Week 3 brings a slate full of ranked matchups and a few spots where the numbers, and the eye test, point in the same direction. With the 2026 college football season now two weeks old, the conference games are starting to creep in for some teams, and that means it’s time to sort out the winners.
The first game that stands out is Houston against Texas Tech, and the common opponent makes this one interesting. Both teams have already seen Oregon State.
Houston handled the Beavers 33-20 in Week 1, while Texas Tech beat them 35-24 in Week 2. But the deeper look favors the Cougars: Texas Tech managed only 352 yards of offense in its game, while Houston piled up 533.
Strip away the final score and Houston looked like the stronger side. Add in the warning signs around Texas Tech, including a shaky 33-10 win over an FCS team in Week 1, and this feels like a live upset spot.
The pick is Houston.
Louisville is another team that has looked sharp early, and the offense has done its part by averaging 6.6 yards per play. The Cardinals also came very close to knocking off Ole Miss.
In this ranked matchup, though, the deciding factor comes on defense. Louisville’s unit at home is the one to trust more than SMU’s, and that edge is enough to side with the Cardinals.
West Virginia is the kind of underdog that can make life uncomfortable for a favorite. The Mountaineers will need a near-perfect offensive showing to pull this one off, but Michael Hawkins Jr. gives them a real chance.
He’s already thrown for 287 yards and added 199 more on the ground, and that dual-threat element can tilt a game fast. That’s why West Virginia is the upset pick here.
The strongest conviction of the week comes with LSU against Ole Miss. LSU looked dominant right out of the gate, rolling past Clemson, while Ole Miss had a tougher time getting by Louisville.
The Rebels’ offense can keep pace, but this game should come down to defense, and that’s where LSU has the clear edge. Ole Miss has given up 5.9 yards per play through two weeks, while LSU’s defense has allowed just 2.5, the fewest in the country.
That kind of gap is hard to ignore, and it points to LSU winning comfortably.
In Other News...
LSU Just Scored Another Court Win In Its SEC Eligibility Fight
Another legal turn went LSUs way this week in the eligibility fight surrounding some of its athletes, as the Louisiana First Circuit Court of Appeal rejected the Southeastern Conferences bid to pause the case and pursue supervisory writs. The ruling keeps in place a Baton Rouge district courts preliminary injunction, which stops the NCAA and SEC from blocking LSU from putting certain players on its football roster while their eligibility claims work through the legal process.
For LSU, the immediate importance is less about the courtroom language than the roster flexibility it preserves in the middle of a dispute that is still very much alive. The SEC has already taken the matter in a different direction as well, filing a separate federal lawsuit against LSU and its officials, so the conference office is clearly not done pressing its side even after this latest setback in state court. [Read more 🡒]
LSU Fans Are Facing A Brutal Price To See This Ole Miss Showdown
The buzz around Saturdays LSU trip to Ole Miss has pushed the ticket market into eye-watering territory, with fans hunting for a seat at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium finding very little relief. The cheapest listings on SeatGeek are sitting around $467 with fees, while secondary market data shows a median price near $862, a reflection of how much attention this matchup has generated.
It is, after all, a top-10 meeting with ESPNs College GameDay in town and Lane Kiffin back in Oxford now wearing LSU colors, which only adds to the intrigue. For Tigers fans hoping to make the trip, the challenge is no longer just watching one of the SECs biggest games, but figuring out whether the price of admission is worth it. [Read more 🡒]
Ex-LSU Star Mansoor Delane Made An Instant NFL Impact At A Cost
Mansoor Delane wasted no time making his presence felt in the NFL. Drafted sixth overall by the Kansas City Chiefs, the former LSU standout forced an interception on just his third snap in his debut, a reminder of the sticky coverage and ball skills that made him such a tough target in Baton Rouge.
Delanes first pro moment came with an immediate catch, though it also brought an early concern for Kansas City. He re-injured a right shoulder issue on the play and did not return, leaving the Chiefs with one of the days sharpest defensive flashes and an unsettling update on a player they expected to lean on right away. [Read more 🡒]