What a weekend. Ohio State vs Texas was not only one of the most watched college football games of the last decade, but it was one of the greatest games in the last decade, period. On top of that, Michigan rebounded from a miraculous Week 1 win to a legit Week 2 win and Oregon lost to…hold on…Oklahoma State?!? Yep, you read that correctly, Oklahoma State. This week has a marquee matchup on the bill with a few other games to keep your eye on. Here are our Top 3 2026 College Football Games Week 3.
No. 7 LSU vs No. 8 Ole Miss
This will be the game of the week. Strip away all the drama, it is two top 10 teams battling each other. It’s two top 10 SEC schools taking on each other. It’s two offenses that can put up tons of points. Oh, and it’s Lane Kiffin’s return to Oxford, Mississippi. Regardless of the score, this is the reason to watch this game. Kiffin left Ole Miss high and dry while they were headed to the College Football Playoff. It was a massive slap in the face to the Ole Miss program. He left for a bigger, better, wealthier school. Now the Rebels will have a chance to get their payback. Many of the players remain in Oxford. We know how the home crowd will treat Kiffin on his return, but how will the players respond? Both teams are 2-0 and LSU has a dominant win over Clemson. While I think this is the game circled on the calendar for the Rebs, it will be Lane’s game. Prediction: LSU 33 Ole Miss 25
No. 16 SMU vs No. 23 Louisville
This is a big game for the ACC. SMU comes into this game as the 16th team in the country. This will be an incredible QB duel. It’s Kevin Jennings versus Lincoln Kienholz. Both these guys have had fantastic starts to their season. Jennings has eight passing touchdowns and 767 passing yards. Meanwhile, Kienholz has over 600 passing yards with four touchdowns. We do have to look at the quality of opponents here. SMU played Florida State and UC Davis while Louisville played Ole Miss and Villanova. I give the lean there to Louisville of course, but this is a battle between two very evenly matched teams. Louisville has a bigger weakness on defense than the Mustangs and I think that’s where this game can be manipulated. The Louisville home crowd shouldn’t be that big of an issue to fend off. Give me the ‘Stangs in a game that could have a big ACC impact. Prediction: SMU 35 Louisville 27
No. 22 Houston vs No. 13 Texas Tech
And now there is a big game in the Big 12. Houston and Texas Tech are both undefeated thus far. Both teams have one shared opponent in common which was Oregon State and the result was pretty similar for both teams in that game. The Cougars have one of the best offenses in the country and should be able to flex that against Texas Tech whose defense ranks 76th in the country. In the end, Lubbock is a brutal place to play. Texas Tech is the more talented team. While Houston should be able to score and push the envelope, I have Tech. Prediction: Houston 30 Texas Tech 37