College Football Best Bets: Week 1 (2026)

We’re about 24 hours away from the first full slate of games kicking off the 2026 college football season on Saturday. There are dozens of matchups, with some massive point spreads for Top 25-ranked teams.

I’ve found three of my favorite bets to place on Saturday’s Week 1 betting board. These matchups include Boise State vs. No. 2 Oregon, Northern Illinois vs. No. 22 Iowa, and a prime-time tilt between blue-bloods Clemson and No. 11 LSU.

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College Football Week 1: Best Bets

(Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook)

Boise State vs. Oregon (2)

Boise State and Oregon will open their season at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon on Saturday afternoon. The Broncos are a long shot to win at 12-1 odds in moneyline betting markets, while getting +24.5 points on the road.

Maddux Madsen and Dante Moore both provide consistency at QB1 for each offense in this game. The Ducks just lost a pair of their top running backs to the NFL, while each defense returns the majority of its starters.

Boise State wasn’t nearly as dominant in 2025 with the loss of star RB Ashton Jeanty, who propelled them into CFP contention in 2024. However, three of the Broncos’ five losses were within +24.5.

Since we’re through a key number of +24.5, I’m going to take the points and recommend Boise State +24.5 on the road at Oregon.

Pick: Boise State +24.5  (-110)

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Northern Illinois vs. Iowa (22)

We’re shaping up for a gritty matchup between Northern Illinois and No. 22 Iowa. The Hawkeyes are laying a massive -31.5 points at home against the Huskies. Iowa will move on to a new QB1, Jeremy Hecklinski, while returning RB1 Kamari Moulton is likely to shoulder the majority of touches.

Northern Illinois has a new coach, a new QB1 in Taron Dickens, and a solid defense that finished 2025 ranked 64th in the nation for points allowed per game (24.3) under former head coach Thomas Hammock.

Oddsmakers clearly think we won’t see much offense in this game. Iowa’s defense finished 2025 ranked as a top-10 scoring unit, holding opponents under 17 points per game, while the Huskies scored 17.1 points per game, 129th out of 136 FBS teams.

It’s a small total for a reason. Let’s bet Under 44.5 points between Northern Illinois and Iowa in what profiles as a defensive cage match for our second best bet in Week 1.

Pick: Under 44.5 (-110)

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Clemson vs. LSU (11)

We’ve got to finish our Week 1 best bets with the juggernaut matchup between Clemson and LSU. Lane Kiffin’s arrival in Baton Rouge stole headlines during the CFP last season. Now, Kiffin’s group, including QB1 Sam Leavitt, prepares to host Dabo Swinney’s Clemson Tigers.

Clemson’s offense will have a new signal-caller in 2026. Cade Klubnik is gone, so now it’s Christopher Vizzina, who has been with the program his entire career, preparing for this moment.

Leavitt is a stud quarterback. He was an electric playmaker at Arizona State, so expect a lot of flashy, highlight-reel plays from Leavitt under Kiffin’s tutelage.

Let’s not forget about Clemson’s defense. They finished 2025 ranked 31st in points allowed per game (20.5), while Kiffin’s focus is undoubtedly on offensive schematics. Ole Miss leaned on its offense to outpace opponents during their run to the CFP, so Clemson should be able to find the end zone a few times in Death Valley on Saturday night.

Out of Clemson’s six losses in 2025, four were within a 10-point margin. Yes, it’s a new season, but Swinney has a lot of consistency on his side, while Kiffin is definitely dealing with more pressure to make a statement win at home in his debut.

Clemson is only receiving 40 percent of the action on the spread from the public, which also makes me bullish on this side. Let’s grab the points and bet on Clemson as a +10 underdog against LSU.

Pick: Clemson +10 (-112)

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