2026 Week 1 College Football Odds

Every Top 25 team is in action in week 1, giving fans plenty of choices for their college football picks this weekend. Games are spread between Thursday and Monday, too, setting up an exciting five-day CFB slate. 

Keep reading to see my college football picks for week 1 of the season. I will tell you my favorite picks of the week and detail the latest odds for every ranked team. 

Week 1 College Football Odds (Top 25)

Lucky Rebel provided the following week 1 college football odds. 

#1 Ohio State opens the season against Ball State, and top college football betting sites have the Buckeyes laying 51.0 points in Week 1. The Buckeyes are one of the heaviest favorites of the weekend with markets that you can still wager on. 

Several ranked teams, including #25 Missouri, #21 Utah, and #3 Georgia, are such heavy favorites that their betting markets have closed. 

#16 Michigan is the heaviest moneyline favorite still available at Lucky Rebel at -20000 for the Wolverines matchup against Western Michigan. Their odds imply a 99.50% win probability.

The only ranked-vs.-ranked matchup in Week 1 pits #24 Louisville against #9 Ole Miss. The Rebels are -275 moneyline favorites against the visiting Cardinals. Louisville is getting 7.0 points as the underdog on Sunday. 

Lucky Rebel has competitive odds for the AP Top 25 matchups this week. Read our free Lucky Rebel review to learn more about this NCAAF sportsbook. 

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Best Week 1 College Football Picks

Here are my college football predictions for week 1, including my favorite moneyline picks, ATS predictions, and upset selections available at the best football betting sites. 

Straight Up/ML Picks

• #23 Houston (-1800)
• #14 USC (-1100)
• #4 Notre Dame (-1800)

#23 Houston opens the season as a -1800 favorite at home against the visiting Oregon State Beavers. Cougars QB Conner Weigman racked up 700 rushing yards last year, and the Beavers allowed nearly 160 YPG on the ground in 2025. Weigman’s rushing ability will be key to Houston’s ability to open the season with a win. 

The Trojans opened the year with a win over San Jose State in week 0; however, as predicted, they did not cover the 39-point spread. USC also remained firmly planted at #14 in the AP Top 25. The Trojans are -1100 favorites over visiting Fresno State and will improve to 2-0, hopefully in front of a better home crowd than last week. 

Rounding out my college football moneyline picks for week 1 is Notre Dame at -1800. The Fighting Irish, who could go undefeated this year, open their season at home against Wisconsin on Sunday. The Badgers won just four games last season, and they have not beaten Notre Dame since 1963. 

Best ATS Picks

• Boise State +24.5 (-110)
• Washington State +23.0 (-110)
• #16 Michigan -27.5 (-115)

There are a lot of large spreads involving Top 25 teams in week 1, but there is still value available if you know where to look. 

One underdog who should cover the spread is Boise State, which is getting 24.5 points against #2 Oregon. The Ducks have a great roster, but they lost many of their playmakers from last year. Boise State, on the other hand, should be a fringe playoff contender this season and keep the game within 24 points even in a loss. 

Another underdog that can cover a large spread this weekend is Washington State, which plays in-state rival #17 Washington. The Huskies are the superior team, but they are laying 23.0 points on Sunday. Washington averaged over 34 PPG while allowing over 18 PPG, so a 23-point spread could be too big to cover. 

#16 Michigan is favored by 27.5 points against Western Michigan this weekend. The Broncos averaged nearly 25 PPG last year, but they were shut out by Illinois in their only matchup with a ranked opponent. Four touchdowns is a big spread, but Michigan’s defense will shut down the Western Michigan offense and cover the spread this weekend. 

Top CFB Upset Picks

• Clemson (+305)
• #24 Louisville (+225)
• Florida State (+135)

Clemson leads my picks for upsets in week 1 of the 2026 college football season. It is a +305 underdog against #11 LSU, which could have former NFL players on its roster this Saturday. 

LSU’s offseason has been full of distractions, and the school is at odds with the SEC. Dabo Swinney and Clemson, on the other hand, have the entire college football world behind them this weekend. Clemson is extra motivated, and LSU will crumble under the immense pressure on Saturday. 

#24 Louisville (+225) is the only ranked team not favored this weekend, as the Cardinals face #9 Ole Miss (-275). Both teams had solid defenses last year, allowing around 21 PPG each. Louisville’s offense could improve on its 30 PPG from last season now that Lincoln Kienholz is under center, allowing the Cardinals to pull off the week 1 upset. 

My final upset pick of the weekend is Florida State, which is listed as a +135 underdog against #19 SMU (-160) on Monday. FSU won last weekend, taking down New Mexico State 34-17 in a game that was closer than the final score suggests. Still, the Seminoles were able to shake the rust off and build momentum that should carry them to another win this week. 

Top Week 1 College Football Prop Bets

• #14 USC -9.5 in the 1st half (-175)
• #7 Miami -6.5 in the 1st quarter (-135)
• East Carolina vs. #15 Alabama over 52.5 total points

#14 USC had a 28-0 halftime lead last week against San Jose State, and the Trojans are well-positioned to start quick again this weekend with Fresno State coming to town. With that in mind, I like USC -9.5 in the first half on Saturday. 

#7 Miami is also favored this week and is listed at -135 to cover a 6.5-point spread in the first quarter. The Hurricanes lost multiple stars to the NFL, but they retooled and have the talent to score early and often against Stanford. 

East Carolina vs. #15 Alabama has a total points of over/under 52.5 at college football betting sites. The Crimson Tide is favored by 28.0 points and will need to score in bunches to cover the spread. If Alabama covers, the total should easily exceed 52.5 points.  

Betting on College Football in Week 1

Lucky Rebel is the best betting site for wagering on your week 1 college football predictions. It has competitive odds for dozens of games this weekend, including matchups featuring Top 25 teams. 

Sign up for a Lucky Rebel account today to shop the latest CFB week 1 odds and wager on your favorite lines. New members can get up to $1,250 in bonus funds with the sportsbook’s welcome bonus deposit match.