Free Week 3 Prediction: Sun Devils vs Red Raiders Odds
Looking for Arizona State Sun Devils vs. Texas Tech Red Raiders free picks? Week 3 betting sees the Sun Devils taking on the Red Raiders Saturday September 16th at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas. Cappers Picks provides complimentary handicapping picks all NCAA football season long so stay tuned for more FREE college football predictions like this Arizona State Texas Tech free pick.
College Football Handicapping: Week 3
(1-1) Arizona State Sun Devils vs. Texas Tech Red Raiders (1-0)
Date: Saturday, September 16th
Time: 8:00 pm EST
Venue: Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas
NCAA Football Spread: Texas Tech -7.5
NCAA Betting Total: 76.0
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Texas Tech will play their second game of the season this week while Arizona State will try to get back on the winning way after their loss to San Diego State last week.
The Red Raiders offense exploded in their Week 1 victory over Eastern Washington and they will look to get it rolling again after an off week last week.
Arizona State Sun Devils
The Sun Devils have showed some offensive firepower early on but the majority of their production is coming through the air.
Through the first two games, Arizona State is averaging 310 passing yards per game but just 62 rushing yards per game. Their defense has struggled though – allowing 900 total yards of offense in the first two games combined.
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That’s not a great recipe against the high flying Red Raider offense.
Manny Wilkens has looked sharp at quarterback for the Sun Devils – completing 70 percent of his passes thus far and with a four to zero touchdown to interception ratio.
The offense has relied solely on him to lead the way as they have managed just 123 total rushing yards in two games.
Kalen Ballage is the primary back for the Sun Devils and he has shown some bright spots over the course of his career – including 8 touchdowns against the Red Raiders last season!
The Sun Devils won that shootout by the score of 68-55. Wilkins and Ballage were both spectacular in that game and they worked together to outduel now pro quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
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Wilkins and Ballage will need a similar performance to last year as the Red Raiders are coming off a bye and look to be nearly as explosive on offense – even with Mahomes gone.
Texas Tech Red Raiders
Stepping in for Mahomes at quarterback has been Nic Shimonek. Shimonek only had some experience coming into this season but he appears to be a good fit for Kliff Kingsbury’s offensive attack.
Shimonek was 26 of 30 for 384 yards and 3 touchdowns in the opening blowout victory. Their opponent in the game was FCS Eastern Washington but nevertheless, Shimonek looked comfortable in the offense.
While Arizona State should present a tougher defensive pressure than Eastern Washington, it won’t be by much. The Sun Devils had the 5th worst scoring defense in the FBS last season – allowing 42.3 points per game.
On the other hand, the Red Raiders had the worst scoring defense in the FBS – allowing 45.9 points per game.
And after last season’s 68-55 outcome between these two games, it’s a given to say that both teams are bound to score points.
Kingsbury has said since the end of last season that he has placed a stronger emphasis on defense.
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There’s a difference between talking it up and showing it on the field but he at least recognized that allowing 45 points per game isn’t sustainable no matter how good your offense is.
I would expect the Red Raider defense to be keyed on Ballage after he scored 8 touchdowns on them in last season’s matchup.
But they will have to watch Wilkins as well as he is more than capable of marching the offense up and down the field with big plays.
NCAA Football Handicapping Trends
- Over is 16-9 in Texas Tech’s last 25 games.
- Over is 13-7 in Texas Tech’s last 20 games as the favorite.
- Over is 9-5 in Texas Tech’s last 14 games following a bye week.
- Texas Tech is 9-3-1 ATS in their last 13 games at home.
- Arizona State is 3-7 ATS in their last 10 road games.
Free Week 3 NCAA Football Pick
76 points is a lot of points for a total early in the season when offenses are still trying to click. However, these two teams that combined for 123 points in last season’s matchup don’t have much of an issue clicking on offense.
I think both teams are improved defensively but still far away from a formidable force on the defensive side of the ball.
4* Free NCAA Betting Pick: Over 76.0
A Shimonek-Wilkins quarterback dual should be exciting to watch as both teams look to this game as one of the more winnable games on their schedule. I think both teams score a lot of points but the Red Raiders will be the more dominant offense at home.
Week 3 Free Score Prediction: Texas Tech 51 – Arizona State 38
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