Revenge games are also on deck in Week 3 of the College Football season, but it is the Conference game between the Mississippi Rebels and LSU Tigers that ticks all the boxes and fireworks are expected.
Georgia Bulldogs @ Arkansas Razorbacks Pick: Beating up on non-Conference opponents, but especially those outside of the Power 4 Conferences, is not going to do anything for anyone when it comes to analysing how good a team like the Georgia Bulldogs (2-0) could be. Even concerns about the temperatures around those games are not going to matter, but all of that changes in Week 3 when the SEC gets underway.
Preseason expectations around the Bulldogs remain sky high, which is no surprise considering the successes they have had in recent years, and 2026 is seen as a year in which they will bounce back from a disappointing Quarter Final defeat in the Playoffs.
There is clearly a lot to like about the Bulldogs, but they will be well aware that every road game in the SEC can be very challenging and it does not matter what the preseason rankings may have stated.
With that in mind, Georgia have to travel to the Arkansas Razorbacks (1-1) with the right attitude and that is not expecting to turn up and win the game.
Instead they will have to put some hard work on the field to try and contain the crowd and then show the superiority of the roster constructed for the season.
The Razorbacks have another new Head Coach as they look to find the right formula to get back amongst the very best teams in the Conference, but Ryan Silverfield will be well aware of the challenges in front of him. Any first year Head Coach is going to have to suffer through some teething problems, especially when taking over at a struggling, underachieving school, and Ryan Silverfield got a first hand look at the issues in the blowout loss to the Utah Utes in Week 2.
It was a defeat on the road and playing an opening Conference game at home should mean playing in an intense atmosphere and one that could spook the road team.
Arkansas have to take advantage of that, although they are starting an inexperienced Quarter Back in KJ Jackson who had a very tough time throwing the ball against the Utah Secondary.
KJ Jackson can expect another tough afternoon, although he will be given the time and patience needed to build up experiences that will see him develop at the position. That does not mean the Razorbacks have nothing to lose, but it does allow Jackson to try and settle into the role he won over the summer and 2026 was always going to be something of a transitional season.
A bigger problem than the Quarter Back has been the Offensive Line play as Arkansas have struggled both to run the ball and to give KJ Jackson any time in the pocket. The early rushing numbers are very concerning ahead of the step up into the SEC level and the Razorbacks are unlikely to find a lot of room up front against this Bulldogs Defensive Line.
Not only does that make it very difficult for any Quarter Back to complete throws consistently out of obvious passing situations, but Jackson is likely to be faced with Georgia players flooding into the backfield and moving the ball is going to be very difficult for Arkansas throughout this game.
You can only expect things to be much more comfortable for Gunner Stockton, even if he is not expected to continue his early season success of scoring a Touchdown on every drive he has begun. Those previous drives have been against much weaker opponents than the one facing Stockton on Saturday, although he will still be pretty confident he can keep Georgia in positive situations throughout his time on the field.
The Bulldogs will be confident they can establish the run with a lot more consistency than the Arkansas Razorbacks and keeping Gunner Stockton in third and manageable spots should make life pretty comfortable for the Quarter Back. He will have noted that the Razorbacks Secondary are still learning what is expected from them and Gunner Stockton can put the Bulldogs in a position to cover a very big spread for any SEC road team in a Conference game.
Nothing will be easy for Georgia, but they will want to maintain the early season momentum and this may be the weakest opponent they will face in the SEC this season.
That means they will have an opportunity to lay down an early marker and the Bulldogs are capable of doing enough on both sides of the ball to do that.
Florida State Seminoles @ Alabama Crimson Tide Pick: Last year the Alabama Crimson Tide (2-0) were beaten by the Florida State Seminoles (1-1) on the road and it was a defeat that hung over their heads all season. They still snuck into the Playoff, although the Crimson Tide were beaten in the Quarter Final and the 2026 squad are going to do well to make the final twelve this time around.
Revenge is going to be a big motivator for the Alabama Crimson Tide as they prepare for to host the Florida State Seminoles and they will be heading into the game behind a big road win over the Kentucky Wildcats. It is a victory that will have given all associated with the Crimson Tide a huge boost in confidence, and that makes them dangerous added to the motivation to get one over the Seminoles.
Florida State have had two weeks to prepare for this game, which will help, but they were beaten by the SMU Mustangs in the last outing and the Head Coach Mike Norvell is sitting on an incredibly hot seat.
Having key supporters being removed from their positions only adds to the pressure on the Head Coach and another season with a losing record is not going to be accepted.
The Seminoles are going to be challenged when they have the ball in hand and that all begins at the Line of Scrimmage.
Florida State's Offensive Line have opened the season by putting some solid numbers on the board, but running the ball against the Alabama Defensive Line is going to be a different kind of test for them. There may be some successes, but the Crimson Tide should be able to force Florida State behind the chains and that gives the home team a big edge in the contest.
Ashton Daniels struggled in the loss to the Mustangs, and he is likely going to be put under pressure by the Alabama pass rush if the Quarter Back is operating from behind the chains. That could lead to mistakes, but it is very likely going to lead to stalled drives and that gives Alabama a big edge.
This is still a big line for the home team to cover and that means questioning whether Alabama can score enough points to clear the number set.
There are definitely some encouraging signs for the Crimson Tide as the Offensive Line have been able to at least keep the team in third and manageable spots, while Quarter Back Keelon Russell continues to grow into the role.
Keeping Russell in front of the chains is important, but Alabama have to be excited about the way the Quarter Back handled himself after a very difficult first half in the win over the Kentucky Wildcats last week. There have been some holes in the Florida State Secondary that have been exploited and the Alabama Crimson Tide can move the chains with confidence, which should see them placed in a position where a cover is very possible.
There is no escaping the fact that the Crimson Tide are unlikely to take their foot off the gas in this one after being upset by the Seminoles in 2025.
They have every chance of a statement performance in the revenge effort and Alabama can back up the big win over the Kentucky Wildcats by securing another here.
MY PICKS: Georgia Bulldogs - 24.5 Points @ 1.83 Bet365 (1 Unit)
Alabama Crimson Tide - 20.5 Points @ 1.86 Bet365 (1 Unit)
USC Trojans - 23.5 Points @ 1.91 Bet Fred (1 Unit)
LSU Tigers - 3 Points @ 1.85 Ladbrokes (1 Unit)
South Carolina Gamecocks - 3.5 Points @ 1.85 William Hill (1 Unit)
Week 2: 2-3, - 1.28 Units (5 Units Staked, - 25.60% Yield)
Week 0: 0-3, - 3 Units (3 Units Staked, - 100% Yield)
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