CFB Week 3: Prove It Week

By: Jonathan Howard, Staff Writer
September 12, 2025

We’ve reached week three of the college football season and we’re looking at our last full week of nonconference action. It serves as one final test or tuneup before the grind of trying to win a conference championship begins. But for a few teams, this week serves as something different for me. It’s a “prove it” week. Are you better than you’ve shown so far? Prove it. Are you truly as good as your record to date? Prove it. Some teams have an opportunity to show us exactly who they are this week, and we’re going to find out.

No. 12 Clemson (1-1) at Georgia Tech (2-0)

Kickoff time: Noon (EST) TV: ESPN FanDuel line: Clemson -2.5 VSS line: Clemson -3.06

Anyone looking for Clemson to make a return to the College Football Playoff surely hasn’t been inspired by the Tigers’ first two weeks. After being held to just 261 yards of offense in a 17-10 loss to LSU in week one, Clemson only accounted for 316 yards and had to pull off a second-half rally to take care of Troy, 27-16, in week two. Now the Tigers must go on the road to face off against Georgia Tech, which is looking for its first 3-0 start since 2016. The Yellow Jackets went on the road to defeat Colorado 27-20 in week one and returned home last week to easily dispatch Gardner-Webb, even without the services of starting quarterback Haynes King. King should be back in action this week for Georgia Tech, and it will be up to Clemson to shut down the quarterback, who is a key cog in a potent running attack. If Clemson is going to show us that it’s better than what we’ve seen through two weeks, the Tigers will need to shut down the Georgia Tech run game, win time of possession, and actually score some points early and often.

Wisconsin (2-0) at No. 19 Alabama (1-1)

Kickoff time: Noon (EST) TV: ABC FanDuel line: Alabama -20.5 VSS line: Alabama -20.72

After getting rolled by Florida State in week one, Alabama bounced back with a 73-0 stomping of Louisiana Monroe. But, that’s exactly what the Crimson Tide should be doing. The sports books say Alabama should be able to beat Wisconsin by three touchdowns at home, but it’s time for Kalen DeBoer’s team to show that it actually has those teeth against a power opponent. Wisconsin’s offensive numbers aren’t overwhelming through two games against group of five opponents Miami (Ohio) and Middle Tennessee State. However, the Badgers have only allowed 10 points and 179 yards per game through their first two contests. If Alabama wants to prove that it’s still a title contender the Crimson Tide will need to buck those trends and score like it did last year at Camp Randall.

No. 6 Georgia (2-0) at No. 15 Tennessee (2-0)

Kickoff time: 3:30 p.m. (EST) TV: ABC FanDuel line: Georgia -4.5 VSS line: Tennessee -4.14

Make no mistake – we know what Georgia is. The Bulldogs are a contender until someone comes along and proves otherwise. Can it be Tennessee (more on that later), which has been trying to break back into the top of the conference pecking order for a long time now? The Volunteers easily handled Syracuse and East Tennessee State in back-to-back weeks while getting great quarterback play from Joey Aguilar – the transfer quarterback that nobody saw coming. The Volunteers are seeking their first win over the Bulldogs since 2016, when Josh Dobbs capped off a fourth-quarter comeback by launching a hail mary as time expired that found the hands of Jauan Jennings in the end zone for a 34-31 victory. If Tennessee is going to get back in the win column against Georgia, it’ll need to continue to fire offensively (605 yards per game), and slow down the Georgia rushing attack, which has gashed opponents for 215 yards per game over the first two weeks.

Southern Cal (2-0) at Purdue (2-0)

Kickoff time: 3:30 p.m. (EST) TV: CBS FanDuel line: USC -21.5 VSS line: USC -24.3

This game is a two-way street. Southern Cal entered the season unranked for the first time since 2019 after consecutive winning, but uninspiring seasons in a row under head coach Lincoln Riley. Purdue entered the season unranked … as it has every year since the mid 2000’s. After an 11-3 season and seven-win turnaround in Lincoln Riley’s first year, the Trojans failed to prove themselves a contender over the next two, even with eventual top draft pick Caleb Williams at quarterback. USC has started this season with lopsided victories over Missouri State (73-17) out of Conference USA and Georgia Southern (59-20) from the Sun Belt Conference. This conference opener will be the Trojans’ first look at power five competition and the first true test of the to-date very dangerous combination of quarterback Jayden Maiava (31-42-707, 6 touchdowns) and receiver Makai Lemon (11-248, 2 touchdowns). It’s a great game to reannounce itself as a CFP contender on a prime national television spot. Or will it be? The books, and the VSS don’t like the Boilermakers after two years in a row of disaster under Ryan Walters. While Purdue’s first two opponents (Ball State and FCS Southern Illinois) certainly don’t strike fear into the hearts, the team has at least looked competitive – a major step up from last year’s 1-11 season. Purdue held each of its first two opponents under 300 yards of offense and accumulated seven sacks between the two games. On offense, Devin Mockobee has taken the lead running back position, and Ryan Browne – who transferred to North Carolina in the offseason just to transfer back and win the starting quarterback job – is proving to be a nice dual threat piece. Purdue was ranked by ESPN as the worst Power 5 team heading into the season and Barry Odom’s squad would certainly love to prove those rankings wrong against a historical power.

No. 18 South Florida (2-0) at No. 5 Miami (2-0)

Kickoff time: 4:30 p.m. (EST) TV: The CW FanDuel line: Miami -17.5 VSS line: Miami -13.37

For almost 30 years now, college football broadcasts have not been complete with a simple question – “Is the U back?” After falling to Ohio State in the 2002 BCS National Championship game, Miami has largely been a middle of the pack team in the ACC and the answer has been a resounding ‘no.’ There have been high points, but every time it appears the Hurricanes have an ability to capture the nation’s attention as one of its top teams, they find a way to let the opportunity slip away. Last season was no exception as Miami, led by future top draft pick Cam Ward, entered a road contest against Georgia Tech 9-0 and squarely in the College Football Playoff mix. The Hurricanes went on to fall to the Yellow Jackets 28-23 and lost again two weeks later on the road at Syracuse. This year, with Georgia transfer Carson Beck at the helm, they’re looking to try again. With a win over Notre Dame under its belt and upcoming rivalry clashes with Florida and Florida State coming up, Miami has plenty of ammo. Except, there is an unexpected stop on the prove it train, and it’s from a team that’s on a tour of its own. After a three-year stretch in which it went 4-29, South Florida finished each of the last two seasons 7-6 under head coach Alex Golesh. Now in the coach’s third season, the Golden Bulls have started 2-0 with both wins coming against nationally ranked opponents. USF hammered No. 25 Boise State 34-7 at home, then followed it up with an 18-16 victory at No. 18 Florida. If Miami is going to be nationally relevant, it will have to fight its way out of Florida first, and a top-20 clash with South Florida certainly wasn’t expected – just ask the TV folks (see information above).

Beat the Books: Week 3

After last week’s preview, that included Vegas lines that Versus Sports Simulator didn’t agree with, we’ve decided to make it a recurring segment. Here are four games we’re tracking this week: