Best College Football Parlays & Picks: Week 3 (2026)

Week 3 of the 2026 college football season has arrived. It promises more upsets and chaos in the AP Top 25, following Ohio State’s blown lead to No. 1 Texas and No. 6 Oregon and No. 11 Oklahoma losing to unranked opponents on the road.

Notable matchups this weekend include No. 22 Houston vs. No. 13 Texas Tech in a Big 12 showdown on Friday night. Then, it’s No. 16 SMU vs. No. 23 Louisville in an ACC tilt and No. 7 LSU vs. No. 8 Ole Miss in a prime-time SEC game on Saturday.

My Best College Football Parlays & Picks: Week 2 (2026) settled 0-3. It looked like we had OSU moneyline/Under 49.5, but a 4th-quarter meltdown against the Longhorns led to a disappointing loss on this +256 SGP. Oklahoma’s 17-10 loss to Michigan ruined our -122 moneyline parlay with Alabama. Tennessee’s 45-24 win over Georgia Tech had too many points to cash Tennessee -12.5/Under 55.5 at +310 odds.

Let’s bounce back in the win column during Week 3 with three of my best college football parlays. Follow me on X @Matt_MacKay for more betting analysis and free picks.

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College Football Parlays for Week 3

(Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook)

Houston +7.5/Under 52.5 (+236)

QB Connor Weigman and RB Makhi Hughes lead Houston into Lubbock as a touchdown underdog against Texas Tech. The Cougars are off to a 2-0 start under third-year head coach Willie Fritz, entering this matchup with the nation’s fifth-ranked scoring offense.

The real narrative of this game is Houston’s defense. They have allowed just 0.4 YPC, while Texas Tech just gave up over 400 passing yards and 3 touchdowns to Oregon State in Week 2.

Both of these teams beat the Beavers by a double-digit margin, although the edge goes to Houston for their complete play on both sides of the line of scrimmage.

The spread has steamed toward Houston. Their stout run defense should keep them in position to upset Texas Tech on the road on Friday night.

Let’s parlay Houston +7.5/Under 52.5 for +236 odds to start our Week 3 betting card.

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Alabama -19.5/Texas A&M -16.5 (+249)

I don’t normally love parlaying spreads, but Alabama and Texas A&M both have relatively soft matchups at home in Week 3. The Crimson Tide struggled early against Kentucky, before going on to rout the Wildcats 45-17 on the road in Week 2.

Now, Alabama returns home to take on Florida State, who is coming off a 12-day hiatus after losing to No. 16 SMU. Head coach Mike Norvell is on thin ice, while he runs into a juggernaut Crimson Tide offense that has scored at least 45 points.

Alabama has held both of its opponents to 1.2 YPC and zero rushing touchdowns. The pass defense is also limiting teams to 160 passing yards or less, while forcing an interception and a sub-60 percent completion rate.

Texas A&M now gets to host Kentucky. The Wildcats’ offense cooled off against an SEC defense in Week 2, and it should continue on the road against Mike Elko’s defensive unit in Week 3.

The Aggies have allowed 2 touchdowns against both of their opponents, shutting out Missouri State and keeping Arizona State from logging a rushing touchdown in Week 2.

Let’s parlay Alabama -19.5/Texas A&M -16.5, as I expect the Crimson Tide to win by 20+ points and the Aggies to win by 17+ points as sizable home favorites. This point spread parlay on a pair of SEC blue bloods gets us +249 odds.

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Under 60.5 (Western Kentucky vs. Indiana)/Under 51.5 (Michigan State vs. Notre Dame) (+274)

I’m targeting a pair of point total unders to close out our Week 3 best college football parlays. Indiana hosts Western Kentucky, who has allowed 119 points to Nevada and Georgia on the road.

The Hoosiers should be able to shut out the Hilltoppers, or at least keep them to one score. 60.5 feels a bit too high, as Indiana has held its opponents to 16 total points, including an impressive North Texas offense.

For the second leg of this parlay, the under has gained steam between Michigan State and Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish have an elite defense, allowing a stingy 2.0 YPC and zero rushing touchdowns.

Michigan State’s identity is to establish the run and stop the run under first-year head coach Pat Fitzgerald. So far, it’s worked out, although it will be much tougher sledding against the nation’s eighth-ranked scoring defense in South Bend on Saturday night.

The point total has crept down from 53.5 to 51.5. Let’s follow this trend to complete our Under parlay at +274 odds.

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