College Football Betting — 2019 Week 1

The 150th college football season is about to get underway on Saturday. While we have a small appetizer of two games in what is known as Week 0, the rest of the action gets underway the following week. With that in mind, let’s take a look at what the Top 25 teams are up to this week:

Saturday, August 24th
Miami vs. No. 8 Florida (In Orlando)
Odds: Florida -7.5

The 2019 season’s first game is this one. Miami shocked some people by announcing that freshman Jarren Williams beat out Ohio State transfer Tate Martell for the starting quarterback job. Williams faces a tough task against a Florida defense, which is expected to be very strong this season. Florida quarterback Feleipe Franks made progress late last season, but now he has to show he can play at a high level for a full year.

Thursday, August 29th

Florida A&M at No. 17 UCF
Odds: UCF -45.5

The UCF Knights were hit by a key injury: Darriel Mack Jr., the quarterback who played in the Fiesta Bowl against LSU and won the 2018 AAC Championship Game, got knocked out. The Knights now have to adjust for the coming regular season. This game against Florida A&M won’t be hard, but their season just got a lot tougher because of the injury to Mack.

Georgia Tech at No. 1 Clemson
Odds: Clemson -33.5

This is the debut of the ACC Network on American TV, and it is also the debut of Georgia Tech head coach Geoff Collins, who comes from Temple to lead the Yellow Jackets. Clemson is the co-favorite to win the national title with Alabama and has the highest regular season win total on the board (11.5). They’re expected to roll here.

Texas State at No. 12 Texas A&M
Odds: Texas A&M -34

Texas A&M has a big showdown with Clemson next but first, they get a cupcake. The Aggies play one of the toughest schedules in the country, but here they get to ease into their season. They might be very bland on offense as not to tip their hand to much of what they’ll do in Week 2.

No. 14 Utah at BYU
Odds: Utah -5

The BYU-Utah game is usually very close, and Utah usually wins it. BYU got out to a big lead in the last game, but Utah made a furious second-half rally to win. Utah is picked by some to not only win the Pac-12 South Division, but win the Pac-12 and go to the Rose Bowl for the first time in program history. Utah has to be seen as the better team here, but rivalry games can get tricky. (ED NOTE: Here’s a handicapping tidbit about the Utah/BYU series from a Beehive State native. For as long as I can remember the road team has been the pointspread play. Case in point–Utah has covered 10 of the last 12 against BYU in Provo, BYU has covered 9 of the last 14 at Utah’s home field in Salt Lake City).

Friday, August 30th

Tulsa at No. 18 Michigan State
Odds: Michigan State -22.5

The State Spartans are a lot more experienced than last year’s very youthful group. Head coach Mark Dantonio will try to lift his team back to the top tier of the Big Ten and recreate the competitive nature of Big Ten football before the Spartans lost their way in recent seasons. They get an easy start to the season here. Tulsa was a disaster last season, winning just three times in 12 games.

No. 19 Wisconsin at South Florida
Odds: Wisconsin -13.5

The Badgers had a horrible 2019 season because quarterback Alex Hornibrook was awful but he is gone now. Wisconsin can start fresh and try to create a decent passing game to support the awesome running game provided by Heisman Trophy contender Jonathan Taylor. South Florida struggled last season and ending the year losing six straight after starting 7-0. They will try to take a step forward under coach Charlie Strong, who is looking for a signature win like this to get off the hot seat.

Saturday, August 31st

Florida Atlantic at No. 5 Ohio State
Odds: Ohio State -27.5

The Buckeyes are no longer coached by Urban Meyer as Ryan Day takes over. Everyone is waiting to see how he and new quarterback Justin Fields, a transfer from Georgia, work together in 2019. They probably won’t have to break much of a sweat in this spot as Lane Kiffin’s FAU squad is talented, but not up for this type of upset.

Northern Iowa at No. 21 Iowa State
Odds: NO LINE

Iowa State used to get a stiff challenge from Northern Iowa. That was back when the Cyclones were a doormat in the Big 12. They’ve improved to the point where some feel they could push for a 10-win season. They should be ready to win this game more comfortably.

South Alabama at No. 24 Nebraska
Odds: Nebraska -36

The Nebraska Cornhuskers are still a work in progress some feel they have a good chance to breakout in their second season under Scott Frost. We won’t learn much about them here as South Alabama is on the road and is generally a weak squad.

Eastern Washington at No. 13 Washington
Odds: NO LINE

The Washington Huskies need Georgia transfer Jacob Eason to be the real deal at quarterback. If he is, the Huskies can have a huge year. If not, they are in trouble. We’ll get our first look at them here but this won’t really tell us much as Eastern Washington won’t be close in this game.

Duke vs. No. 2 Alabama (in Atlanta)
Odds: Alabama -34.5

Alabama should not be tested here and bettors seem to agree. They opened -30.5 and are now up to -34.5. Tua Tagovailoa finished second to Kyler Murray of Oklahoma in the 2018 Heisman Trophy race and should duel Trevor Lawrence of Clemson for the award this year. Alabama crushed everything in its path last season, winning it’s 12 regular season games by 36.3 points per contest. No wonder the bettors like the Tide.

Idaho at No. 15 Penn State
Odds: NO LINE

We’re not going to see a line here as Idaho is expected to get pummeled. Penn State needs to find a new quarterback after the departure of Trace McSorley and this should be a glorified practice for them. The Nittany Lions will be picked to finish behind Ohio State and Michigan in most publications and by most football writers this year.

Northwestern at No. 25 Stanford
Odds: Stanford -6.5

This is one of the more intriguing games of Week 1 and is a good test for both teams. Northwestern usually starts slowly but a few years ago, it upset Stanford in Week 1. Stanford needs to show it can remain competitive with Washington and Oregon in the Pac-12 North. Their grip on power in the Pac-12 has slipped but a quality win will show that they can hang with the Ducks, Huskies and Utah Utes this year.

No. 22 Syracuse at Liberty
Odds: Syracuse -17.5

Syracuse won 10 games last year and could be one of the top teams in the ACC once again. The Orange have a new quarterback, Tommy DeVito, but he got a lot of experience last year and has a good chance to deliver a productive season. The transition could be smooth, which means Syracuse might push for 10 wins again.

No. 3 Georgia at Vanderbilt
Odds: Georgia -20.5

Georgia is the king of the SEC East until proven otherwise. They’re expected to be the primary competition for Alabama and Clemson this season. Vanderbilt is coming off a good year under Derek Mason – and they gave him a contract extension – but they have a brutal schedule this season. They also have to find answers at quarterback after losing Kyle Shurmur and that will be a challenge.

Georgia Southern at No. 6 LSU
Odds: LSU -28

LSU began the 2018 season as a team expected to win no more than 8 games. It overachieved, beating Georgia and Auburn and winning the Fiesta Bowl. Now LSU is expected to win 10 or 11 games. Let’s see how the Tigers handle the pressure. Things start easy with Georgia Southern, though.

Middle Tennessee at No. 7 Michigan
Odds: Michigan -33.5

The Michigan Wolverines are under more pressure than any other team in the Top 10. When will they finally win the Big Ten again, for the first time since 2004? When will they play the Rose Bowl again? They haven’t since 2007. When will they beat Ohio State again? Jim Harbaugh still hasn’t done that. Michigan has beaten Ohio State only once this decade. All the heat is on the Wolverines. There’s no heat on them in this game, though.

No. 11 Oregon vs. No. 16 Auburn (Arlington, Texas)
Odds: Auburn -3.5

This is the marquee matchup of Week 1. Oregon is a Pac-12 contender while Auburn has a realistic shot at a New Year’s Six bowl. Oregon has been trying to convince people for the last couple of years that they’ve arrived and this primetime spot gives them the opportunity. Auburn is trying to show that they haven’t fallen off under Gus Malzahn and that they’re still a quality team in the SEC. All eyes will be on Oregon quarterback Justin Herbert, who is expected to be a top-three NFL Draft pick in 2020.

Miami-Ohio at No. 20 Iowa
Odds: Iowa -21.5

The Hawkeyes should have a solid team but will they have a great team? Their offense needs to overachieve in order for that to happen. Their offense should look good in the opener against a Miami team that won just six games last season.

Louisiana Tech at No. 10 Texas
Odds: Texas -20.5

The 2019 season is one in which Texas might be ready to beat Oklahoma and win the Big 12 title for the first time this decade. Tom Herman and his staff helped the Longhorns push the Sooners for the Big 12 title last season and then beat Georgia in the Sugar Bowl. The Longhorns lost their opener to Maryland last year, so expect them to be focused in this spot.

New Mexico State at No. 23 Washington State
Odds: Washington State -32.5

The Washington State Cougars keep finding the right quarterback for their offense. Gardner Minshew graduated last year, so WSU has to start fresh this season. Their quarterbacks won’t have any issues bombing away against the Aggies in this spot.

Sunday, September 1st

Houston at No. 4 Oklahoma
Odds: Oklahoma -24.5

The Oklahoma Sooners lost Kyler Murray to the NFL, but Jalen Hurts transferred from Alabama. Lincoln Riley must maximize Hurts’ talents for the Sooners to win their fifth straight Big 12 title. Houston won eight games last year but ended the season having lost four of five. We’ll see if they can challenge Oklahoma here at all.

Monday, September 2nd

No. 9 Notre Dame at Louisville
Odds: Notre Dame -20.5

The Louisville Cardinals are beginning a complete rebuild under first-year coach Scott Satterfield. Notre Dame, who coming off a 12-1 season and returns with Ian Book under center, should not have many problems in this one.

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