Week 1 is a five-day extravaganza of college football, featuring over 100 FBS and FCS games spread out from Thursday through Monday.
Our staff of college football betting experts is ready, having already locked in four college football picks and NCAAF predictions for Thursday, September 3, of Week 1.
Read on for those best bets and more.
College Football Picks, Predictions
The team logos in the table below represent each of the matchups that our college football betting staff is targeting from Thursday's slate of Week 1 games. Click on the team logos for any of the matchups below to navigate to a specific bet discussed in this article.
| Game | Time (ET) | Pick |
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Specific betting recommendations come from the sportsbook offering preferred odds as of writing. Always shop for the best price using our NCAAF Odds page, which automatically surfaces the best lines for every game. | ||
UMass vs Rutgers Pick
By RoadToCFB
This total has come crashing down from 55.5 to 51.5. Keep your eye on early-week movement, as both 51 and 52 present significant key figures in college football totals.
Odds have been out for months, and we’ve really only seen that one-way steam.
In Week 0, one-way steam was a really poor indicator of success. Of the eight FBS Week 0 matchups, six saw movement of a point or more between their spread and/or total, and only one managed to cover (Stanford over Hawaii).
I’m choosing to continue fading the one-way under steam in this game.
UMass’ biggest improvement comes with the athletic Pop Watson at quarterback, while Rutgers brings in a new coordinator on defense. It typically takes a season for a new defensive system to really take root, even though the 4-2-5 scheme remains consistent.
The Minutemen bring in three Division I starters and return two more on the offensive line, so Watson could wriggle loose more than once.
On the flip side, Dylan Lonergan was extremely effective last year until he faced stiffer competition. There are a lot of words to define the UMass defense, and “stiff competition” isn’t on the list.
An injection of FBS players or not, Joe Harasymiak didn’t manage to land many productive players and instead brought in potential. There’s not one player (or a combination of players) in the secondary capable of covering KJ Duff.
Rutgers should have no problem scoring with superior talent across the board, and I believe UMass improves by finding creative ways to get Watson into space.
While the Scarlet Knights should be able to cover most of this number themselves, I’m looking for the Minutemen to get on the board twice to go over.
Pick: Over 52 or Better
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Colorado vs Georgia Tech Pick
By Doug Ziefel
DeKalon Taylor's track record when healthy tells the story here.
In his three full games at the Power 4 level last season before a season-ending injury, he averaged 6.1 yards per carry, scoring in his first two games as a Buff — that included the fastest touchdown to open a Colorado season since 2018, which came on a reception in Week 1 against this very same Georgia Tech opponent.
He's fully healthy entering 2026 and is the likely backfield starter.
What really makes Taylor a prime candidate to find the end zone is his fit in Marion's offense. Colorado's new offensive coordinator has a track record of funneling touchdowns to running backs through misdirection and space creation — his rushing attacks led the Big Sky and set school records at UNLV.
Additionally, running backs coach Johnnie Mack has been explicit that the scheme is "built for running backs to have success" and calls Taylor's fit in it "perfect."
Taylor is also a receiving threat out of the backfield (106 yards through the air versus just 83 rushing in his limited 2025 action), which gives him two distinct paths to the end zone.
Between the proven early-down role, the goal-line usage already shown against this exact opponent, and a new offense purpose-built to get him the ball in space, +220 is a tremendous value on a player with legitimate touchdown equity from multiple angles.
Pick: DeKalon Taylor Anytime Touchdown (+200 or Better)
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West Georgia vs Kennesaw State Pick
By Joshua Nunn
Kennesaw State’s offense was good last year behind electric dual-threat quarterback Amari Odom — Odom was a big-time difference-maker for the Owls.
The offense ranked 16th nationally in Passing Downs Explosiveness, with Gabriel Benyard and Christian Moss becoming game-changing deep threats.
Although offensive coordinator Mitch Militello comes from the Josh Huepel coaching tree, Kennesaw State should continue to scheme a run-oriented offense.
Rickie Collins takes over quarterback duties after transferring in from Syracuse (it was essentially a one-for-one trade, as Odom now plays for the Orange). Additionally, the offense lost its top five running backs and top four receivers from last season. But the offensive line is in good shape after adding three Spring transfers.
The defense is in good shape on the back end, as a pair of linebackers and three secondary players return from last season’s squad. Tywon Christopher and Baron Hopson form one of CUSA’s best linebacking duos, while Kody Jones is a versatile nickel. Additionally, the cornerbacks are big and physical.
Kennesaw is rebuilding the defensive line, so the Owls might not produce as much havoc as we saw last season.
All that said, I expect Kennesaw’s defense to perform well in its season opener.
West Georgia put the FCS community on notice last season with a pair of road wins at Samford and Nicholls State en route to a 5-0 record (both SU and ATS). But after finishing the season with an 8-3 record, the whole coaching staff bolted for Mercer.
Former Presbyterian head coach Steve Engelhart took the job, bringing along most of his staff. Engelhart won’t actually be on the sideline for this game, as he serves a six-game suspension due to compliance violations.
The offense was jerky in the opener against Chattanooga. The Wolves couldn’t get anything going on the ground, running for just 38 yards at 2.0 YPC.
Quarterback Collin Hurst completed 19 of his 30 passes but for a meager 124 yards. Outside of a 57-yard double-pass trick play, the Wolves managed one explosive play in the entire game.
It also looks like West Georgia will be slowing the tempo considerably this season, as the Wolves ran just 50 total plays in the opener — only one drive resulted in a touchdown.
At the same time, West Georgia’s defense held up against Chattanooga’s running game, which saw 51 carries go for only 149 yards (including a long of just 15). The Wolves were able to generate some drive-stopping Havoc, including four sacks and six tackles for loss.
Ultimately, West Georgia’s season opener was a slow-burning grind, and I expect this game between the Wolves and the Owls to follow suit.
Neither of these teams should register too many explosive plays.
Kennesaw State thrived on chunk plays last year, but the Owls lost most of their talented skill-position players, and I don’t trust Collins to deliver the deep shots. Instead, they’ll likely establish the line of scrimmage and run the ball.
I expect the Owls to become more of a defensive-oriented team this year, and I expect them to establish that identity in this matchup.
Kennesaw’s offense really struggled to begin last season, as five of its first six games hit the Under. The Owls didn’t start scoring until they found their explosive passing game late in the season.
I’m betting we don’t see those pass explosives here.
Pick: Under 51 or Better
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UAB vs Illinois Pick
This game triggered one of our Action PRO betting systems, powered by Evan Abrams:
In both regular season and postseason college football, large home favorites in non-conference matchups often create conditions for higher scoring than the market anticipates.
When the point spread is wide, but the total is set low, it signals expectations of a dominant performance by one side while undervaluing their ability to score quickly and consistently.
Non-conference games can feature mismatches in talent and depth, leading to offensive surges and late scoring from backups against overmatched defenses.
This combination often pushes the total over despite conservative pregame projections.
With Illinois laying four scores against a UAB defense that returns one starter from last season with a new defensive coordinator while ranking 130th in SP+'s Defensive Ratings, the Illini should run up the score in this one.
Hopefully, the Blazers find something behind new QB1 Ryder Burton in their pass-heavy spread-tempo offense that should play fast and toss the rock around.
Pick: Over 55 or Better
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Stuckey's Week 1 Action App Card
Need more picks for Thursday's action? It's always wise to see what our guy Stuckey is on!
While he's got plenty of wagers locked and loaded for Week 1, he has two that kick off on Thursday — he's taking the points with UMass and Colorado.
If you haven't already, make sure you download the Action Network App to track all your bets and tail all of our college football experts.
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