This article is part of our College Football Picks series.
College Football Best Bets: Three Upset Picks
It's Week 3 of the college football slate in the States, and some intriguing matchups are afoot. We'll look at the three best upset plays from the schedule and one player who is primed and ready for a big weekend on the gridiron.
Arizona Wildcats 
at Kansas State Wildcats – Friday, 7:00 p.m. ET
The Wildcats roll into Manhattan in this top-25 clash as a rather decisive underdog. If you decided to get your beauty sleep early on Saturday nights or checked out after the primetime games, you've likely missed a lot, as far as Arizona is concerned.
Arizona WR Tetairoa McMillan burst onto the scene in Week 1 against New Mexico in a video-game-like 61-39 win. The receiver managed 10 receptions for 304 yards and four touchdowns, and most of that damage was done in the first half against the beleaguered Lobos pass defense.
Wildcats QB Noah Fifita and McMillan were on another plane that night, and No. 4 accounted for the second-most receiving yards in a game in Big 12 history. That's quite a way to introduce yourself to a new conference!
While Arizona is 0-2 against the spread (ATS) in two games to date, that's because it was laying huge numbers against UNM and FCS Northern Arizona. It enters its first conference matchup with Kansas State as an underdog. Arizona has ample offense to score the upset against K-State, a team that is also 0-2 ATS, by the way, narrowly escaping an upset loss at Tulane a week ago.
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Memphis Tigers 
at Florida State Seminoles – Saturday, 12:00 p.m. ET
It's becoming rather passe to pick on the poor Seminoles, but Florida State has gotten off to about as poor a start as you could possibly imagine.
FSU went to Aviva Stadium in Week 0 and fell to Georgia Tech over in Dublin, Ireland, but there was a ton of travel, playing in a foreign land, etc., and they lost on a last-second field goal. It wasn't pretty, but it could be understood somewhat.
However, the Seminoles were on the short end of a 28-13 beatdown at the hands of Boston College on Labor Day night, and that loss occurred on their home field. That was totally inexcusable, especially since Florida State, the perceived more talented team, was getting bullied in the trenches on both sides of the line.
Boston College's rather ordinary offensive line was extraordinary in that win, pushing around Florida State's high-priced defensive line. It doesn't get any easier for FSU, as it must take on Memphis, a team that many predicted as a potential playoff team from the Group of 5.
Memphis has fired out of the box with two wins and covers, albeit against inferior opponents, North Alabama and Troy. But QB Seth Henigan has been sharp in the early going, and this game could be a huge problem for the Noles. Memphis is averaging 234.5 passing yards per game and a healthy 39.0 points per contest.
The Tigers aren't a one-trick pony, though. RB Mario Anderson has managed 171 rushing yards and 6.3 yards per attempt with four rushing scores in two games, and RB Greg Desrosiers has 5.4 yards per attempt as Anderson's backup.
If you thought the natives were restless in Tallahassee before, wait until Florida State suffers a third consecutive loss to open the campaign against Mike Norvell's former employer, no less.
Colorado State Rams 
vs. Colorado Buffaloes – Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET
Last season, the 92nd installment of this Rocky Mountain State rivalry game was a banger. On Sept. 16, 2023, Coach Deion Sanders and the Buffaloes outlasted the Rams in Boulder 43-35 in double-overtime in one of the more memorable games of the 2023 season.
Although two-way superstar Travis Hunter left the game early, the Buffaloes had more than enough offense to outlast the Rams.
For Colorado State, star receiver Tory Horton showed out with a ridiculous 16 receptions for 133 yards and a score at CU. He also had a touchdown pass on some trickeration. Unfortunately for the Rams, and something you'll want to double- and triple-check before finalizing bets, he was nicked last time out against Northern Colorado, and he is a question mark to play. While head coach Jay Norvell is hopeful the receiver will be good to go, it's not a certainty.
Colorado continues to have trouble on defense, allowing 26 in the narrow opening win against FCS North Dakota State and getting pounded 28-10 at Nebraska last week. Colorado State was embarrassed at Texas in the opener but rebounded 38-17 against a good NorCo program last weekend.
When these teams get together, records can be thrown out the window. And this one means more, as the series is unfortunately paused until 2029. Look for Colorado State to exact revenge for last season's heartbreaking loss in Boulder, but again, that hinges on Horton's status.
Week 3 Player To Pop
John Mateer, QB, Washington State 
: We usually don't get the Apple Cup game this early in the schedule, but with the shifting conference scene, we'll take it any way we can get it.
Mateer has led the nomad Cougars to a 2-0 record through two games, completing 55.6% of his passes for 467 yards, six touchdowns and one interception while leading Wazzu with 252 rushing yards and two scores. In fact, he also leads the team with 11.0 rushing yards per attempt.
And, while, yes, the first game came against an overwhelmed FCS Portland State team, the Cougs roughed up a decent Texas Tech team from the Big 12 last week at The Palouse, winning 37-16 as slight underdogs.
