College Football Picks, Week 3: Tennessee, Pitt Among Best Plays?

And if past head-to-head results mean anything, even the humongous total of 76 is in jeopardy. Three of four UCLA-Houston meetings since 1996 have seen 70+ points scored.

Most online sportsbooks ttracked by OddsShark.com opened this game with UCLA favored by 17 points, and the total offered at 74. But while the line had held steady into Thursday evening, the total had been bumped to 76.

This game opened up earlier this week with VT favored by 11.5 and even 12 points at some college football betting outlets. But as of Friday, most sportsbooks tracked by OddsShark.com had dropped the Hokies to -10.

Also, while the total on this game started at 43 at most books, it’s since been bumped to 45. Historically, Pitt covers the spread against the Hokies (5-0 ATS run).

FSU is off to a 2-0 start to this season, outscoring its two opponents by a combined 124-3. Of course, those two opponents were Murray State and Savannah State, so we shouldn’t read too much into that.

Wake Forest, meanwhile, enjoys a 3-1 ATS mark in its past four trips here and 6-2 ATS in eight games overalll against the Seminoles. So getting 28 points on the college football odds menu at most shops tracked by OddsShark.com is tempting for Wake backers.

It may be early in the college football season but Thursday night gives us a national TV game that might go a long way toward deciding who wins the Big East Conference.

“The Knights are on a 5-0 ATS run against SFU and they have won six of seven meetings straight up,” said Jack Randall of OddsShark.com, the NCAA football lines provider to SBNation.