It's been a great Week 1 of college football action. Now, we look to the Saturday night slate.
Our college football writers came through with four best bets for tonight's slate, plus a couple of system plays and a full betting card from Action Network expert Mike Calabrese.
Check out our Week 1 college football predictions and NCAAF picks for Saturday night below.
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Week 1 College Football Predictions
| Game | Time (ET) | Pick |
|---|---|---|
  | 7:30 p.m. | |
  | 9:30 p.m. | |
  | 7:30 p.m. | |
  | 11 p.m. | |
  | 7:45 p.m. | |
 | 12 p.m. | |
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. | ||
Collin Wilson's Best Bet From Week 1 Card
On paper, LSU did an outstanding job of piecing together players with high-level experience in the secondary.
The big question in hostile territory is its ability to communicate on the field.
The Tigers have been fantastic in creating a pass rush and stiffening in the red zone, but in terms of PFF’s tackling grades, they rank outside the top 50 nationally.
If Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik can get traction with wide receiver-turned-running back Adam Randall, LSU will need Harold Perkins Jr. to return to his freshman form.
The handicap in this game comes down to the efficiency of the LSU offensive line, as none of the new starters have sustained experience.
While a rotation may be used to identify the best starting five combination, Clemson will send out several defensive All-American candidates, including two on the defensive line (T.J. Parker and Peter Woods), who will look to force LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier into a pressured pocket.
Check out Collin's full LSU-Clemson article and entire Week 1 card here:
Pick: Clemson -4 (-110, DraftKings)
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Stuckey's Best Bet From BBOC Podcast
By Stuckey
This play aligns with a system that I've been writing about for the past decade.
That system consists of teams making their season debut against teams that already played (FBS versus FBS), which has a 61.5% hit rate since 2005.
This applies to Georgia Southern, which is playing Fresno State.
The Bulldogs were a total mess last week, and I'm not buying anything they're selling. I do expect their defense to be better this week, and I respect defensive coordinator Nick Benedetto.
Still, the offense is a mess.
The offensive line isn't in great shape, making it difficult for the Bulldogs to run the ball successfully. Their weapons are also way down this year.
I think that Georgia Southern and its Air Raid will be able to move the ball with quarterback JC French IV at the helm.
Georgia Southern will get the job done on the road, as it has the film advantage after not playing in Week 0. It's worth more, and it doesn't have to worry about travel, bumps, bruises, or any game tape.
Meanwhile, Fresno State has already shown everything on tape.
Listen to the entire BBOC Week 1 preview episode here:
Pick: Georgia Southern ML (-120, FanDuel)
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Ianniello's Best Bet From Group of 5 Card
As a loyal G5 defender and Penn State alum, this pains me to write.
Michigan throttles New Mexico on Saturday.
The Wolverines reportedly spent $12 million to sign five-star quarterback Bryce Underwood and named the true freshman the starting quarterback from day one. They will surely be excited to show off their fancy new toy. They want to give the 18-year-old plenty of game reps and gain experience rather than pulling him at halftime with a big lead.
We know he won’t be asked to do it all, as Michigan always has an elite run game. Jordan Marshall and Alabama transfer Justice Haynes should shred a New Mexico defense that ranked 133rd nationally in Success Rate allowed last year.
Michigan is replacing several talented players on defense, but it’s still Michigan.
Its top two tacklers from last year are back, linebackers Ernest Hausmann and Jaishawn Barham. The secondary is loaded, with cornerbacks Zeke Berry and Jyaire Hill shutting things down on the outside.
New Mexico must replace its head coach, star quarterback Devon Dampier, and entire coaching staff. Just four total starters return from last year’s roster.
New head coach Jason Eck was hired from Idaho after leading the team to three straight FCS playoff appearances, and the coaching changes resulted in massive turnover in the transfer portal.
While many Group of 5 teams opt for the unproven but talented Power 4 drop-downs, New Mexico chose to recruit several players from the FCS levels. Scottre Humphrey rushed for over 1,300 yards and 16 touchdowns at Montana State last season, and quarterback Jack Layne followed Eck from Idaho.
While I like that strategy, it is a massive step up in class to go from playing at Idaho one game to taking in Michigan in The Big House in the next.
New Mexico will struggle to do anything on either side of the ball in this game. It comes down to Michigan naming its number.
With a true freshman making his first career start, I expect Big Blue to get Underwood as many reps as possible. He needs to be prepared with high confidence to play Oklahoma next week.
Head coach Sherrone Morre is also facing a suspension in the third and fourth games of the season (because Michigan is a bunch of corrupt cheaters). That means Moore essentially has one game to work out the kinks before a road trip to Norman next week and right into conference play when he returns to the sidelines.
The Wolverines should run away with this one on Saturday night.
Check out all of Mike's Group of 5 best bets in his weekly column:
Pick: Michigan -34.5 (-110, bet365)
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Ziefel's Top Player Prop
By Doug Ziefel
Let's dial in on the former Tennessee quarterback, Nico Iamaleava.
Iamaleava entered college with plenty of hype, as he was ranked right alongside Arch Manning. While he has yet to live up to that hype, a change of scenery should do him well.
Iamaleava enters the UCLA Bruins offense, run by offensive coordinator Tino Sunseri. Sunseri is a young coordinator who was a successful college quarterback not too long ago. He earned this position by boosting the Indiana Hoosiers' offense from 22.2 points per game in 2023 to 41.3 points per game in 2024.
Indiana did so by dominating on the ground, but Sunseri did not have a quarterback with the talent of Iamaleava. Reports from summer practice indicate a good mix of play-calling from the Bruins. The uptempo style should also increase Iamaleava's weekly workload, as he averaged just 25 pass attempts per game at Tennessee.
All of this will be put to the test against a Utah defense that is very experienced, but has some holes in the secondary that Iamaleava should capitalize on in a trailing game script.
Check out all of Ziefel's player props for Week 1 in his weekly column.
Pick: Nico Iamaleava Over 212.5 Pass Yards (-115, bet365)
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Our Featured Bet Labs System
This game aligns with one of our Bet Labs PRO betting systems, Popular High Unders.
High posted totals often attract a surge of public action on the Over, especially when casual bettors anticipate a shootout.
When the closing number sits in the upper range and public money heavily favors points, oddsmakers tend to inflate the line to balance action.
This creates value on the Under, as actual game flow can be slowed by factors such as defensive adjustments, ball control strategies, and the natural variance of scoring in high-scoring games.
The result is that popular high-total matchups frequently fail to meet the lofty expectations set by the market.
For what it’s worth, Stuckey is already on Georgia State in this game:
A lower-scoring game would put more value on the underdog, as points would come at a premium.
Hopefully, Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin decides to hold back in Week 1 instead of obliterating the scoreboard.
Like our Bet Labs systems? Get an Action PRO subscription! Click here:
Pick: Under 61.5 (-110, BetMGM)
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Breese's Full Action App Card
Need more picks for this Saturday evening? It would be wise to follow our guy, Breese, in the Action Network App!
If you haven't already, make sure you download the free award-winning Action Network App to track all your bets and tail all of your favorite experts:
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