College Football Parlay Picks: Week 1

by Christopher Feery |
Aug 30, 2019

Saturday afternoons in the fall make for a great time to take a few shots at glory with the jam-packed NCAAF schedule. Each week, weâ€™ll share our picks for the top 10 games on this portion of the slate.

For Week 1, there are a number of potential blowouts on tap for Top 25 squads, but we have also added in some of the more appealing matchups of the day. Here are this weekâ€™s selections.

All odds are current as of this writing and courtesy of PointsBet.

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Florida Atlantic at Ohio State, 12 PM, FOX

A new head coach and QB will be leading the way for Ohio State as they welcome a Florida Atlantic team which finished 5-7 last year. The Buckeyes are massive 27.5 home favorites, but they have the horses to cover. Weâ€™ll look for new signal-caller Justin Fields and company to put on a show for the home crowd.

The Pick: Ohio State -26.5 (-110)

South Alabama at Nebraska, 12 PM, ESPN

Nebraska enters 2019 with a ton of buzz surrounding it. A strong finish to 2018 and a solid amount of returning talent points to a program which can get better in a hurry. Theyâ€™re favored by 36.5 at home over a South Alabama team which went 3-9 in 2018. Weâ€™re looking at another rout to open the season.

The Pick: Nebraska -36.5 (-110)

Indiana vs. Ball State, 12 PM, CBSSN

This game will emanate from Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. Indiana was 5-7 and sixth in the Big Ten East in 2018, while Ball State was 4-8 and fifth in the MAC West. As the 17-point spread indicates, thereâ€™s quite a big talent gap here. We donâ€™t see Ball State overcoming that on the fast track.

The Pick: Indiana -17 (-110)

Toledo at Kentucky, 12 PM, SEC

The surprising success of Kentucky was one of the coolest NCAAF stories of 2018. Unfortunately, the programâ€™s two best players, Benny Snell and Josh Allen, are off to the NFL. The Wildcats will have a tough time replicating success as a result. Toledo was a competitive 7-6 a season ago, and we like them to keep this one interesting.

The Pick: Toledo +12 (-110)

Ole Miss at Memphis, 12 PM, ABC

The Memphis Tigers were the runner-up to UCF in the AAC in 2018. They open the year at home against Ole Miss, a team which has welcomed a pair of new coordinators to town. The total for this one is set at 68 points, so we could see a firework show at Memphis. The Tigers should eek this one out, but it has the makings of one which will come down to the end.

The Pick: Ole Miss +5.5 (-110)

Duke vs. Alabama, 3:30 PM, ABC

These two squads will hook up at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. Alabama is rightfully a big favorite, but Duke is far from a cupcake. Add in the fact that several Crimson Tide starters will be on the sideline for disciplinary reasons for the first half, and the Blue Devils could make it interesting. Weâ€™re rolling with Duke plus the points.

The Pick: Duke +34 (-110)

Eastern Michigan at Coastal Carolina, 3:30 PM, ESPN+

Eastern Michigan closed out 2018 at 7-6 and in second place in the MAC West. Coastal Carolina finished in fourth place in the Sun Belt East with a mark of 5-7. Not much is expected from either squad this year as the futures market points to the Eagles in the middle of the MAC and the Chanticleers near the bottom of the Sun Belt. Visitors win, but the hosts keep it close.

The Pick: Coastal Carolina +6

South Carolina at North Carolina, 3:30 PM, ESPN

The Gamecocks open up the season on the road versus the Tar Heels. South Carolina was a 7-6 team in fourth place in the SEC East last year, while North Carolina wrapped at 2-9 and in the basement of the ACC Coastal. The visitors could take a step forward this year, while a new head coach will spark improvement in NC. We like the Tar Heels plus the points.

The Pick: North Carolina +10.5

Northwestern at Stanford, 4 PM, FOX

One of the most appealing games on the Week 1-afternoon docket is also one of the last to kickoff. Northwestern was a somewhat surprising winner of the Big Ten West last year. Theyâ€™ll open up the year at Stanford, a team which cracked the preseason Top 25. While a tough venue, we have faith in the Wildcats defense to keep it close. An upset wouldnâ€™t stun us either.

The Pick: Northwestern +6.5

Virginia Tech at Boston College, 4 PM, ACCN

A meeting of ACC squads closes out our 10-game set. The Hokies finished last year at 6-7 and in 5th place in the Coastal, while the Eagles were 7-5 and in fourth place in the Atlantic. BC has the talent and did a stint in the Top 25 in 2018, while VT looks like a program that could take steps this season. Itâ€™s an interesting under the radar tilt for which we like the hosts plus the points.

The Pick: Boston College +5