The 1st Friday night of the 2025 college football season is upon us with a nice slate of games for Week 1. We’ll have a chance to see No. 12 Illinois in action as well as the start of the 2025 season for Deion Sanders in Colorado. FOX has the top game with Baylor hosting Auburn.
You can find Friday night college football odds for every game at OddsTrader, but here are our expert picks for the most interesting matchups on the slate.
Targeting Familiar Teams in Week 1
Week 1 can be the toughest of the season since you have coaches in new places coaching their 1st game and young quarterbacks sometimes making their 1st collegiate start. Upsets can always happen, but we’re sticking to games with teams where we at least have some sense of what that program is about.
In the case of UNLV (1-0) vs. Sam Houston (0-1), we’ll try to make use of it being Friday’s only game between teams who both played in Week 0, utilizing as much info as we can get before Week 1 really starts the season for everyone else.
Here’s 3 of our best bets for Friday night college football, and they all include home underdogs.
Auburn vs. Baylor (+2.5)
Auburn coach Hugh Freeze (11-14) is still looking for a winning season at the school after the team finished 5-7 and did not qualify for a bowl game in 2024. Expectations are higher in 2025, and Oklahoma transfer quarterback Jackson Arnold will try to improve the offense.
Arnold averaged 5.8 yards per pass attempt for the Sooners last year, a paltry number that’s usually hard to win with.
Meanwhile, the Baylor Bears were 8-5 and ranked No. 19 in the nation with 34.4 points per game. They won their last 6 regular-season games before losing 44-31 to LSU in the Texas Bowl.
Sawyer Robertson returns as a dark horse Heisman candidate after throwing 28 touchdowns last year. We’ll take Baylor with the points and better quarterback as a home underdog in this one.
Expert Pick: Baylor +2.5 (-110) at BetMGM (check our BetMGM Review)
Georgia Tech vs. Colorado (+4.5)
Colorado coach Deion Sanders has had a tumultuous offseason after getting surgery to win his battle with cancer. He has to get the team back on track after losing his son Shedeur at quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter at corner and wide receiver.
Those were his best players going back to Jackson State, where he also coached them. Now, Sanders must adapt to a new roster against a Georgia Tech team that can run the ball well and is a road favorite here.
Without Hunter on what was a shaky defense at times last year, look for Georgia Tech to score their share of points here but also for Colorado to put up a solid effort as well in a high-scoring game where we’ll take the over.
Expert Pick: Over 51.5 Points (-118) at BetMGM
UNLV vs. Sam Houston (+9.5)
The UNLV Rebels got a Week 0 win in coach Dan Mullen’s debut, a shaky 38-31 comeback over Idaho State. New dual-threat quarterback Anthony Colandrea delivered, and the offense rushed for 300 yards and 4 touchdowns.
However, it’s not a good sign that little Idaho State moved the ball so well with 555 yards. Sam Houston blew a 24-20 lead against Western Kentucky after giving up the game’s last 3 touchdowns in a 41-24 loss.
Neither defense was able to hold their opponent under 500 yards last week, so the over (61.5 points) might be a good play. But we’re going to raise the red flag on UNLV barely beating a non-FBS school and take Sam Houston at home with the points to cover here in a one-score game or potential upset.
Expert Pick: Sam Houston +9.5 (-110) at BetMGM
Start Placing Your College Football Bets Today
Whether you’re an experienced bettor or new to the world, this Friday night of college football season is a great time to start betting at top-rated sportsbooks.
Always be sure to take advantage of new customer promos that can lead to bonuses and be sure to always price shop for the best odds on the lines you want as the market is always changing in light of new information.
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