College Football Week 1 Odds, Picks & Predictions (Sunday)

College football is back! The 2023 college football season kicked off with an exciting but small Week 0 slate. Now the rest of the teams get to join in on the fun with the start of Week1. We’ll have you covered with all of our top picks for the week along with our projected spreads and totals to help guide your college football bets. Below are our top picks and predictions for Sunday’s Week 1 games.

Top College Football Week 1 Odds & Picks

Northwestern vs. Rutgers

The Rutgers Scarlet Knights are rarely favorites in a game in the Big Ten. But here we are. They're 6.5-point favorites, at home, against Northwestern. There are many concerns with Gavin Wimsett at quarterback. His inaccuracy and inability to be aware of certain situations is alarming. But Rutgers added the best coaching staff they've ever had. They've also built a quality wide receiver room, filled with a lot of talent. Plus, the running game will always be great at Rutgers. They've got plenty of reliable options there. On the other hand, you can trust the Rutgers' defense. They've been terrific since Gregg Schiano took over and that won't change this year. The Scarlet Knights will take on a Northwestern team that had to run Pat Fitzgerald out of office for hazing allegations. Northwestern won one game last year and things only got worse in the offseason. Back Rutgers here.

Pick: Rutgers -5.5 (-110)

-Jason Radowitz

Oregon State vs. San Jose State

DJ Uiagalelei will see in-game action for the first time since transferring from Clemson to Oregon State. There were some ups and downs last season; he dealt with accuracy and turnover issues but still had a touchdown pass in 11 of 13 games and over 200 passing yards in nine. He's looking to upgrade a Beaver passing game that was second-to-last in the conference in passing yards. San Jose State was able to make USC fans sweat in the first half last week with just a seven-point deficit, but in the end, they couldn't keep up with the firepower led by Caleb Williams, and they were outscored 35-14 in the second half. While the Spartans were able to put up 28 on the Pac-12 worst defense, they now face the conference's best. Oregon St. was also the fourth-best rushing offense and the return of both their top runners. Along with the upgrade in quarterback, SJSU will not make this a competitive game.

Pick: Oregon State -16 (-110)

-John Supowitz

LSU vs. Florida State

The LSU Tigers defeated the Alabama Crimson Tide in Brian Kelly's first season as head coach. You'd have to imagine that LSU is better this year, with Jaylon Daniels in his second season under center for the Tigers. Daniels added 2,900 yards passing and 885 more yards on the ground for LSU. He'll have a crowded, but excellent wide receiver room and an offensive line filled with returners. The secondary of the LSU defense is a concern, but the pass rush should be able to help out the secondary a bit. On the other hand, Florida State will get another season with Jordan Travis under center. Travis threw for 24 touchdowns and only had five interceptions. There likely won't be many turnovers, if any, between LSU and Florida State. Although many college football fans want to see Florida State return to the College Football Playoff, LSU looks much better on paper, even without Maason Smith at defensive tackle. Take LSU in this one.

Pick: LSU -1.5 (-110)

-Jason Radowitz