College Football Odds Week 1: Picks Against the Spread for Top 25 Schedule
College football returns with a vengeance this week after a less-than-exciting Week 0 slate, and the Week 1 schedule is loaded with good matchups. The highlight is the showdown between No. 3 Clemson and No. 5 Georgia—not exactly a bettor's delight but a college football fan's dream.
It doesn't stop there, though. By Sunday night, every Top 25 team will have played, and there are five showdowns between ranked teams to kick things off with a bang.
College Football Week 1 Top 25 Schedule
Thursday, Sept. 2
No. 4 Ohio State at Minnesota (+13.5) | 8 p.m. | Fox
No. 22 Coastal Carolina (-31.5) vs. The Citadel | 7 p.m. ET | ESPN+
No. 24 Utah (-27.5) vs. Weber State | 7:30 p.m. | Pac-12 Network
No. 25 Arizona State (-44.5) vs. Southern Utah | 10:30 p.m. | Pac-12 Network
Friday, Sept. 3
No. 10 North Carolina (-5.5) at Virginia Tech | 6 p.m. | ESPN
Saturday, Sept. 4
No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 14 Miami (+18.5) | 3:30 p.m. | ABC
No. 2 Oklahoma (-26.5) at Tulane | 12 p.m. | ABC
*No. 3 Clemson vs. No. 5 Georgia (+3) (Charlotte, NC) | 7:30 p.m. | ABC
No. 6 Texas A&M (-29) vs. Kent State | 8 p.m. | ESPNU
No. 7 Iowa State (-34.5) vs. UNI | 4:30 p.m. | ESPN+
No. 8 Cincinnati (-23) vs. Miami (Ohio) | 3:30 p.m. | ESPN+
No. 11 Oregon vs. Fresno State (+20.5) | 2 p.m. | Pac-12 Network
No. 12 Wisconsin (-4.5) vs. No. 19 Penn State | 12 p.m. | Fox
No. 13 Florida (-24.5) vs. FAU | 7:30 p.m. | SEC Network
No. 15 USC (-14) vs. San Jose State | 5 p.m. | Pac-12 Network
No. 16 LSU (-3.5) at UCLA | 8:30 p.m. | Fox
No. 17 Indiana (+3) at No. 18 Iowa | 3:30 p.m. | Big Ten Network
No. 20 Washington (-23.5) vs. Montana | 8 p.m. | Pac-12 Network
No. 21 Texas vs. No. 23 Louisiana (+8) | 4:30 p.m. | Fox
Sunday, Sept. 5
No. 9 Notre Dame (-7.5) at Florida State | 7:30 p.m. | ABC
Note: Picks in bold.
Best Picks Against the Spread
No. 21 Texas vs. No. 23 Louisiana (+8) | 4:30 p.m. | FOX
New Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian gets the furthest thing from a gimme to open his tenure in Austin, as the Longhorns welcome 23rd-ranked Louisiana, fresh off a 10-1 season and top-15 AP poll ranking.
Billy Napier, one of the hottest head-coaching names in last year's carousel, has a squad dependent on a physical rushing attack. In 2020, the Cajuns had four players rush for more than 300 yards, nearing the top of the nation in team rushing yards per game. They lost a significant amount of talent—especially at running back—but starting quarterback Levi Lewis returns to run the show. The Ragin' Cajuns are 4-2 in their past six games against the spread on the road and 2-0 as underdogs.
Texas finished 7-3 and closed the season ranked 19th in the final Associated Press poll, but expectations are high in Austin, and Tom Herman's goodwill finally ran out. After a somewhat public coaching search, UT landed on Sarkisian, a former head coach at Washington and USC who spent the past two seasons under Nick Saban at Alabama.
Redshirt freshman Hudson Card won the starting quarterback job, so it could be a few games before he's comfortable. Second-leading rusher Keaontay Ingram transferred to USC during the offseason, but Bijan Robinson, who averaged 8.2 yards per carry and totaled nearly 900 all-purpose yards last season as a freshman, should take on some of the load.
The home field advantage at Darrell K Royal Stadium should be significant, but with a new quarterback under center and Sarkisian only in his first game as the head coach, Louisiana should make this interesting.
No. 11 Oregon vs. Fresno State (+20.5)
Oregon returns 16 of 22 starters from last year's Fiesta Bowl team, but its biggest question mark is at quarterback. The Ducks lost starter Tyler Shough through an offseason transfer to Texas Tech. He started all seven of the Ducks' games a year ago and seemed poised for a run at the Pac-12 Player of the Year award, but he opted to head to the Big 12 instead.
Sixth-year senior Anthony Brown, who only threw 23 passes last year as a backup after transferring in from Boston College, won the starting job during fall camp and is expected to lead the offense.
Fresno State brings back 19 starters from last year's team that finished 3-3 and led the Mountain West in total offense. Leading that group is quarterback Jake Haener, who threw for more than 2,000 yards and 14 touchdowns in just six games in 2020. The Bulldogs did get one vote to win the Mountain West's West Division, and it's not fanciful to think they could contend after finishing 12-2 just three years ago.
With Oregon starting a relative unknown at quarterback opposite Fresno State's potent passing offense, pouncing on a 20.5-point spread is the obvious play here.