Week 3 of the college football season is among us!  A thrilling top-25 matchup is on tap this weekend as the #12 BYU Cougars make the trip to Autzen Stadium to fight it out with the #25 Oregon Ducks. With that being said, it is time to check out our college football odds series, where our BYU-Oregon prediction and pick will be unveiled.

Without a doubt, BYU's 26-20 victory over a top-ten Baylor squad in double OT was as monumental as it gets. In fact, it was so impressive that the soon-to-be Big 12-bound Cougars jumped nine spots to #12 in the AP poll. With a road win against the Ducks, it is hard to imagine that the Cougars won't immediately jump into the top ten. Don't look now folks, but BYU seems like they are here to stay!

After the season got off to a rocky start by getting demolished by last year's national champions in Georgia by a score of 49-3, Oregon rebounded nicely by making up for their shortcomings with a whopping 70 points against Eastern Washington last weekend. With two completely different outcomes in their first two games of the year, which Ducks team will show up this Saturday?

Here are the BYU-Oregon College Football odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

College Football Odds: BYU-Oregon Odds

BYU Cougars: +3.5 (-112)

Oregon Ducks: -3.5 (-108)

Over: 58.5 (-105)

Under: 58.5 (-115)

Why The Cougars Could Cover The Spread

Playing their final season as an Independent school, the Cougars are certainly determined to prove to the rest of the nation that they belong in the upper echelon of college football's finest. At first glance through two games, they've definitely passed the eye test. Since Kalani Sitake's time as the Cougars' head ball coach, BYU is 20-5 as a ranked team.

It wasn't always perfect for BYU last Saturday, as they were stifled for only 366 total yards of offense but were still able to score when it mattered most. During their week 1 matchup versus USF in their season opener, BYU lit up South Florida for 50 points, so there's certainly enough firepower in the Cougars' offense to help supply them with yardage and points in case things turn into a shootout against Oregon.

If things get rocky, BYU can rely on their veteran offensive and defensive lines to get the job done. While this is one of the strong suits for this roster, the Cougars are also equipped with dual-threat QB Jaren Hall, who is as smart as they come. Hall completed 23-39 passes for 261 yards and a touchdown while also adding 28 rushing yards on the ground. Even though the Cougars couldn't necessarily get the running game going with only 83 yards on 33 carries, BYU fans can find solace with the play of Hall as he is a combined 7-1 against Power 5 schools in his career.

The Cougars are also a solid unit defensively, and if BYU can harass QB Bo Nix and force him to make his occasional tendency to make erratic decisions, then expect the Cougars to cover the +3.5 point spread rather easily.

Why The Ducks Could Cover The Spread

While the Ducks have looked the part of two opposite teams during their first two games, Oregon has an opportunity this weekend to restore faith in the program and skyrocket up the rankings with a win at home versus BYU. Without a doubt, it is hard to know exactly what to expect from this Oregon squad.

On one hand, Bo Nix looked like an entirely different quarterback a week ago compared to the one that suited up for a play against Georgia, but it is well known that during his Auburn days that the Ducks transfer field general was often plagued by poor decision making despite having remarkable athletic ability. With that being said, the Ducks can't afford the same version of Bo Nix.

Not to mention, but this will be head coach Dan Lanning's first-ever true home test against BYU, as it will be the perfect measuring stick on whether or not Oregon is back. The one of many encouraging aspects from their 70-14 trouncing of EWU was the fact that the defense showed up in a big way. After the clock hit triple zeroes, the Ducks passing defense held Eastern Washington to only 87 yards through the air and a similar effort versus Jaren Hall and company will go a long way in covering the spread. Not to mention, but Oregon should take advantage of the Cougars missing their top receiving threats for another week as Gunner Romney and Puka Nacua's statuses for Saturday remain up in the air.

Consider this a possible huge stepping stone for Oregon to get back into college football's upper echelon of teams, especially after they already failed a big test in week 1 against a far superior Georgia squad.

Final BYU-Oregon Prediction & Pick

Year in and year out, Oregon is a football program that has had stellar recruiting classes over the past several seasons, but that talent hasn't necessarily translated into success on the field. On the other side, BYU possesses consistency and veteran leadership whether it's with their coaching or playing style. This will be a difficult road game for the Cougars to cover the spread in, but Oregon is far too unreliable to trust right now.

Final BYU-Oregon Prediction & Pick: BYU +3.5 (-112)