After a four-game appetizer in Week 0, most teams across the nation will begin their season with a Week 1 college football schedule. Games begin on Thursday, with at least one game on Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday of Labor Day Weekend. The latest Week 1 college football odds from SportsLine's consensus have No. 1 Georgia as a 13.5-point favorite against No. 14 Clemson on Saturday.
No. 13 LSU is -4.5 ahead of No. 23 USC in Week 1 on Sunday, and No. 10 FSU, which lost to Georgia Tech in Dublin in Week 0, is -16.5 ahead of Boston College on Monday. Before locking in your college football picks for Week 1 of the 2024 season, be sure to check out legendary Las Vegas handicapper Bruce Marshall's college football betting guide.
Based in Las Vegas, Marshall was a longtime figure in the popular sports betting newsletter, The Gold Sheet. With a background in play-by-play commentary and sports information during his collegiate years, Marshall joined TGS in 1981 when he was hired by the legendary Mort Olshan and served as editor-in-chief for many years.
A popular guest on numerous sports talk radio and television shows across the country, Bruce's extensive editorial work has been featured in the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the New York Post and many other media outlets. He has won various handicapping titles and is also working on several book projects.
Now, Marshall is using Tech Corner's methodology to evaluate all the trends and look at the latest college football odds for Week 1 to rate each matchup. Click here to see all the predictions.
Top college football predictions for Week 1
Marshall is recommending Colorado State (+32) as one of his top college football picks for Week 1 to stay within the spread against No. 4 Texas State on Saturday at 3:30 PM ET in Austin.
Texas shouldn't have much trouble winning its debut as an SEC team, but the Longhorns certainly could be nervous ahead of their big game against Michigan. Colorado State improved to 5-7 in Year 2 under coach Jay Norvell, CSU's best season since 2017. The Rams also return quarterback Braden Fowler-Nicolosi and star receiver Torii Horton.
“The Rams were a little better ATS on the road (3-3) than at home (1-5) last year, and entering 2024 under coach Jay Norvell, the Rams are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games as a Dog,” Marshall told SportsLine. “Steve Sarkisian didn't cover either game against a non-conference opponent in Austin last year and are just 4-4 ATS in their last eight home field games. The Longhorns also didn't cover either chance at odds of 30 or higher last season.” You can see our other picks here.
How to predict college football for Week 1
Marshall has rated all other matchups and found a surprising 19-2 betting trend on the big LSU vs. USC matchup, and betting analysis for each matchup is available at SportsLine.
So, which college football games can you pick with confidence? And what are some alarming trends to be aware of in one of the biggest games of the week? Check out the latest college football odds below, then visit SportsLine to find out which teams you should root for, all from a legendary Las Vegas expert who has won multiple handicapping titles.
Week 1 college football odds
See all of our Week 1 college football picks, odds and predictions here
Thursday, August 29
North Carolina vs. Minnesota (+1.5, 50.5)
Coastal Carolina vs. Jacksonville State (-3, 54.5)
North Dakota State vs. Colorado (-9.5, 60.5)
Friday, August 30
FAU vs. Michigan State (-14, 45)
Temple vs. Oklahoma (-42.5, 59.5)
Western Michigan vs. Wisconsin (-23.5, 56.5)
TCU vs. Stanford (+9.5, 60)
Saturday, August 31
Clemson vs. Georgia (-13.5, 48.5)
Penn State vs West Virginia (+8.5, 51.5)
Miami (FL) vs. Florida (+2.5, 54)
Akron vs. Ohio State (-48.5, 58)
Colorado State vs. Texas (-31.5, 60.5)
Western Kentucky vs. Alabama (-32, 59.5)
Fresno State vs. Michigan (-20.5, 45.5)
Notre Dame vs. Texas A&M (-3, 46.5)
UCLA vs. Hawaii (+14, 54.5)
September 1st (Sunday)
USC vs. LSU (-4.5, 64.5)
Monday, September 2
Boston College vs. Florida State (-16.5, 50)
