared to 248. They also outscored Tech, 34-0, in the second half after trailing by 10 at halftime. 

Meanwhile, South Carolina beat the Hokies in Week 1 with a 24-11 final. That scoreline, though, makes it seem like a more comfortable win than it really was. On a neutral field, it was just a 10-8 ballgame going into the fourth quarter with both offenses playing fairly evenly. South Carolina pulled away late after an 80-yard punt return TD. 

In that matchup, notably, Virginia Tech actually finished with more total yards (336) and first downs (19) than South Carolina (328 and 16). Plus, the Hokies won the possession battle by nearly 10 full minutes. Ultimately, two turnovers and that late punt return score did Tech in. 

It’s also worth mentioning that South Carolina followed up that game with a so-so performance last week. It was a 38-10 win over South Carolina State, but the margin should’ve been bigger. The FCS opponent came in as a 42.5-point underdog and still finished with more yards (270) than the Gamecocks (253). Plus, South Carolina averaged a paltry 3.5 yards per carry as the run game has yet to get going this season.  

As for this game, Vanderbilt comes in as a live dog with a real shot at the outright upset. The Commodores routed Charleston Southern, 45-3, in their other game this season. The offense is clicking with dual-threat QB Diego Pavia being a real difference-maker. Keeping pace with Pavia and a higher-scoring Vandy offense could be an issue for South Carolina here. 

The Gamecocks have yet to get their running game going. They averaged just 3.5 yards per carry vs. South Carolina State last week and 3.2 yards per carry vs. Virginia Tech. The offense has had issues replacing stud RB Raheim Sanders, who’s now in the NFL. It will allow Vandy’s defense to key in on dual-threat QB LaNorris Sellers and force him to beat it through the air. 

Take Vanderbilt as the road underdog in this SEC matchup. With Pavia at quarterback, the Commodores are 8-2 ATS as underdogs, including 4-0 ATS as road dogs. That also features 5 outright upsets in this role with Pavia working his magic. 

 

 


 

Best CFB Prop Bets & Other Picks: Saturday, 9/13