Betting College Football Games in Week 1 on the Most Anticipated

Are you aware that the 2024 college football regular season is now less than a full month away – it starts on Aug. 24.

Here’s a look at three of the most anticipated matchups in Week 1 around the nation with odds and a pick.

Clemson vs Georgia (-13.5)

Seeing Clemson as a near two-touchdown underdog is definitely unusual. This game kicks off at noon ET on Aug. 31 from Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta and shown on ABC.

Georgia likely will be preseason No. 1 in both polls when those come out soon despite missing the College Football Playoff last year.

It’s not like the Bulldogs, who had been two-time defending national champions, were a bad team as their only loss came in the SEC title game, 27-24 to Alabama, and that was enough to get the Tide into the playoff and knock UGA out.

The Bulldogs bring back one of the country’s top quarterbacks and a top Heisman candidate in Carson Beck.

He was second-team All-SEC last year in starting all 14 games. Beck ranked third nationally and first in the SEC in passing yards (3,941), as well as fourth in the nation in completion percentage (.724).

Beck did lose arguably the nation’s top tight end in Brock Bowers, who was an NFL first-round pick.

But Georgia added former Florida running back Travis Etienne Jr. he ran for 1,472 yards and 14 touchdowns in his two seasons with the Gators, and he can catch, too.

Clemson, once a top program, has declined in the last three seasons with at least three losses each year. In 2020, they finished 9-4, their fewest wins since 2010 under Coach Swinney.

Five straight wins to end the 2023 season should give Clemson confidence.

But what is the Tigers’ ceiling? They have been an AP preseason top-10 team the past three years but finished no higher than No. 13 in the final poll during that span.

These teams last met to open the 2021 season in Charlotte and Georgia won 10-3.

It has won seven of the past eight in the series but this spread is too high.

NCAAF Pick: Clemson ATS

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Miami at Florida (+2.5)

These rivals should play every year but they rarely do play. It’s a big season for both head coaches in Billy Napier of Florida and Mario Cristobal of Miami as both have underachieved so far.

Cristobal probably is safe barring an utter disaster this year, but Napier is definitely on a hot seat.

UF does return star QB Graham Mertz.

Miami did very well in the transfer market again, especially by landing former Washington State QB Cam Ward and former Oregon State running back Damien Martinez.

Ward spent the previous two seasons at Washington State after playing the first two years of career at Incarnate Word.

He started all 25 games of career at WSU with 6,963 passing yards and 48 touchdowns compared to 16 interceptions.

Cam also had 13 rushing touchdowns. Martinez rushed for 1,185 yards and nine scores last year with OSU.

He helped Oregon State to 18 wins over his two seasons — one more than it had as a program from 2017 to ’22.

NCAAF Pick: Miami ATS

USC vs LSU (-6)

Lone game on Sunday, Sept. 1 with a kickoff of 7:30 p.m. ET from Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. Both must replace Heisman Trophy-winning QBs.

In 2023, Moss completed 46-of-65 passes (70.8%) for 681 yards and 7 TDs with just 1 INT, plus he rushed for 32 yards on 4 carries (8.0 avg.) and scored 2 TDs while seeing action in five games with one start.

That game in the Holiday Bowl when Williams opted to prepare for the draft.

Moss was named the game’s MVP, setting the record for most TD passes thrown in a Holiday Bowl (6), most TD passes thrown in a USC bowl game (6), most TD passes thrown by a USC QB is his first Trojan start (6) and tied the Pac-12 Bowl Game passing TD record (6).

Garrett Nussmeier is set to take over for Daniels.

For his career, he has completed 129-of-219 passes for 1,720 yards, 11 TDs and 7 interceptions.

NCAAF Pick: LSU ATS

NCAAF Week 1 Schedule

Week Zero: Saturday, Aug. 24
SMU at Nevada
Montana State at New Mexico
Delaware State at Hawaii
Week 1: Thursday, Aug. 29 to Sunday, Sept. 1
North Carolina at Minnesota
Clemson vs. Georgia
Miami (FL) at Florida
Notre Dame at Texas A&M
Penn State at West Virginia
Georgia State at Georgia Tech
North Dakota State at Colorado
South Dakota State at Oklahoma State
LSU vs. Southern California
North Carolina Central vs. Alabama State

We're in the game now…🎮

…and in five weekends, we'll be back on the field.

Five more Saturdays until college football returns!#CFBPlayoff 🏈🏆 pic.twitter.com/CkAB7XRKAM
— College Football Playoff (@CFBPlayoff) July 20, 2024