Top College Football Parlay Picks Week 1

The 2016-17 College Football Playoff this year begins on Dec. 31 with the semifinal games in the Peach Bowl and Fiesta Bowl on New Year’s Eve. The national title game is Jan. 9 in Tampa, Fla. Teams aren’t going to obviously make the College Football Playoff in Week 1, but they could potentially get knocked out. Here are a few games in Week 1 that I would parlay together on college football betting lines. None of these teams are playoff contenders.

Betting Analysis on the Top College Football Parlay Picks Week 1

Oregon State at Minnesota (-7.5)

This game on Sept. 1 will be shown on the Big Ten Network. Oregon State was a huge disappointment last year in finishing 2-10 overall and winless in the Pac-12. The Beavers won two of their first three but then not again. They were one of the worst offense teams in the country and one of the worst on defense. So at least OSU was consistent. With last year’s starter Seth Collins moving to wide receiver, the new starting quarterback should be Utah State transfer Darell Garretson. In the spring game, he completed 21 of 32 passes for 263 yards and three touchdowns. In 2014, Garretson he threw for 1,140 yards, eight touchdowns and three interceptions in five games after Aggies starter Chuckie Keeton was sidelined with nagging knee problems. Garretson had to sit out last season. The Gophers finished last season at 6-7. New full-time head coach Tracy Cleays s let go offensive coordinator/offensive line coach Matt Limegrover and quarterbacks coach Jim Zebrowski. Jay Johnson was hired from Louisiana-Lafayette to run the offense and coach quarterbacks, while Bart Miller was tabbed to coach the line from Florida Atlantic. The Gophers lost defensive lineman Thieren Cockran and Scott Epke. They were two of the best in the conference and leave gaping holes in Minnesota’s front seven. Two starting cornerbacks also must be replaced. I like the Gophers here.

Indiana at Florida International (-4.5)

This game is Sept. 1 on ESPNU. It’s a rare Week 1 rematch from last season. The Hoosiers beat visiting FIU 36-22 on Sept. 12, 2015. After forcing two turnovers and producing two sacks, Jameel Cook Jr. took advantage of the pressure his teammates applied on FIU quarterback Alex McGough by picking off a fourth-and-goal pass and sprinting 96 yards to seal the win. Jordan Howard ran 27 times for 159 yards for Indiana — he’s now with the Chicago Bears. McGough was 21 of 37 for 249 yards with three TDs and one interception. Thomas Owens caught nine passes for 166 yards and two TDs — not enough to prevent the Panthers from falling to 0-9 all-time against Big Ten schools. FIU is coached by Ron Turner, who previously had coached another Big Ten team, Illinois. He’s gradually improved the FIU program from 1-11 in his first season to 5-7 last year. Indiana coach Kevin Wilson is on the hot seat and must replace a QB who set multiple school records (Nate Sudfeld), a halfback who ran for more than 1,200 yards (Howard) and a tackle who earned a prominent spot on NFL Draft boards (Jason Spriggs). The Hoosiers ended an eight-year bowl drought last season, but now comes a bigger challenge: earning back-to-back bowl trips for the first time in 25 seasons. Take Indiana on college football lines for an all-Big Ten parlay.