2019 College Football Week 1 Must-Bet Games

2019 College Football Week 1 Must-Bet Games

The opening week of the college football season can teach us a lot, but it can also be misleading. For example, Notre Dame was able to hold off Michigan, and we saw that the Fighting Irish turned out to be the real deal, as they made it all the way to the College Football Playoff. Florida State got taken apart by Virginia Tech, and the Seminoles showed that they were really that flawed all season long. Washington took a beating at the hands of Auburn, and they were just about the best the Pac-12 had to offer. We understood why none of the teams from that conference made the College Football Playoff. There will also be a lot of overreactions, such as if teams like Clemson and Alabama don’t deliver huge routs, but for the careful sports betting enthusiast, there are some opportunities to make money.

2019 College Football Week 1 Must-Bet Games

Saturday, August 24

Miami (FL) vs Florida (in Orlando, Florida) (7:00pm ET, ESPN)

Technically, this is a “Week Zero” matchup, but it is a rivalry game between two of the three storied programs in the Sunshine State. Miami will begin the Manny Diaz era with this contest, and the Hurricanes still need to figure out who their starting quarterback will be. Florida will enter Year Two under Dan Mullen, and while the first year was a success, the offseason has not been all that great thus far. I take a dim view of large point spreads in rivalry games, particularly in the early going, when offenses have a hard time getting untracked. I see the Gators winning, but in a fight. College Football Week 1 Prediction: Florida 24, Miami 20

Thursday, August 29

Utah at BYU (10:15pm ET, ESPN)

  • 2019 College Football Week 1 Odds: Utah -6
If Utah can head to BYU and pick up a win in this rivalry, the Utes could set the table for a nice season. After that game, the only other road challenge Utah has before their game at Washington on November 2 would be a visit to USC on September 20. The Utes are getting a lot of hype in the preseason — but BYU has been a death trap for optimism in years past. BYU opens with Utah before traveling to Tennessee and then returning home to face USC and Washington, so the Cougars will be looking to get off to a big start. Again, this is a big spread for a rivalry game, particularly in the opening week, so I’m taking BYU to cover. College Football Week 1 Prediction: Utah 27, BYU 23

Saturday, August 31

Boise State vs Florida State(in Jacksonville, Florida) (7:00pm ET, ESPN)

Florida State is looking to make a much better impression in Willie Taggart’s second season than they did in 2018. Boise State comes in with some new contributors on offense, so the early weeks of the season could be a struggle for the Broncos. Even though this game takes place across the state from Tallahassee, this is an effective home game for the Seminoles. I see Florida State taking advantage of the transition in Boise State’s offense and pushing to an important win. College Football Week 1 Prediction: Florida State 31, Oregon 20

Auburn vs Oregon (in Arlington, Texas) (7:30pm ET, ABC)

  • 2019 College Football Week 1 Odds: Auburn -3
Can Oregon beat Auburn that far from home? Yes, AT&T Stadium is a neutral site, but you can expect to see SEC fans travel in droves to see the Tigers. When Auburn beat Washington in last year’s neutral-site opener, the Pac-12 took a PR hit. Oregon is not the favorite to win the Pac-12, like Washington was last year, but several observers (including yours truly) see the Ducks as a potential sleeper to win that conference. An Oregon win could help send them up the rankings and get them off to a huge start. I’m just not sure that the Ducks are ready for SEC competition this early in the season. College Football Week 1 Prediction: Auburn 27, Oregon 20