The college football season got off to an underwhelming start last weekend.
During Week 0, which was last week, there was only one major game on the slate: Kansas State vs. Iowa State in Ireland, a fun but sloppy game due to the weather conditions. This weekend should be much more enjoyable and up to par. There are already three top-10 games lined up.
The most talked-about game is the Texas-Ohio State matchup. However, the LSU-Clemson game is likely to be an even more exciting matchup with two quarterbacks returning as starters from last season. Additionally, Alabama will be on the road against Florida State, and Syracuse boasts an intriguing roster that could potentially upset Tennessee.
While these games are easily some of the most intriguing matchups, I’ve added a couple of other games in my college football expert picks for Week 1. I bet value, not teams.
Join me below to kick off the new season!
This Week’s Picks
The Week 1 betting portfolio doesn’t have the most popular teams. However, it certainly has some value. We’re ultimately targeting the American conference with two of the three selections. I’m high on one of those two offenses. However, one offense, specifically Temple, might struggle a little bit. I’ll get into more detail in my write-up below when I discuss my college football expert picks for Week 1.
Florida Atlantic vs. Maryland (-14.5)
The Maryland Terrapins have yet to announce their quarterback for the season opener. However, it’s very likely that it’ll be true freshman phenom, Malik Washington.
Washington was a highly touted prospect from Glen Burnie, MD, who chose to play college football with the Terps. The No. 5-ranked quarterback wasn’t the only addition for Maryland. They also added multiple transfers at wide receiver and a transfer at left tackle that should help protect Washington.
On the other hand, the Florida Atlantic Owls added Caden Velkamp this offseason. The transfer quarterback previously played for Western Kentucky and threw for 3,108 yards with 25 touchdowns. He also completed 66.3% of his passes and likely wouldn’t commit to Florida Atlantic if he didn’t expect to have the same passing volume that he did with Western Kentucky.
This is why I’m on the Over 60 at -110 odds.
Expert Pick: Over 60 (-110) at Bookmaker
Temple vs. Massachusetts (+2.5)
Temple is 3-0 against UMass all-time. But you can’t really go by that. Both teams have added new coaching staff and undergone significant changes.
Temple is entering the season under the leadership of head coach K.C. Keeler. He’s added new offensive and defensive coordinators. However, he’s sticking with Evan Simon at quarterback.
Interestingly, Simon was a quarterback at Rutgers when new UMass head coach Joe Hirasymiak was the defensive coordinator there. Hirasymiak knows Simon well and should help UMass prepare for him. Plus, UMass is now in the MAC and has higher expectations. With higher expectations comes better recruits. The Minutemen were able to add a lot more talent from the portal, and that should help them very much this season.
Expert Pick: Massachusetts ML (+120) at Bovada
Coastal Carolina vs. Virginia (-11.5)
Coastal Carolina finished 6-7 last season under head coach Tim Beck. The offense scored 28.7 points per game, but the defense allowed close to 32 points per game.
Due to the numerous issues on defense, Coastal Carolina added 19 different defensive transfers. Not all of those defensive transfers will start or even play, but they put a major emphasis on adding talent to the defense. They’ll be more talented but also have more depth, which should help this team moving forward.
Last year, the Coastal defense gave up 43 points in a 43-24 loss to Virginia. For one, the defense will likely minimize the damage way more than last year. Secondly, the Chanticleers added M.J. Morris, who should produce at a high level, especially against Virginia, which also had a weak defense last year.
Coastal Carolina just needs to sustain long drives and limit turnovers. The offense will dictate this game. Take Coastal Carolina +12.
Expert Pick: Coastal Carolina +12 (-105) at BetOnline
Place Any College Football Bet For Week 1
It can get very overwhelming betting Week 1 of the college football season. There are many question marks and unknowns leading up to the season. There also aren’t many conference games to get excited about. But do your research and listen to beat reporters. They’ll often give some good insight that you can use for your bets in the early weeks.
If one of the bets above sounds good to you, take a chance with our college football expert picks for Week 1, sign up at your favorite sportsbook, and you never know, you might make some profit!
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.
