Week 1 of the College Football season rolls into Saturday, packed with some of the best matchups of the weekend. The action kicks off with the Fox Big Noon game featuring #1 Texas against #3 Ohio State. At 3:30 PM, the slate shifts to Tallahassee, where #13 Alabama faces Florida State in a battle for redemption. The primetime spotlight shines on two Tigers, as #9 LSU takes on #4 Clemson, with both teams eyeing a playoff spot.
We gave out the early picks with a previous article. This one focuses on the night slate starting at 6pm.
My yearly tracker is available at this link and will be updated daily whenever a bet is placed:
Coastal Carolina Chanticleers +13.5 at Virginia Cavaliers
If you’ve been around for a while, you might remember the “Betting for Breakfast” days when following Jamie Caldwell and the Fighting Roosters was a favorite bet. Those were the good times. Unfortunately, Coastal has hit a rough patch in recent years. Last season was especially bad, with a humiliating loss in the Myrtle Beach Bowl leading to their first losing season since 2019. Meanwhile, UVA didn’t have much luck either, starting 4-1 only to lose six of their last seven games, marking their fifth straight losing season.
So something has to give tonight, and one team will end up starting the 2025 season on a winning note. While I’m not sure the Chanticleers will get an outright win, I like the addition of QB MJ Morris to help invigorate some life into the passing offense. Plus they have revenge on their mind as UVA put up 525 yards of total offense in a 43-24 win last year. That doesn’t seem repeatable as the Cavs have a totally new offensive line and QB. Give me the roosters to exhibit some fight and cover this tall line.
Rice Owls +10 at Louisiana Cajuns
The Owls have brought in new HC Scott Abell and he brings a unique offense to the field in Rice. Abell comes from Davidson and employs a run heavy offense using the Wing-T. We’ll see if that can work in Division 1. But one thing I know, it won’t be easy to plan for. Which is a big reason I’m backing Rice tonight. And we’re seeing some smart money come in on Rice as the spread has dropped almost 2 points in the last day.
Georgia Southern Eagles -1.5 at Fresno State Bulldogs
Fresno played last week and looked messy at Kansas, losing 31-7. They totaled just 216 yards and turned the ball over three times. They also weren’t able to control the Jayhawks, as QB Jaylon Daniels had a 90% completion rate! Which means I can’t have faith in them stopping the Air Raid offense of Georgia Southern, which averaged 302.2 yards per game passing last year.