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College Football Week 3: Clemson at Louisville Odds & Expert Pick

Written by on September 13, 2017

It’s going down at Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium on Saturday college football bettors! You’re going to be treated to what promises to be an absolutely thrilling affair when 2016 Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson and the 14th-ranked Louisville Cardinals host Kelly Bryant and the third-ranked, defending national champion Clemson Tigers in a huge College Football Week 3 clash of ACC national championship hopefuls. Now, let’s find out which one of these playoff-hopeful teams are benefited by the college football odds & lines for Week 3.

College Football Week 3: Clemson at Louisville Odds & Expert Pick

When: Saturday, September 16, 2017 at 3:30 PM ET Where: Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium TV: ABC Radio: WCCP-FM 105.5 (Clemson) / WHAS 840 AM (Louisville) Live Stream: WatchESPN College Football Week 3 Odds:

Why Bet the Clemson Tigers at -2.5?

Clemson completely obliterated overmatched Kent State in their 56-3 season opening win before picking up a hard-fought 14-6 win over Auburn on Saturday to cover the college football betting line as a 6-point home favorite. New starting quarterback Kelly Bryant clearly isn’t as good as former superstar Deshaun Watson, but he hasn’t been half-bad either. Bryant completed 19-of-29 passes for 181 yards against Auburn while rushing 19 times for 59 yards and two touchdowns. More importantly, Clemson racked up a whopping 11 sacks against Auburn in the win to move to 2-0 and now, they have their eyes set on Jackson and the Cardinals. “Louisville is an outstanding team and that’s a difficult place to play,” Swinney said. “But it’s exciting and is going to be a lot of fun. To me, that’s what you come to Clemson for — to be part of games like this in great environments. We’re looking forward to it. This is a fun game to prepare for because you just know that every play is so critical.” For the season, Bryant has thrown for 417 yards with one touchdown and one interception while rushing for a team-high 136 yards and three scores on 26 carries. Each of the last three meetings between the cardinals and Tigers has been decided by six points or less and gone down to the final play, although Clemson has come out on top in all three. “We’ve had some incredible battles with them,” Swinney said. “And don’t expect this one to be any different.”

College Football Season Week 3 Parlay Picks and Favorite

Team Statistics

Offense:
  • Average Score For: 35
  • Total Yards: 474
  • Rush Yards: 226
  • Passing Yards: 248
Defense:
  • Average Score Against: 4.5
  • Total Yards: 118.5
  • Rush Yards: 78.5
  • Passing Yards: 40

Why Bet the Louisville Cardinals at +2.5?

Louisville got past a revitalized Purdue team, 35-28 in their regular season opener before handing North Carolina a humbling 47-35 loss this past Saturday despite failing to cover the spread as an 11.5-point road favorite. Electrifying quarterback Lamar Jackson was everywhere in throwing for 393 yards with three touchdowns and no picks while rushing for an additional 132 yards and three more scores on 19 carries. With his phenomenal effort, Jackson became just the second player in FBS history to have at least 300 yards passing and 100 yards rushing in consecutive games. Jackson’s 525 yards of total offense were the most ever allowed by the Tar Heels. “He’s a great player,” head coach Bobby Petrino said. “You’re watching him the other day and you’re like, ‘Wow, this guy’s pretty good,’ throwing all over the place, running for touchdowns. “The best play I liked was when they brought a corner off the edge, we mis-blocked it, and he stepped up, kept two hands on the ball, reset his feet and threw a strike for a 75-yard touchdown.” Through two games, Jackson has passed for a stellar 771 yards with five touchdowns while also rushing for a team-high 239 yards and three touchdowns on 40 carries. Petrino is looking to win what he expects to be another tight matchup against Clemson. “We’ve had three really good battles with them, had our opportunities and come up short,” Petrino said. “This is something that is real important to our players — that first of all we should have confidence that we’re there and we can play — but it is up to us to find a way to win the game.” Is Lousiville a safe betting pick in Week 3 of College Football?

Team Statistics

Offense:
  • Average Score For: 41
  • Total Yards: 614
  • Rush Yards: 229
  • Passing Yards: 385
Defense:
  • Average Score Against: 31.5
  • Total Yards: 60.6
  • Rush Yards: 34
  • Passing Yards: 26.6

Series History

  • Total Meetings:  3
  • First Meeting: October 11th, 2014. Clemson, South Carolina
  • Last Meeting: October 1st, 2014. Clemson, South Carolina
  • All-Time Series: Clemson 3-0-0
  • Largest Margin of Victory: Clemson 23-17 (2014)
  • Longest Win Streak: Clemson 3 (2014-2016)
  • Current Win Streak: Clemson 3 (2014-2016)

College Football Week 3 Betting Trends

  • Clemson is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games
  • Clemson is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
  • The total has gone OVER in 6 of Clemson’s last 8 games
  • Louisville is 0-4-1 ATS in its last 5 games
  • Louisville is 17-5 SU in its last 22 games
  • The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Louisville’s last 6 games

Expert Analysis and College Football Week 3 Prediction

Right now, Louisville is the better and more explosive offensive team but Clemson holds the big edge on defense. Having said that, I’m going to urge you to back Lamar Jackson and the Louisville Cardinals to get the home win and accompanying ATS cover if only because, now is the time for the cards to strike as Clemson doesn’t have the incomparable Deshaun Watson leading them into battle. I know that Clemson is 4-0 ATS in their last four games in September and 4-0 ATS in their last four games overall, but Louisville is 6-1-1 ATS in their last eight games in the month of September and will have a ton of motivation – not to mention – the edge at quarterback. I like Louisville in a thriller everyone! College Football Week 3 Pick & Score: Louisville 28 Clemson 24