There is great anticipation for this upcoming week, which is Week 1 of the new college football regular season.
Plenty of high-profile matchups are scheduled that will immediately have bettors rejoicing that the season has begun. With these big matchups, major questions loom that await answers. For example, will Florida State be as terrible as it was last year? Will LSU’s quarterback live up to the hype?
We will find these things out, but we can also tell in advance what will happen and choose our best bets accordingly. Now let’s look at our top three bets for Week 1.
High-Profile Matchups Worth Your Wager
Alabama vs. Florida State, South Dakota vs. Iowa State, and LSU vs. Clemson are my favorite games to invest in this week.
All of these games are related in that they feature a ranked team. Likewise, they all feature at least one team that commands the respect of bettors.
Alabama and Florida State have both built up tremendous reputations over the years, although Florida State has struggled lately. Iowa State is a surging team that appeared to be in playoff contention last year. LSU and Clemson have both recently won national championships and still field solid teams.
My favorite picks for these games are Alabama, South Dakota, and the LSU-Clemson over. Let’s break down each game.
Alabama vs. Florida State (+13.5)
I find it ridiculous that Alabama is only favored by this many points after Florida State went 2-10 last year.
It was clear that the Seminoles needed to make many changes in order to achieve stronger regular-season outcomes in the future. They did make very many alterations to its coaching staff.
However, Week 1 is precisely the time to fade Florida State because every single change will create a need for its players to adjust. Alabama benefits from having more continuity. While the Tide do have a new quarterback, Ty Simpson is in his fourth year in the program.
Expert Pick: Alabama -13.5 (-115) at Caesars
South Dakota vs. Iowa State (-15.5)
It might feel strange that the Cyclones are only favored by this many points against South Dakota, but situationally, the Cyclones are in a major down spot. They are playing a team that they could not possibly be excited to play, especially after they just beat a ranked Kansas State team and, even more especially, before they play their archrival Iowa next week.
Last year, for example, Iowa State beat a 30-point underdog North Dakota by all of 18 points. This game preceded its game at Iowa. The Cyclones weren’t even coming off a win over a ranked team as they are this week.
Expert Pick: South Dakota +15.5 (-110) at Caesars
LSU vs. Clemson (-3.5)
The quarterback is his offense’s most important player. This game will be a shootout because each team features an excellent quarterback. For LSU, Garrett Nussmeier is a senior at the top of his craft after he exceeded 4,000 passing yards last year. Clemson’s Cade Klubnik is likewise a peaking senior quarterback. While his odds to win the Heisman Trophy aren’t as low as Nussmeier’s, he is still the third-most favored player. LSU repeatedly has a bad defense, which it won’t improve by acquiring a bunch of defensive backs from lower-profile schools. Klubnik will succeed against this overhauled group, but Nussmeier will also thrive against a Clemson pass defense that likewise ranked poorly last year and hasn’t done enough to stem its demise.
Expert Pick: Over 57.5 (-110) at BetMGM
Lock In Your NCAAF Best Bets for Week 1
This week, Alabama will win big at Florida State, Iowa State will be caught in a bad spot against South Dakota, and LSU and Clemson’s respective star quarterbacks will create a high-scoring affair.
Be sure to place these bets as soon as possible before the NCAAF odds change. You always want to get the best number possible, to which end it is likewise helpful to register for more sportsbooks.
Boost Your College Football Bets With OddsTrader Turbo
If you are interested in betting on more games, then be sure to check out OddsTrader Turbo, where you can see expert picks for every single college football game this year. You can get real-time line movement updates, access to our BetStation chatbot, and more awesome features!
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*The line and/or odds referenced in this article might have changed since the content was published. For the latest information on line movements, visit OddsTrader’s free betting odds tool.
