With Week 1 finally here, it is time to list a few of the best College Football bets. There’s only one ranked matchup this weekend in college football. As a result, there are a lot of sizible spreads. However, the large spreads present a lot of opportunities for bettors to get their feet wet and start the season on a winning note. Here are my three best bets for the true opening weekend of college football 2023.
Utah State Aggies (+25.5) at No. 25 Iowa Hawkeyes (-115 FanDuel)
Is anyone certain the Iowa Hawkeyes can score 26 points? Last year, the Hawkeyes scored more than 26 points four times out of 13 games. They only won one game by at least 26 points last year, a 27-0 win over the Nevada Wolfpack. On that premise alone, this is why it’s listed as one of my top college football bets.
The belief in Iowa’s offense being better this year hinges on Michigan transfer QB Cade McNamara. The grad transfer started the entire 2021 season with the Wolverines before he lost the job to J.J. McCarthy in 2022. While McNamara will certainly provide a jolt to their offense, he needs to get past the crutch that is offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz. Under Ferentz last year, the Hawkeyes were 130th out of 131 teams in yards per game & 129th in yards per play. One quarterback isn’t going to make that magically improve.
On the flip side, Utah State is coming off a 6-7 season, and have their starting quarterback Cooper Legas back. The Aggies were 5-3 in games Legas started last season, and only lost one game by more than 26 points. Unfortunately, USU needs to replace a lot of offensive production. It’s top receiver and rusher from last year are both gone. Despite this flaw and the noticable talent gap, it hard to trust Iowa to get anything together on offense in its first with a transfer QB.
Washington State Cougars (-12) at Colorado State Rams (-110 DraftKings)
Admittedly, this is a homer pick (I graduated there). However, this spread is hard to pass up. These schools played in Pullman last year, and the Cougars trouced the Rams 38-7. WSU returns a lot of talent from that team last year, including starting QB Cameron Ward and running backs Nakia Watson and Jaylen Jenkins. They also have a handful of defensive players, like Ron Stone Jr. and Brennan Jackson, back.
The Rams are still in the midst of a rebuild under head coach Jay Norvell. While having a returning starting QB in Clay Millen is nice, the Rams still have plenty of other places they need to shore up, like offensive line. The Rams do have some solid offensive weapons, and a good defensive secondary that could challenge WSU.
However, believing the Cougs can win by at least two touchdowns isn’t that much of stretch. Despite working in a new wide receiving corp, WSU has more than enough firepower to outpace the Rams’ offense. Although this pick is biased, I’m happy to put this as another one of my top college football bets in Week 1.
Nebraska Cornhuskers (+7.5) at Minnesota Golden Gophers (-110 DraftKings)
The last listing of Week 1 college football bets involves a Big Ten Conference matchup. Early conference games are always weird, and this one is no different. Plus, this specific one feature Matt Rhule making his debut at the Cornhuskers head coach. He inherited a handful of good defensive talent from last year’s team. Plus, transfer quarterback Jeff Sims and tight end Arik Gilbert will spice up the offense.
Meanwhile, the Golden Gophers are looking to replace two offensive mainstays in QB Tanner Morgan and RB Mohamed Ibrahim. QB Athan Kaliakmanis has some experience to make Minnesota fans feel good, but finding someone to replace Ibrahim’s insane production the first week of the season will be tough.
Despite the program’s issues in 2022, Nebraska only lost 20-13 to Minnesota, and Ibrahim dominated that game. With him gone, there’s a pathway for the Cornhuskers to cover a 7.5-point spread in spite of numerous personnel and coaching changes.
Other Notable College Football Bets in Week 1
- Virginia Cavaliers vs. Tennessee Volunteers (-28)
- Oregon State Beavers at San Jose State Spartans, OVER 54.5 Points
You can check here for listings of the best odds and lines for any college football bets.
