The 2024 college football season began with a limited Week 0 slate, setting the stage for a thrilling Week 1 college football schedule this weekend. There are games every day from Thursday to Monday, including three ranked vs. ranked matchups. No. 1 Georgia is a heavy 13-point favorite against No. 14 Clemson on Saturday in the Week 1 college football odds, as the Bulldogs enter the season as the national championship favorites. Elsewhere, No. 20 Texas A&M (-3) hosts No. 7 Notre Dame on Saturday night, while No. 13 LSU (-4.5) faces No. 23 USC on Sunday.
No. 10 Florida State will try to bounce back from its Week 0 loss to Georgia Tech when it hosts Boston College as a 17-point favorite on Monday night. The Seminoles were double-digit favorites against the Yellow Jackets as well, so should you fade them with your Week 1 college football bets? Before locking in any college football picks for Week 1 of the 2024 season, be sure to see the latest college football predictions from SportsLine’s proven model.
The model simulates every FBS college football game 10,000 times. Since its inception, it has generated a profit of well over $2,000 for $100 players on its top-rated college football picks against the spread. It is also coming off a profitable 13-9 season on top-rated spread picks. Anyone who has followed it has seen strong returns.
Now, it has turned its attention to the latest college football odds for Week 1 and locked in picks for every FBS matchup. Head here to see every pick.
Top college football predictions for Week 1
One of the college picks the model is high on during Week 1: No. 8 Penn State (-8.5) cruises to a blowout win over West Virginia at noon ET on Saturday. The Nittany Lions have come close to making the College Football Playoff multiple times under head coach James Franklin, finishing inside the top 10 on four occasions. They have posted back-to-back double-digit win totals, finishing third in the Big Ten last season after losing to Ohio State and Michigan.
Starting quarterback Drew Allar returns after throwing for 2,631 yards and 25 touchdowns, leading an offense that ranked 12th in points per game (36.2). Penn State was even better defensively, ranked third in the nation in points allowed per game (13.5). The Nittany Lions are too strong on both sides of the ball for West Virginia to keep up, which is why the model has them covering the spread in well over 60% of simulations. See which other picks the model likes here.
Another prediction: Western Kentucky (+31.5) stays within the spread at No. 5 Alabama in a 7 p.m. ET kickoff on Saturday. The Hilltoppers have been successful under head coach Tyson Helton, who has a 40-26 record across five seasons. His teams have participated in bowl games in all five seasons, picking up four wins in those games.
Experienced quarterback TJ Finley transferred to Western Kentucky after spending time at LSU, Auburn and Texas State, so he has faced plenty of SEC teams during his career. He is facing an Alabama secondary that is reloading this season, which is one of several position groups that suffered from attrition following Nick Saban’s retirement. The model expects some bumps and bruises for the Crimson Tide early in the season, which is enough for the Hilltoppers to cover the spread well over 50% of the time. See the rest of the model’s picks here.
How to make college football picks for Week 1
The model has also made the call on who wins and covers in every FBS matchup in Week 1, and it’s calling for several underdogs to win outright. You can only get every pick for every game at SportsLine.
So what college football picks can you make with confidence, and which underdogs win outright? Check out the latest college football odds below, then visit SportsLine to see which teams win and cover the spread, all from a proven computer model that has returned well over $2,000 in profit since its inception, and find out.
College football odds for Week 1
See full Week 1 college football picks, odds, predictions here
Thursday, Aug. 29
North Carolina at Minnesota (+1, 50.5)
Coastal Carolina at Jacksonville State (-2.5, 55.5)
Friday, Aug. 30
FAU at Michigan State (-13.5, 47.5)
Temple at Oklahoma (-42.5, 59)
Western Michigan at Wisconsin (-24, 56.5)
TCU at Stanford (+9, 61.5)
Saturday, Aug. 31
Clemson vs. Georgia (-13.5, 49)
Penn State at West Virginia (+8.5, 51.5)
Miami (Fla.) at Florida (+2.5, 54)
Akron at Ohio State (-50.5, 57.5)
Colorado State at Texas (-32.5, 59.5)
Western Kentucky at Alabama (-31.5, 59.5)
Fresno State at Michigan (-21.5, 45.5)
Notre Dame at Texas A&M (-3, 46.5)
UCLA at Hawaii (+14, 55.5)
Sunday, Sept. 1
USC vs. LSU (-4.5, 63.5)
Monday, Sept. 2
Boston College at Florida State (-17, 50.5)
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