Updated
Updated · CBS Sports · Sep 19
SportsLine Model Backs Michigan State, South Carolina in Week 3 After 10,000 Simulations
Updated
Updated · CBS Sports · Sep 19

SportsLine Model Backs Michigan State, South Carolina in Week 3 After 10,000 Simulations

3 articles · Updated · CBS Sports · Sep 19

Summary

  • Michigan State +29.5 at No. 3 Notre Dame and South Carolina -4 vs. Mississippi State are the model’s featured Week 3 picks, with each covering in nearly 60% of simulations.
  • The SportsLine model ran every FBS matchup 10,000 times and projects Notre Dame to win 42-17—keeping Michigan State inside the number—while also liking the over in that game at better than 60%.
  • South Carolina’s case rests on recent dominance and defense: the Gamecocks have won eight of the last nine against Mississippi State and have allowed just one touchdown this season.
  • Week 3’s marquee game is No. 7 LSU at No. 8 Ole Miss, where LSU is a 3-point road favorite after quarterback Sam Leavitt was removed from the injury report.
  • The model enters the week on a 33-21 run on top-rated college football money-line picks since the 2024 season and says it has picks for every FBS game, including an outright underdog winner.

Insights

Will Ole Miss leverage their deep tactical familiarity with Kiffin's offensive system to overcome the odds and win?
Will the intense hostility of Oxford's sold-out crowd rattle Lane Kiffin's new LSU squad during this historic top-10 SEC showdown?
Can Trinidad Chambliss use his hard-fought sixth year of eligibility to defeat the very coach who helped him secure it?