College Football Expert Picks Week 1: Top CFB Predictions This Week

College football is officially back with a loaded Week 1 slate featuring matchups between multiple college football championship odds contenders.

This week in our college football expert picks, we're looking at the biggest games on Saturday, including Clemson taking on Georgia from Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. 

But don't let that matchup take away from what could be the biggest game of the week between Notre Dame and Texas A&M at Kyle Field. Both programs are fighting to climb the College Football Playoff odds.

As part of our college football predictions for Week 1, we're also looking at several other games featuring quarterbacks hoping to move up the Heisman Trophy odds.

College football expert picks for Week 1

College football odds as of Friday and subject to change. See all of our college football picks for more on this week's top matchups.

Top picks for Week 1

USC vs. LSU prediction: Miller Moss Over 2.5 passing TDs ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Moss turned heads last year when he threw for six touchdowns against a stout Louisville defense in USC's bowl game. He should have every opportunity to put up points against an LSU secondary that was one of the worst in the FBS last season.

Best odds: +120 via FanDuel | Implied probability: 45.45%

–– C Jackson Cowart (SBR | Twitter/X)

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Boston College vs. Florida State prediction: Boston College +17 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Florida State won this matchup by just two points last year, and this group has taken a step back after Georgia Tech ran roughshod over the Seminoles last week.

Keep an eye on Eagles quarterback Thomas Castellanos, who ran for 286 yards in his final two starts last year. I love the Over on his rushing yards (50.5) at FanDuel, but I like this outlier +17 from Caesars even more.

Best odds: -110 via Caesars | Implied probability: 52.38%

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–– C Jackson Cowart (SBR | Twitter/X)

Clemson vs. Georgia prediction: Carson Beck Over 255.5 passing yards ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Clemson's defense is 103rd in returning production with three key starters in the secondary gone. Beck was third in the country in passing yards last year (3,941) and went Over 255.5 passing yards in 10 of 14 games.

Our Mike Spector dives deeper into this matchup with his Clemson vs. Georgia prediction.

Best odds: -115 via bet365 | Implied probability: 53.49%

–– Rob Paul (SBR | Twitter/X)

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Clemson vs. Georgia prediction: Georgia -11.5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Consider me a skeptic when it comes to Clemson's turnaround after a 9-4 season that saw starter Cade Klubnik play worse over the back half of the year.

He'll need to be on his A-game to outwit Kirby Smart and a star-studded Georgia roster on both sides of the ball. With some of our best sportsbooks hanging the Bulldogs at -12.5, this feels like a nice value before kickoff.

Best odds: -110 via Caesars | Implied probability: 52.38%

–– C Jackson Cowart (SBR | Twitter/X)

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Notre Dame vs. Texas A&M prediction: Under 46 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Both these defenses ranked top 20 in SP+ last season and both have several NFL talents on that side of the ball. Both starting QBs (Riley Leonard, Conner Weigman) are coming off injury plagued seasons and lost key offensive linemen to the NFL/transfer portal.

Our Shane Jackson looks at Leonard with his college football player props for Week 1.

Best odds: -110 via BetMGM | Implied probability: 52.38%

–– Rob Paul (SBR | Twitter/X)

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UCLA vs. Hawaii prediction: TJ Harden 80+ rushing yards ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Harden is poised to light Hawaii up after the Rainbow Warriors were 121st in SP+ on defense last season and gave up 170.9 yards per game on the ground. The UCLA back averaged 98 rushing yards per game over his final three games last year as he took on a large role.

Best odds: -110 via DraftKings | Implied probability: 52.38%

–– Rob Paul (SBR | Twitter/X)

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