College Football Picks Week 1 2023
The season got off to a nice start in week 0 as FIU +11.5 covered easily and the ML almost hit as well, Louisiana Tech scored a late touchdown to win the game. In even better news, my UMass Over 2 wins bet is marking very well after they soundly beat New Mexico State.
Preseason: +0.82 units
North Carolina State @ Connecticut (Thursday, 6:30 PM Central)
This is a bit of a weird game as UConn has not hosted many Power Five teams since they became an independent a few years ago. NC State was a bit of a disappointment last year with an 8-5 season after starting the year in the top 15. Now star QB Devin Leary has departed for Kentucky and the Wolfpack will take a big step back this year. UConn, on the other hand, was one of the stories of college football last year with a shocking bowl season and I like them to keep the momentum up this year.
Connecticut +14.5 -110 (3 units)
Connecticut ML +525 (0.5 units)
South Florida @ Western Kentucky (Saturday, 2:30 PM Central)
South Florida has gone through some lean years recently as they have only one win over an FBS team in the last 3 years. First year HC Alex Golesh steps into a much better situation with Power Five transfers on both sides of the ball and I think they have a 50/50 shot at a bowl this year. I’m pretty down on Western Kentucky this year as their front seven in particular will take a big step back from last year.
South Florida +11.5 -110 (3 units)
South Florida ML +350 (0.5 units)
Texas State @ Baylor (Saturday, 6 PM Central)
Texas State is undergoing a complete rehaul as former coach Jake Spavital tried to “get rich quick” and gambled on a bunch of junior college players without building for the future. I like the long term potential of this job but they might have the worst roster in FBS right now. I’m a bit bullish on Baylor this year and think they have a puncher’s chance at the Big 12 title game and they should roll here.
Baylor -27.5 -110 (2 units)
Nevada @ USC (Saturday, 6:30 PM Central)
Nevada was in the same boat as Texas State last year as Jay Norvell left for Colorado State and took almost the whole roster with him. They’ve had a chance to rebuild now and while they’re still a sub .500 team, this line treats them as a complete joke. USC’s defense is porous and the Wolf Pack can score enough on them to stop this from being a laugher.
Nevada +38 -110 (2 units)
Washington State @ Colorado State (Saturday, 6 PM Central)
This pick shouldn’t be much of a surprise given that I really like Colorado State this year. The Rams have one of the most talented rosters in the Mountain West, and given how hard it is to recruit at Washington State, the difference in talent between these two rosters is really not that large. Colorado State could make some noise this season and if they win this one they’ll have momentum going into a huge in-state clash against Deion Sanders’ Colorado in their next game.
Colorado State +11.5 -110 (1 unit)
Oregon State @ San Jose State (Sunday, 2:30 PM Central)
San Jose State’s stadium has undergone significant renovations and they’re celebrating its completion by hosting Pac-12 foe Oregon State. The Beavers are ranked in the preseason top 25 for the first time in over a decade but shouldn’t overlook this game- the Spartans have a great quarterback in Hawai’i transfer Chevan Cordeiro and are a contender for the Mountain West title. Oregon State has a great team this year but they’re not talented enough to be such a big road favorite over a decent SJSU squad.
San Jose State +16.5 -110 (1 unit)
Connecticut ML/South Florida ML +2712 (0.1 units)