College Football Week 3 Early Odds, Picks & Prediction: Notre Dame vs. California (2022)

Let’s take a look at the College Football Week 3 odds, picks, and predictions for this week’s game: Notre Dame vs. California.

• Texas vs. UTSA
• Rutgers at Temple
• Ohio State vs. Toledo
• Kentucky vs. Youngstown State
• UCLA vs. South Alabama
• Kansas State vs. Tulane
• UNLV vs. North Texas
• Washington vs. Michigan State
• Texas A&M vs. Miami
• Western Kentucky at Indiana
• New Mexico State at Wisconsin
• Marshall at Bowling Green
• Charlotte at Georgia State
• Oklahoma at Nebraska
• Florida State vs. Louisville
• Air Force vs. Wyoming
• Georgia v. South Carolina
• UConn v. Michigan

Check out Thor Nystrom’s Week 3 College Football Power Rankings >>

College Football Week 3 Early Odds, Picks & Prediction: Notre Dame vs. California

Notre Dame QB Tyler Buchner suffered a season-ending high-grade AC joint sprain in his non-throwing shoulder in Saturday’s 26-21 home loss to Marshall. He will undergo surgery in the coming days. Buchner was a mixed bag in his two starts, going 28-of-50 for 378 yards and a 0/2 TD/INT rate.

ND HC Marcus Freeman announced Monday that QB Drew Pyne will assume starting duties, backed up by Steve Angeli, a true freshman. Pyne is smaller and less athletic than Buchner, and he doesn't have as much arm strength, either.

But Pyne has looked decent as a caretaker in his looks the past couple of years. With Pyne behind center, the ceiling of the offense lowers, but the floor may have risen. Buchner has playmaking chops but has posted a 3/5 TD/INT rate over 85 career attempts. Pyne has a 3/1 TD/INT ratio over 39 career attempts with a slightly higher passer rating.

Angeli was a consensus four-star recruit. He's bigger than both Buchner and Pyne - 6'3/215 - and has a strong downfield arm with touch. Angeli is a pocket passer who is comfortable throwing on the move and off-platform. Irish Wire compared him to "[Ian] Book hulked up."

Buchner's injury certainly doesn't help the Irish. But it categorically doesn't cripple them, either.

What is Betting Against the Spread?

Betting "against the spread" refers to the act of choosing the winning team based on a numeric handicap placed on the team that oddsmakers believe is superior, rather than picking the outright winner. For example, if the Rams face the Bengals, and oddsmakers set the spread at Rams -3.5, you would need Los Angeles to win by 4 or more points in order to cash your Rams bet.

What is an Over/Under Bet?

Over/Under is a wager based on how many points you think will be scored in a specific game. Oddsmakers set the total, and bettors decide whether the final score will be higher or lower than that number. If an Over/Under is set at 44.5 points and you bet Over, you will need the combined score of both teams to be 45 points or higher to win your bet.

What is a Moneyline Bet?

A moneyline bet involves choosing which team you believe will win a specific matchup. The moneyline favorite carries a minus designation, like -130. This means that you need to wager $130 to earn a $100 profit. Conversely, the underdog carries a plus designation, like +110. This means that you win $110 in profit on a $100 bet.

Prop Bet Analyzer: View top rated props and historical prop performance by player >>

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