NCAA Football Picks: 3 ATS Bets You Should Make 9/14

We look at a couple of those non-conference clashes, as well as an in-state rivalry game, for our against-the-spread (ATS) locks parlay for Week 3. The college football betting lines aren’t far off on these games, and we think if you put down a three-leg parlay on these picks, you’ll come away from Week 3 very happy.

3 ATS Picks to Bet This Weekend

1. Wisconsin Keeps Things lose vs Alabama

The Alabama Crimson Tide have looked pretty good in jumping out to a 2-0 start under new coach Kalen DeBoer, though they had their troubles for a bit against South Florida at home last week. The Crimson Tide didn’t pull away until the final 10 minutes of the game, when they scored 28 fourth-quarter points to make the 42-16 win seem a little easier than it was.

Now No. 4 Alabama hits the road to Madison, Wis., to take on the 2-0 Wisconsin Badgers at what is sure to be a raucous Camp Randall Stadium on Saturday afternoon. As good as Wisconsin has been in recent seasons, the highlight of a game at Camp Randall is when House of Pain’s “Jump Around” comes on during a timeout.

Wisconsin loves to Jump Around. Tim Brando and Devin Gardner got in on the fun. pic.twitter.com/DWhH8CkUCa

— The Comeback NCAA (@TheComebackNCAA) August 31, 2024

Wisconsin hasn’t dominated in its two wins this season, beating both Western Michigan and South Dakota by 14 points. Coach Luke Fickell’s squad has been solid defensively, giving up a total of 27 points, but it is going to need a much bigger effort if it’s going to make college football news with an upset of Alabama.

We don’t see that upset happening in this one, but we do think things will be closer than the 16½-point line set by the sportsbooks. The Badgers are a physical team that shouldn’t be intimidated by the Crimson Tide.

Alabama, behind quarterback Jalen Milroe (394 yards, five touchdowns passing) and outstanding freshman wide receiver Ryan Williams (six catches, 207 yards, three touchdowns), will move to 3-0 with a road win in this one. But we like the Badgers, like South Florida did last week, to keep this one close, covering the spread in the loss.

Bet on Wisconsin +16½ (-110) vs Alabama

2. Notre Dame Bounces Back on Road vs Purdue

One of the most-heralded beating of the college football odds last weekend was Northern Illinois knocking off the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at home, 16-14. The Irish were coming off a win on the road against Texas A&M and were ranked No. 5 in the country, but the Huskies didn’t care, blocking a 62-yard field goal attempt on the final play of the game to preserve the upset.

Coach Marcus Freeman now has to get his team back on track for a road trip to face the Boilermakers of the Big Ten on Saturday. Notre Dame is a 10-point favorite on the road.

“You know, it’s our job as coaches to make sure these guys are ready to go. You go from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows in a tale of two weeks, but we’ve got to own this thing,” Freeman said. “As coaches and players, we’ve got to own it, and we’ve got to fix it.”

That starts with quarterback Riley Leonard, who was 20-of-32 passing for 163 yards and two interceptions in the loss. Leonard has yet to throw a scoring pass this season, something that needs to change in a hurry for Notre Dame.

Meanwhile, Purdue Boilermakers is coming off a 49-0 victory over Indiana State two weeks ago, having had a very early bye in its schedule last weekend. Such an early break after an easy win could lead to some complacency for the Boilermakers, especially with Notre Dame coming off a loss.

This one should be a good game, but we like the Irish to look a lot more like they did against Texas A&M than they did against Northern Illinois. Look for solid performance out of Leonard as the Irish justify the earlier college football predictions with an easy win and cover against Purdue.

Bet on Notre Dame -10 (-105) vs Purdue

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3. Colorado Brings More Fight for Colorado State Clash

If there’s a program that wants to forget about last weekend, it’s the Colorado Buffaloes. Coach Deion Sanders’ squad looked overwhelmed from the very start of a 28-10 loss on the road to Nebraska.

Quarterback Shedeur Sanders was under constant pressure from the Cornhuskers, taking five sacks and getting hit multiple other times. He was 23 of 38 for 244 yards with one touchdown and one interception.

“The way we started is just not indicative of who we are, and we just never got it together,” coach Sanders said after the setback. “Sometimes you have those games.”

The Buffaloes now get to gear it up for an emotional matchup with the Colorado State Rams, who are going to be just as fired up to face Colorado as Nebraska was. The two teams played a double-overtime affair last season, with the Buffaloes coming out on top 43-35, so Colorado State has a score to settle.

The Rams bounced back from an ugly 52-0 loss to Texas in their opener with a 38-17 victory over Northern Colorado last weekend, but they aren’t going to have enough to stay with the Buffaloes in this one. Sanders’ squad should have a much better showing, winning and covering the seven-point spread, so make sure you include them when you bet online on our ATS parlay.

Bet on Colorado -7 (-115) vs Colorado State

Question Of The Day

Odds and information are accurate at the time of writing. Please check with official sources for the latest updates before placing any bets