College Football Week 3 Staff Picks: Heavy favorites are back in vogue

Each week during the college football season the staff at theScore will put on their prognosticator hats and offer up selections against the spread on each of the week’s top games, highlighting several marquee matchups.

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Unanimous selections: Missouri -10, Louisville -6.5, Oregon -43, Alabama -47.5, Florida -17.5, Penn State -3.5, Arizona State -15.5

Unanimous selections are 4-7 ATS for the season.

Marquee Matchups

6 Georgia Bulldogs at 24 South Carolina

Chris Battaglia: Nothing about this South Carolina team inspires confidence after a blowout loss to Texas A&M and a relatively narrow victory over East Carolina. The Bulldogs had time to rest after an impressive season-opening win over Clemson, when early Heisman Trophy candidate Todd Gurley rushed for 198 yards and three touchdowns. Expect Gurley to put on another dazzling performance as the Gamecocks continue to wilt under mounting pressure at home. Georgia -5.5

Gino Bottero: It's been a disappointing start to the season for South Carolina, but let's try not to overreact too much to the first two weeks. A 2-0 Gamecocks squad would be favored in this contest, particularly on their home turf. While Georgia, and particularly star running back Gurley, looked solid in their opener against Clemson, and have had a week to prepare for this contest, they're the more flawed squad. South Carolina +5.5

Mike Dickson: This will already be each team's second matchup this season against a top-25 team and they had vastly different results the first time out. While South Carolina was blown out by Texas A&M, the Bulldogs literally ran all over Clemson. Georgia has had some extra time to prepare for this meeting because of its bye last week and South Carolina won't be able to find an answer for  Gurley as he continues to make his case for the Heisman Trophy. Georgia -5.5

Texas Longhorns vs. 12 UCLA Bruins

Battaglia: This Longhorns team is in full rebuild mode under new coach Charlie Strong, which is good news for a Bruins team that has been unable to create separation from weaker opponents so far. Texas is without quarterback David Ash and will likely be without receiver Jaxon Shipley, which improves the possibility of a UCLA blowout. UCLA -7

Bottero: UCLA has hardly given any reason to justify the lofty expectations placed on them in the preseason. As for Texas, they showed some glimpses of the kind of defense that we've come to expect from a Strong-coached team. While BYU may be Texas's Kryptonite, tough defenses have given UCLA trouble in the early going. That happens again here. Texas +7

Dickson: The Strong era got off on the right foot with a Week 1 win, but the shorthanded Longhorns were demolished by BYU (for the second year in a row) last week. Texas should be better and may have some of its suspended players back in the lineup, but UCLA will be an even tougher matchup than the Cougars and should thrive in the spotlight at AT&T Stadium. UCLA -7

Tennessee Volunteers at 4 Oklahoma Sooners

Battaglia: A three-touchdown margin of victory is a lot to expect against any SEC opponent, even Tennessee, which is looking for its first winning season in four years. The Volunteers' defense has done well limiting opposing passing games and quarterback Justin Worley looks confident in his senior season. The Sooners should prevail at home, but not by more than 20 points. Tennessee +20.5

Bottero: Oklahoma is one of the deeper programs in college football at the moment, and that's a big part of why they're one of just a handful of teams that can regularly be trusted to cover a big number. Trevor Knight has been on point through two games, and that was a big concern entering the season. Tennessee's been better than expected thus far, but they're not ready to hang with the big boys. Oklahoma -20.5

Dickson: The Sooners have yet to be tested this season, winning their two games by a combined 77 points. Head coach Bob Stoops likes to prove that Oklahoma is more than on par with opponents from the SEC and will have the opportunity to do so against a Tennessee team that isn't among the conference's elite teams. The Sooners should win, but the Volunteers will present enough of a challenge to keep it relatively close. Tennessee +20.5

Wild card selections

Central Florida Knights at 20 Missouri Tigers

Battaglia: Missouri can’t seem to get any respect despite winning the SEC East in 2013 and starting this season with two convincing victories. UCF stumbled against Penn State in its first game without Blake Bortles under center and the Tigers are a much tougher opponent. Look for Missouri quarterback Maty Mauk to have a big game against the Knights secondary, which allowed 454 passing yards against the Nittany Lions. Missouri -10

9 USC Trojans at Boston College Eagles

Bottero: Boston College had some issues against Pitt last week, giving up a whopping 303 rushing yards, allowing Panthers running back James Connor to churn out 214 yards on the ground. Likely a blip on the radar for a good defense that allowed only 202 yards of total offense in its opener. As for USC, this is a definite letdown spot following a big win over Pac-12 rival Stanford. USC wins, but they're giving away too many points. Boston College +16.5

9 USC Trojans at Boston College Eagles

Dickson: The Trojans 2-0 start to the year has been impressive, not just because they won, but how they earned the victories. Their season-opening win against Fresno State was all about offense, while their victory at Stanford last week came with a strong defensive effort. Both of those facets should come together against the Eagles and, after beating Boston College by 28 points last season, USC should have no problem repeating that performance. USC -16.5

Lines courtesy Scoresandodds.com