Last weekend gave us a small taste of what's to come, but now the real action starts. A full Week 1 slate is upon us. While many of the top schools are playing inferior opponents, there are some great games on tap, including Lane Kiffin's LSU debut against Clemson.
Here are our picks and favorite bets against the spread.
👉 Check out all college football Week 1 lines on theScore Bet
Our trio of betting writers - Brenden Deeg, Dane Belbeck, and Eric Patterson - will make picks against the spread all season.
Brenden Deeg breaks down this week's marquee games, adding his own analysis and insights. He also identifies three hidden gems that may be going overlooked by the public.
Jump to: LSU vs. Clemson | Oregon vs. Boise St. | Cal vs. UCLA | Ole Miss vs. Louisville | USF vs. FIU | Cincinnati vs. Boston College | W. Virginia vs. Coastal Carolina
🏈 Bet: Auburn (-7.5)
The Alex Golesh era at Auburn begins Saturday, and he's looking to turn the program around after five straight losing seasons. On the other side, Baylor and head coach Dave Aranda need to get things going in the right direction after going 22-28 over the last four campaigns.
The story of this game is the two transfer quarterbacks, Byrum Brown and DJ Lagway. Brown followed Golesh to Auburn from USF, while former five-star recruit Lagway is getting a fresh start after a disappointing 2025 season at Florida.
I expect big things from the Golesh and Brown pairing. Among 133 qualifying signal-callers last year, Brown ranked sixth in passing efficiency and 13th in EPA/dropback, and he's an absolute monster in the run game. His 175 rushing attempts were the ninth most among quarterbacks, and he ranked fifth in yards per rush (5.8), eighth in touchdowns (14), and seventh in first downs picked up on the ground (55).
Baylor's run defense was poor last year, finishing 126th in total EPA surrendered on the ground. Beyond Brown's ability with his legs, Auburn has an elite running back room led by senior Jeremiah Cobb. Lagway can't be trusted out of the gate at Baylor, and this is a brutal matchup for the Bears' defense to start the year. 👉 Add Auburn to your betslip on theScore Bet here.
🏈 Bet: Clemson (+10)
Lane Kiffin's LSU debut is finally here. The 51-year-old became the villain of college football after leaving Ole Miss before the playoff to take the Tigers' job. He's been back in the news in recent weeks for recruiting players who were waived from NFL rosters after securing a fifth year of eligibility.
Kiffin's built a great roster on the back of a loaded transfer class. His transfer acquisitions are headlined by Sam Leavitt. The quarterback spent two years at Arizona State, which included a run to the College Football Playoff in 2024. However, Leavitt is coming off an ankle injury that required season-ending surgery, and he wasn't great when he was healthy last year.
I understand the hype around LSU, but this is a lot of points to cover by a team that's still mostly an unknown quantity. Clemson and head coach Dabo Swinney are playing with house money since the entire country has written them off. Swinney's roster also features star talent, especially on defense. Sammy Brown is one of the best linebackers in the nation, and Will Heldt should be one of the top edge rushers off the board in the 2027 draft.
Clemson also has firepower on offense, led by star wide receivers Bryant Wesco Jr. and T.J. Moore. The offensive line should be able to give Christopher Vizzina adequate protection and create holes on the ground for running backs. I think this will be more of a low-scoring, defensive battle - and that plays right into Swinney's hands, allowing his team to cover this double-digit spread. 👉 Add Clemson to your betslip on theScore Bet here.
🏈 Bet: Oregon (-24.5)
Oregon is one of the favorites to win the national title and sits No. 2 in the AP Poll, the highest preseason ranking in program history. The Ducks kick off their campaign against Boise State - a rematch of one of the best games of the 2024 season, in which a game-winning field goal with time expiring saved Oregon from a massive upset.
The problem for Boise State is that Ashton Jeanty is no longer on the team. The Broncos' offensive line is also much worse and struggled at times last season, and you don't want to face the Ducks with question marks about that unit.
Oregon arguably boasts the best defensive line in the country, headlined by A'Mauri Washington. Boise State also has a whole new secondary that will be in tough against wide receivers Evan Stewart and Dakorien Moore. Heisman candidate Dante Moore ranked eighth in the nation in passing efficiency last season, and he should be able to dice up this pass defense as he tries to make his case to become 2027's No. 1 draft pick. Oregon should take care of business and win big in its season opener. 👉 Add Oregon to your betslip on theScore Bet here.
🏈 Bet: California (+2.5)
UCLA brought in Bob Chesney to get the program back on track after his success at James Madison. Last season, he led the Dukes to a 12-2 record and a spot in the College Football Playoff, but he draws a tough opponent to start his tenure with the Bruins.
Cal has one of the sport's brightest stars at quarterback. Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele could be the top pick in the 2028 draft and threw for 3,454 yards as a freshman last season, putting him in the national top 20. The Golden Bears loaded up on weapons for Sagapolutele, recruiting legit transfer talent in Ian Strong, Chase Hendricks, and Dorian Thomas.
Cal's offense will provide fireworks all year, and I like them to get off to a great start. I also love the Golden Bears' additions on defense, and that much-improved unit should give Nico Iamaleava trouble. Tosh Lupoi took over as Cal's head coach, and he's a great defensive mind who's flown under the radar as one of the better hires this cycle. Give me Cal to cover this short spread in what should be one of the weekend's better games. 👉 Add Cal to your betslip on theScore Bet here.
🏈 Bet: Louisville (+6.5)
Pete Golding begins his first season as Ole Miss' full-time head coach after taking over for Kiffin before the College Football Playoff. Golding secured wins over Tulane and Georgia en route to the semifinals, and he'll be expected to continue the program's recent success.
But No. 24 Louisville is no cakewalk, and the Cardinals are one of the top contenders in the ACC. Isaac Brown is healthy again for Louisville after averaging a whopping 8.8 yards per carry on 101 carries last season, which ranked first among all qualified running backs. Jeff Brohm also brought in Ohio State transfer Lincoln Kienholz as his starting quarterback, giving the head coach his first signal-caller with dual-threat ability. While Ole Miss' pass defense was stout last season, it finished 65th in total rush EPA and yards per carry allowed, according to TruMedia.
The Rebels will also debut two new offensive tackles after Diego Pounds and Jayden Williams left for the NFL. Ole Miss' offense will have its hands full with Clev Lubin. His 21.8% pressure rate in 2025 ranked second among qualifying pass-rushers behind David Bailey, who went No. 2 overall in the draft. Trinidad Chambliss and Ole Miss were one of the best stories in college football last season, but I think the Cardinals will play them hard Sunday night and keep this close. 👉 Add Louisville to your betslip on theScore Bet here.
🏈 Bet: USF (-14.5)
With Alex Golesh departing for Auburn, Brian Hartline steps in after a nine-year run on Ohio State's offensive coaching staff. The 39-year-old was a big-time hire for the Bulls, and he's under a ton of pressure to perform.
Hartline's done a great job out of the gate by revamping the roster and securing the top-rated transfer class in the Group of 6. Among those transfers is quarterback Michael Van Buren Jr., a former four-star recruit with Power 4 experience. He flashed his ability at LSU last year and is primed for a big season.
The new head coach gets an in-state rival in FIU at home in his first game, and he'll want to make a statement. The Panthers' transfer class this offseason was weak, and their defense struggled mightily against better opponents last year, finishing 101st in yards per play. I like Hartline and South Florida to roll Saturday night. 👉 Add USF to your betslip on theScore Bet here.
🏈 Bet: Cincinnati (-7.5)
Head coaches Scott Satterfield and Bill O'Brien both enter the 2026 season on the hot seat, and a win will at least temporarily cool things down for one of them.
O'Brien and Boston College had a disastrous 2025 season, going 2-10 after winning their first game. The Eagles are now 9-16 in the O'Brien era and would've been justified in cutting ties after last year. Satterfield, meanwhile, led Cincinnati to a 7-6 record in 2025 but struggled down the stretch against Big 12 competition.
Cincinnati owns a serious matchup advantage along the line of scrimmage. The Bearcats have arguably the best offensive line in the conference, returning key starters Joe Cotton, Evan Tengesdahl, and Taran Tyo. Boston College's defensive line was among the worst in the country last season, ranking 112th in total rush EPA allowed and 125th in yards per rush surrendered, and the Eagles didn't do much to improve the unit via the portal or recruiting.
Boston College won't be able to slow down Cincinnati's deep running back room and bruising offensive line. I expect the Bearcats to run all over this team and make O'Brien's seat even hotter. 👉 Add Cincinnati to your betslip on theScore Bet here.
🏈 Bet: West Virginia (-21.5)
West Virginia is entering its second season under Rich Rodriguez and is looking to move up in the Big 12. Rodriguez's no-huddle, rush-oriented offense should take off in 2026.
The program landed a big portal addition in former Jacksonville State running back Cam Cook, who led the nation in rushing yards last season with 1,659. He also finished second in rushing first downs (84) while posting 16 total touchdowns.
This is a bad matchup for Coastal Carolina and new head coach Ryan Beard. While Beard's brought in some new faces, the defense still returns players from a team that allowed 2,704 yards on the ground, the fourth most in the country. On top of having to deal with Cook, West Virginia is rolling with Michael Hawkins Jr. at quarterback, and his dual-threat ability should give the Chanticleers' defense fits.
West Virginia is retiring Pat White's number pregame, and the atmosphere will be electric. The Mountaineers also have UT Martin on deck. With no need to rest starters for a tough Week 2 opponent, I expect them to run up the score. 👉 Add West Virginia to your betslip on theScore Bet here.
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