College Football Week 1 Picks: Best Early Bets (2026)

Week 0 is in the books, officially kicking off the 2026 college football season with a small slate of matchups across multiple Power Four conferences. Unfortunately, my Week 0 Picks: Best Early Bets (2026) went 0-3.

I did manage to post a couple of wins in my other betting series (Week 0 Parlays/College Football Best Bets: Week 0) thanks to a couple of point total unders cashing, including a two-leg parlay at +253 odds. UNC vs. TCU went way Under 47.5 after a quick start, with UNC posting a 15-10 upset in the Aer Lingus Classic. Virginia also held NC State to 8 points, keeping the full game point total Under 52.5 during a 34-8 win at home.

There’s a lot of big point spreads and lopsided matchups on paper heading into Week 1. Ohio State and BYU are both 50.5 and 51.5 point betting favorites, while the marquee game is undoubtedly Clemson against No. 11 LSU between legendary head coaches Dabo Swinney and Lane Kiffin.

Let’s get into the win column for Week 1. Based on early week line movement, I’ve got three of my best bets to place on Top 25 matchups for Saturday’s upcoming slate.

Follow me on X @Matt_MacKay for further college football betting analysis and free picks.

Get instant alerts when a line reaches your target via the BettingPros App >>

College Football Week 1 Best Bets & Early Line Movement Predictions

(Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook)

Home	Away	Open Spread	Current Spread	Open Total	Current Total	Spread +/-	Total +/-
LSU (11)	Clemson	-9.5	-10.5	51.5	51.5	-1.0	0
Penn State (18)	Marshall	-24.5	-24.5	54.5	54.5	0	0
Michigan (16)	Western Michigan	-27.5	-27.5	47.5	48.5	0	+1.0

Clemson vs. LSU (11)

We’ll start with the biggest game on Saturday’s Week 1 slate when Clemson travels to Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge to take on a new-look LSU program. Head coach Lane Kiffin arrived this offseason and added former Arizona State QB Sam Leavitt as QB1.

LSU’s entire wide receiving corps is filled with transfers, including RB1 and six new defensive starters. It’s a total reset from the Brian Kelly era, which never manifested into any CFP runs.

Clemson remains with head coach Dabo Swinney, but they overhauled the quarterback position, moving on from QB Cade Klubnik to QB Christopher Vizzina. Vizzina will have veteran talent at wideout like Bryant Wesco Jr. and T.J. Moore to target. TE Christian Bentancur also returns with some experience in Swinney’s offense.

The line has moved in favor of LSU from -9.5 to -10.5. We’re through a key number here, so I’ll take the points with Swinney’s Tigers in a revenge spot from last year’s 17-10 home loss. Bet Clemson +10.5.

Pick: Clemson +10.5 (-110)

Marshall vs. Penn State (18)

The post-James Franklin era leads into Penn State head coach Matt Campbell’s debut with the Nittany Lions. QB Drew Allar is also gone, so Campbell brought along his former Iowa State QB Rocco Becht.

Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen are no longer in Penn State’s backfield. Defensively, the Nittany Lions were a perennial force under Franklin, and now Campbell brings his own defensive prowess and tenacity into the program.

Marshall finished 2025 scoring over 30 points per game. The Thunder Herd’s glaring weakness was defense, allowing 30.3 points per game, which led to just 5 wins.

Head coach Tony Gibson’s second season with Marshall could build upon its offensive burst, especially with dual-threat QB Carlos Del Rio-Wilson back under center.

We’re once again through a key number at +24.5 with Marshall. I’m willing to bet on a program with more continuity and a top-40 scoring offense that largely remains the same.

Bet on Marshall +24.5 as my second early best bet amongst top-25 matchups in Week 1.

Pick: Marshall +24.5 (-110)

Western Michigan vs. Michigan (16)

I’m going to wrap up with an in-state tilt between the MAC and Big Ten when Western Michigan heads to the Big House to take on Michigan. The Wolverines have former long-time Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham taking over the program.

Whittingham has QB Bryce Underwood at his disposal, looking to improve the top-ranked high school signal-caller in his second year as a starter at Michigan. RB Jordan Marshall and WR Andrew Marsh headline the Wolverines’ top-skilled position players on offense in 2026.

In 2025, Michigan finished with the nation’s 29th-ranked scoring defense, despite off-field distractions from its coaching crisis. Whittingham should bring plenty of stability and continue keeping Michigan a stout defensive unit during his first year in Ann Arbor.

Western Michigan won the MAC last year, largely due to the play of its defense. The Broncos finished with a top-10 scoring defense in the entire FBS, holding opponents to just 17.4 points per game.

The point total has crept up from 47.5 to 48.5. This creates value on the point total from an under bettor’s perspective. Let’s wrap up our Week 1 early best bets by taking Under 48.5 in the Western Michigan vs. Michigan matchup on Saturday night.

Pick: Under 48.5 (-110)

---