NCAA Football Predictions: Week 1 Opening Line Report, Best Bets and Picks

by Cameron McQuade - 8/30/2022

NCAA football predictions and opening line report Week 1 Chance Bell San Diego State Aztecs

College football is officially underway. With Week 0 wrapped up, we are officially ready for the “real deal’ come the Sept. 1. Saturday had no Top 25 teams playing but had some interesting games. The Huskers had yet another single-digit loss under Scott Frost, Florida State killed Duquesne, and Vanderbilt put up 63 vs Hawaii’s 10. Other games had wide margin scoring, and only the die-hard college football fans would have tuned into those games.

Week 1 of college football features only three games between ranked tea: Georgia vs Oregon, Notre Dame vs Ohio State and Arkansas vs Cincinnati. Outside the world’s favorite ranked matchups, there are a ton of games to bet on. That’s why every Monday/Tuesday I will be here throughout the season to give you all my thoughts and opinions on the upcoming week.

Doc’s Sports offers college football picks for every game on our college football predictions page.

Cam’s College 3 Best Bets

Penn State (-3.5) at Purdue (+3.5) Thursday, 8 p.m. EST

This is a Big Ten road opener for Penn State. I don’t believe Purdue’s offense is going to keep up the momentum from their amazing second half last year. Penn State’s defense is slated to have a good year and will come up with big stops throughout the game. Since 2000, the teams have played 12 times, with 10 of the victories going to Penn State. In the most recent six games, Penn State is 6-0, and they won last meeting on 05/10/2019 35-7. Penn State has averaged 28.25 points per game, while Purdue averages 15.58 points per matchup between one another. This should be a high scoring affair, and I believe Penn State will repeat history and win + cover the -3.5-spread come Thursday.

Pick: Penn State -3.5

Arizona (+6) at San Diego State (-6) Saturday 3:30 p.m. EST

This game is a rematch from last year, as on 11/09/2021 San Diego State beat Arizona, 38-14, snapping their prior 0-2 record they accumulated in the series in the early 2000s. The Aztecs also have a big “outside” factor coming into Saturday. They will be playing their first home game in their brand new multi-million-dollar Snapdragon Stadium. They go from playing for the locals in Carson, California, to having a state-of-the-art stadium. The storyline is there for a big home opening, housewarming party win. San Diego’s defense, like Penn State, will be difficult to overcome on Saturday, and will have many third down stops vs. Arizona. I predict the Aztecs to win by double digits, let alone their -6 spread.

Pick: San Diego State -6

Liberty (-3.5) vs Southern Miss (+3.5) Saturday 7 p.m. EST

Meeting for the second time in school history, the Liberty Flames look to repeat the success they had in 2020 vs Southern Miss. Back on October 24, 2020, the Flames beat Southern Miss 56-35 in an easy win. Liberty is coming off a great 2021 season, while the Golden Eagles come off a 3-9 year. Looking at the betting trends for each team, the Flames are 15-6 ATS in their last 21 games, while the Golden Eagles are 3-7 in their last 10 games, and 1-4 ATS in their last 5 home games. I believe Liberty wins on the road by 4 and covers the -3.5 spread.

Pick: Liberty -3.5

Other Picks I really like:

Florida (+3) to cover vs No. 7 Utah.

Oregon (+17) to cover vs powerhouse Georgia.

Arkansas (-6) beats Cincinnati by double digits.

Get college football picks on every single game, or if you want our very best bet premium picks by the experts, sign up for your free $60 account with a guarantee.

Start:	November 23, 2024 @ 2:30 PM
Expert:	Tony George
Free $60 Account Sign Up

NCAA Football Predictions: Week 1 Opening Line Report, Best Bets and Picks

Most Recent College Football Handicapping