College Football Week 1 Odds, Picks & Predictions (Thursday)

by BettingPros Staff |
Aug 30, 2023

College football is back! The 2023 college football season kicked off with an exciting but small Week 0 slate. Now the rest of the teams get to join in on the fun with the start of Week1. Weâ€™ll have you covered with all of our top picks for the week along with our projected spreads and totals to help guide your college football bets. Below are our top picks and predictions for Thursdayâ€™s Week 1 games.

Top College Football Week 1 Odds & Picks

Kent State vs. UCF

UCF is significantly better than Kent State, but spreads of more than five touchdowns in Week 1 are always tricky. With John Rhys Plumlee under center, the Knights are going to have no trouble putting points on the board against a rebuilding Kent State team. The only real question is how many points will Kent State score? With a gigantic question mark at quarterback, it is unlikley they will be able to do much, even against a defense that is far from great. While my initial instinct was to take the under, I also saw UCF put up 70 in a game last season. Theyâ€™re going to score at will in this one, and Kent State may not hit double figures.

Pick: UCF -36 (-110)

-Phil Wood

NC State vs. UConn

In an interesting matchup, North Carolina State will travel to Connecticut to take on the Huskies. UConn exceeded expectations by going 6-7 last year and qualifying for a bowl game for the first time since 2015. NC Stateâ€™s storyline in 2022 contrasted that. The Wolfpack had high hopes but finished the year just 8-5. They are expected to have a good defense again this year, ranked 22nd in SP+ Defense, but only rank 104th in returning defensive production per the same metric. On offense they will break in transfer QB Brennan Armstrong against a UConn defense that ranks in the top 100 of SP+. The Huskies return the second-most production on offense and sixth-most overall, but will start transfer QB Joe Fagnano from Maine. Regardless, Jim Mora is building something in Connecticut and that kind of consistency is key. This will be one of the biggest home games for the Huskies in a long time. They donâ€™t need to win the game, but UConn should cover against the Wolfpack and be another big step forward for the program.

Pick: UConn +14.5 (-110)

-Ryan Rodeman

Nebraska vs. Minnesota

The Nebraska Cornhuskers hired Matt Rhule to take over the program. It's been a terrible few years for a Cornhuskers team with a rich winning history. The offense brought in Jeff Sims to be the No. 1 quarterback. He transferred from Georgia Tech and has a lot of experience. He's also someone who can rush for another 1,000 yards this season. But he'll have to keep interceptions down against an excellent Minnesota defense. While Nebraska has a new quarterback, so does Minnesota. Tanner Morgan graduated after playing many years with the Golden Gophers. Therefore, it's Athan Kaliakmanis' team now. Kaliakmanis played a little bit last season, but he only completed 60 passes on 111 attempts. Neither offense is very intriguing heading into the 2023 season. However, Nebraska has the more experienced quarterback. They've also got more playmaking ability around Sims. I'll side with Nebraska and the seven points.

Pick: Nebraska +7 (-110)

-Jason Radowitz

Florida vs. Utah

The Florida Gators struggled with the No. 4 overall pick of the NFL Draft. Yes, Florida wasn't even good with Anthony Richardson at quarterback. So, what makes anyone think Graham Mertz will change the Florida offense this year? Mertz left Wisconsin when the new coaching staff came in. Luke Fickell didn't want him. Mertz has thrown ten or more interceptions in his last two seasons. On the other hand, there are questions regarding Utah QB Cam Rising's health. A week ago, it seemed likely that Rising would play. Now, the reports are that Rising is doubtful to suit up. Rising has thrown for nearly 50 touchdowns over the last two seasons. But now it is expected to be Bryson Barnes at quarterback. Barnes threw four touchdowns and two interceptions last season. However, he only went 10-for-19 against Penn State in a 35-21 loss in the Rose Bowl. Rising would be a significant loss for Utah. However, Utah still has the better pieces in place. Barnes is more familiar with Utah's offense than Mertz is with Florida's. And let's not forget that Florida lost to Oregon State, without Richardson, 30-3, in the bowl game last year. That's a comparable Pac-12 team. And sure, Florida didn't have all their players who elected to opt-out. But a 30-3 loss is embarrassing. No matter who the quarterback is, I'm taking Utah against the spread in this one.

Pick: Utah -4.5 (-110)