Week 3 features yet another chapter in the Lane Kiffin saga, as LSU’s new head coach returns to the field he left behind at Ole Miss. Florida State is in a panic, and right as Alabama plays host. The underrated Mississippi State takes on South Carolina in a potential shootout.
The 2026 college football season rolls on with these big matchups and more, and Joel Klatt picked winners on the Thursday edition of “The Joel Klatt Show”.
Here are all of Klatt’s picks for these key Week 3 games.
LSU 28, Ole Miss 20
Klatt’s thoughts: “Kiffin is going back, and this is going to be bonkers and wild, the atmosphere is going to be crazy. Here’s the thing: nobody knows Ole Miss better than Lane Kiffin. I actually believe in my heart of hearts right now that LSU has a massive advantage in this. He knows Pete Golding. He knows the structures that Pete’s going to struggle with on the defensive side. He knows Chambliss better than the Ole Miss coaching staff knows Chambliss. He knows where all the skeletons are buried in the game plans. And when he has that, nobody builds better game plans to take advantage of those types of scenarios. No one does it better than Lane Kiffin.
“I think that they (LSU) can (win). Schematically, on the field (and) game plan wise, LSU has a giant advantage in this game, and no one is going to talk about it that way… You don’t think that he’s going to have something that is specifically designed for a Pete Golding defense in the first five plays?… I think the defense is exceptional for LSU.”
Klatt’s pick: “I got 28-20, Lane goes back to Ole Miss and gets a win with LSU.”
SMU 31, Louisville 27
Klatt’s thoughts: “Jeff Brohm is outstanding at home in big games. We’ve seen [Louisville] knock off huge opponents. He is even accomplished it towards huge opponents… it is a monster, monster recreation. I believe the winner of this recreation finally performs Miami for the ACC championship. Two nice quarterbacks… these two guys are one and two within the nation proper now in complete offense per recreation… I like this one.
“I believe Louisville discovered rather a lot about themselves in that Ole Miss recreation… I additionally suppose SMU is extremely gifted. The sport towards Florida State was means nearer than it ought to have been. It was all turnovers. That is the one factor that scares me about SMU… I believe they’re higher and extra gifted than Louisville… If [QB Kevin] Jennings stays clear, SMU wins the sport outright.”
Klatt’s decide: “I believe SMU wins the sport outright, 31-27.”
Texas Tech 34, Houston 23
Klatt’s ideas: “Ranked matchup within the Massive 12, Houston goes to Texas Tech. Houston is No. 22 within the nation, Texas Tech is No. 13 within the nation… Joey McGuire is a superb coach. One factor I find out about Joey McGuire is he is going to have a look at the primary two video games with this Tech workforce and understand they had been unconvincing they usually can coach them laborious this week.
Joey McGuire and Texas Tech are going to should be extra convincing this week towards Louisville. (Photograph by Tom Hauck/Getty Photos)
“In the meantime, for Houston, Willie Fritz has accomplished a superb job. I like their quarterback, Conner Weigman. Makhi Hughes is a large add to their run recreation… Amare Thomas is among the finest receivers within the Massive 12. Texas Tech is a workforce that, on paper, is among the most gifted groups within the nation.”
Klatt’s decide: “I like Tech to cowl… I believe they win it, 34-23.”
Alabama 38, Florida State 10
Klatt’s ideas: “Florida State is in a panic proper now. Doesn’t look good… Their athletic division is massively in debt, they only fired their athletic director… you take a look at the remainder of their schedule… and it is like, I do not see how Mike Norvell will get previous the Miami recreation. I actually do not.
“In the meantime, for Alabama, I really feel like one thing clicked for Alabama final weekend towards Kentucky… when you step again and really look again on the recreation, what did you discover about this Bama workforce? Their protection is dominant, after which one thing else occurred in that second half: Ryan Grubb caught to the run recreation. Kalen DeBoer ran the soccer. They buried Kentucky within the second half.
“FSU struggles to throw it. They are not going to have the ability to run the soccer towards that protection.”
Klatt’s decide: “Bama wins this one 38-10, I believe that one’s a straightforward one for me.”
Florida 20, Auburn 17
Will Auburn’s offensive line have the ability to cease Florida’s cost? (Photograph by David Rosenblum/Icon Sportswire through Getty Photos)
Klatt’s ideas: “Couple of recent coaches. Guys who’re making an attempt to rebuild their packages… Jon Sumrall did a very nice job of preserving and retaining a few of the expertise that Florida had, particularly operating again Jadan Baugh, so clearly they have some buy-in there… In the meantime Alex Golesh on the opposite facet is making an attempt to have an analogous rebuild with Auburn. He introduced in his quarterback, Byron Brown, from South Florida. Auburn performed Baylor in Week 1, that was a very good recreation.
“However this is what scares me about Auburn: their offensive line in that recreation towards Baylor didn’t defend very properly, and Brown was sacked 5 occasions. So do we predict that Florida goes to have a greater entrance seven than Baylor? And my reply could be sure.”
Klatt’s decide: Florida wins this one 20-17, I will go together with Jon Sumrall and Florida.
Mississippi State 34, South Carolina 30
Klatt’s ideas: “It is a nice quarterback matchup, initially. You’ve got obtained LaNorris Sellers for South Carolina – he might be a star, I believe, he is obtained that expertise. However you then’ve obtained the true breakout star, he is a man I am so enthusiastic about, Kamario Taylor. He is big, he is 230 lbs., he is over 6’3″, he is obtained a cannon for an arm. They simply hammered Minnesota on the street.
“Mississippi State may be higher than all of us realized – the truth is, they are higher than all of us realized – they usually’re actually higher than the AP voters understand. They need to be a ranked workforce at this level… Now South Carolina performed Kent State and an FCS workforce, so we do not actually know what they’re but. I anticipate and type of desire a shootout on this recreation.”
Klatt’s decide: It is robust to win on the street, back-to-back, however I’ve obtained Mississippi State successful outright on the street, 34-30.
