Week 1 of the College Football season kicks off today as Boise State brings its playoff hopes to Tampa to face the South Florida Bulls. With 16 games available to bet on, I’ve highlighted two that I’m playing and break them down below.
USF Bulls +5.5 vs Boise State Broncos
Boise is stepping out of its comfort zone traveling east to Florida. Coming off a magical season, the Broncos are the favorites to again make the College Football Playoffs as a Group of Five conference champ. But taking the mountain show to the heat and humidity of Florida will be no easy feat. The USF Bulls are coming off a 7-6 season and a bowl win under 2nd year head coach Alex Golesh. And they also welcome the return of QB Byrum Brown who missed 8 games last season due to injury.
Boise will also look different this season as they lose their bell-cow in Ashton Jeanty to the NFL. Now they will have to rely more on QB Maddux Madsen and hand the running game off to newcomer Sire Gaines.
I like the USF trajectory, with back-to-back winning seasons under Golesh. They return four offensive lineman and have their prized QB back under center. The travel and weather (potential for thunderstorms) will impact Madsen. I’ll take the home dogs to keep this game competitive and potentially pull off the outright upset.
Nebraska Cornhuskers -6 at Cincinnati Bearcats
There’s a lot of excitement surrounding the Nebraska program, with many considering them a dark horse playoff contender. New offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen is set to revitalize the offense, particularly by maximizing the potential of QB Dylan Raiola. The Cornhuskers have strong skill position players, including standout RB Emmett Johnson. The biggest boost, however, comes from WR Dane Key, a transfer from Kentucky known for his explosive speed and deep-threat ability. Nebraska’s biggest challenge will be improving their ability to finish drives, as they ranked just 114th in the nation in that area last season.
As for Cincinnati, they bring back senior QB Brendan Sorsby who is a dual threat at the position. But he also had issues finishing drives which saw Cincy lose it’s last 5 games of the 2024 season. And he lost four of his top five receiving targets plus his primary RB. The defense is also concerning as they allowed opponents to score ~92% of the time in the redzone (119th in nation) and allowed 6.0 yards/play (92nd in nation).
I’m sold that Nebraska can be more efficient on offense under Holgorsen. And I have concerns about what Cincy can do offensively against a solid Nebraska front. This game is being played at Arrowhead Stadium and will have a significant Cornhusker crowd.