Week 1 of College Football is finally here as the chase for the championship is officially on. Although the action technically kicked off in Week 0, there were only four games last Saturday, meaning most teams are still waiting to play their openers. This will be a historic season as it marks the arrival of a 12-team College Football Playoff.
With Saturday gamedays back in the fold, College Football fans throughout the country are ready to cheer on their schools once again, while CFB bettors have another fresh set of matchups to wager on. So before the action gets underway, let’s check out three best college football picks for Week 1 action.
College Football picks for Week 1 games
College Football is without a doubt, one of the most popular sports to bet on year over year. The unpredictable nature produces back-and-forth battles, massive upsets, and overall scintillating action for fans and gamblers to enjoy. Week 1 can often be one of the most exciting to wager on thanks to rust, new players, in addition to specially-arranged matchups.
There certainly won’t be any shortage of College Football action this week as games began Thursday evening and the schedule runs through Sunday night. To help NCAAF bettors get out of the gates fast this season, we’ve highlighted three games and made College Football Week 1 picks for gambling on this weekend’s games.
The College Football Week 1 odds listed on this page are provided courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook. New users can register for an account with the DraftKings promo code to score $200 in bonus bets instantly when they wager just $5.
Penn State (#8) vs. West Virginia - Saturday - 12:00 pm ET
The number eight ranked Penn State Nittany Lions begin their season Saturday at noon on the road vs. the West Virginia Mountaineers. It’s a massive season for Penn State quarterback Drew Allar, as the Junior aims to cement himself as a legitimate 1st round NFL Draft pick. Last season, Allar threw for 2,631 yards, 25 touchdowns, and just 2 interceptions. He’ll be looking to build on that with new offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki, who came over from Kansas, and their Week 1 matchup is certainly favorable on paper. Last season, the Nittany Lions beat the Mountaineers by 23 points in Beaver Stadium.
An eight-point spread should be a welcomed sight for Penn State bettors as head coach James Franklin has a 20-6-1 record against the spread as a favorite of at least seven points, on almost a 30-game sample size. The Mountaineers went 0-3 last season against teams that finished ranked including their 23-point loss to the Nittany Lions. I’ll roll with Penn State to get out of the gates fast with a big win in Morgantown.
The pick: Penn State -8 (-110)
Miami (#19) vs. Florida - Saturday - 3:30 pm ET
One of this year’s offseason darlings, the 19th-ranked Miami Hurricanes travel to The Swamp to face their in-state rival Florida Gators on Saturday afternoon. It’s one of the most talented rosters in years for the Hurricanes after a number of key transfers have changed the narrative around this season’s team. Miami’s transfer quarterback Cam Ward comes in from Washington where he put up 61 touchdowns to just 16 interceptions over the past two seasons. Ward certainly has adequate weapons to throw to including the returning Xavier Restrepo who put up over 1,000 yards last season. Miami should also have a reliable presence on the ground this season with running back Damien Martinez, who averaged over 6 yards per carry last season for Oregon State.
Florida struggled last season going 5-7 overall and just 3-5 in conference games vs. the SEC. Much of last season’s offense returns including quarterback Graham Mertz, but the Gators are now without standout running back Trevor Etienne who transferred to Georgia. Florida struggled defensively last season allowing 27.6 points per game, and will face a tough test at home in Week 1 vs. a talented Miami offense. I’ll take the Hurricanes to win this game and cover the -2.5 spread to start the season.
The pick: Miami -2.5 (-112)
USC (#23) vs. LSU (#13) - Sunday - 7:30 pm ET
Taking the College Football Week 1 betting action all the way to Sunday, USC will travel to Death Valley to face LSU in a high-profile matchup of top-25 ranked teams. Although this game is slated for primetime, I don’t exactly think we’ll see fireworks offensively. Each team is led by a Junior quarterback who’s stepping into massive shoes replacing the last two Heisman Trophy winners (Caleb Williams and Jaden Daniels). In other words, it’s all but a guarantee that each of these teams has seriously downgraded at the QB position. Both Miller Moss (USC) and Garrett Nussmeier (LSU) will be facing new defensive coordinators, brought in to revamp units that struggled last season. Between the new and inexperienced QBs and new-look defenses, I’m expecting this total number to fall under the 64.5 line.
The pick: Under 64.5 (-110)
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