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The four best bests in Week 1 of college football

By Frank Sciarroni

Garrett Greene #6 of the West Virginia Mountaineers passes down field against the Baylor Bears during the first half at McLane Stadium on November 25, 2023 in Waco, Texas.
Garrett Greene #6 of the West Virginia Mountaineers passes down field against the Baylor Bears during the first half at McLane Stadium on November 25, 2023 in Waco, Texas. / Ron Jenkins/GettyImages
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Week 1 of the college football season is already underway and we are blessed with a beautiful first full Saturday slate. We will get the first taste of all-day football with games set to start at noon ET and the final kickoff of the day scheduled for 11 p.m. While watching football is good enough why not financially benefit while doing so?

After going 3-0 with my picks on Friday here are my best bets for the rest of week 1 of college football.

Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook:

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Season Record: (5-1)

West Virginia +7.5 (-110) vs Penn State

Morgantown will be buzzing as they welcome the 8th-ranked team in the country for what is somewhat of a rivalry game. This line has moved after opening at 10.5 as more and more people have been taking the side of WVU. Usually, I do not like being on the side of the public, but I can’t help myself here.

WVU is coming off a great 9-4 season and looking to build off that with a lot of returning talent. Both teams will look to run the ball and the Mountaineers have a great duo of ball carriers in quarterback Garrett Greene and running back CJ Donaldson Jr.

Greene is a great dual-threat QB who will be the difference-maker in this game if he gets the Mountaineer offense going through the air. The home-field advantage is what really draws me to this pick as West Virginia will show out for one of the biggest games for their program in recent memory.

Clemson team total Under 17.5 (-118) vs Georgia

Clemson takes on Georgia in one of two ranked matchups of the weekend. This is more of a measuring stick game for the Tigers as most, including myself, give them a slim to none shot of winning.

Clemson’s offense has been lackluster with quarterback Cade Klubnik struggling to live up to the hype, and he will get to open this season against one of the best defenses in college football in the Georgia Bulldogs.

I don’t see much changing from what we have seen in recent years and expect Klubnik to continue his struggles in this one against a stellar D. Also, Clemson’s offensive coordinator is Garrett Riley who previously held the position at TCU.

Some may remember the 2023 National Championship game when TCU’s offense, led by Riley, only put up 7 points and 188 yards against Kirby Smart and his Dawgs on defense.

Miami (FL) -2.5 (-110) at Florida

This is strictly a Cam Ward bet. I hate everything about taking Miami.

I hate that the game is at the swamp, one of the toughest environments in college football.

I hate that Florida head coach Billy Napier is seemingly coaching for his job this season.

I hate that a win against an in-state rival would do wonders for Napier and his Florida program.

With that being said Cam Ward is that much of a difference-maker for me. Ward comes in from Washington State and has put up incredible numbers as a quarterback throughout his college career with 13,874 passing yards and 135 total touchdowns.

To me, Miami is the better team and that is largely due to having an experienced and talented guy like Ward at QB. It’s all about the U in this one despite being a tough season-opening game on the road.

Northwestern -3.5 (-110) vs Miami (OH)

Rarely will you ever find a spread this small between two teams that come from the Big Ten and the MAC. While Miami is a great MAC team this spread is really making me scratch my head.

I would expect to see a number like this in an opening week matchup between these teams last year when the Wildcats program was in shambles after the hazing scandal, but it seems like they are ignoring what Northwestern did last season.

After many thought they would not win a game Northwestern went 8-5 in 2023 led by head coach Dave Braun who lost his interim tag for the position mid-season.

Going into his first year as the official head coach Braun returns 15 starters. No disrespect to Miami with this pick, but I believe in the worst-case scenario Northwestern wins this one by a touchdown.

Rounding it out:

  • Texas A&M -2.5 (-120) vs Notre Dame
  • UConn +20.5 (-120) at Maryland
  • Oklahoma St. -9.5 (-122) vs South Dakota St.
  • LSU/USC Over 64.5 (-110) - Sunday

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

Frank Sciarroni is 5-1 ATS in college football.

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