2017 College Football Picks And Week 1 Predictions

Can the perennially powerful Alabama Crimson Tide overcome their championship game loss against Clemson to reach the four-team playoff again in 2017? Will the Florida State Seminoles hand the Tide a loss when the two title hopefuls meet in their huge Week 1 showdown?Can Penn State and Stanford cover the NCAAF betting spread as whopping double-digit favorites against their lesser Week 1 opponents? The start of the 2017 NCAA college football season may still be months away from getting underway, but if you’re looking to get your new betting campaign off to a positive start, then you’ve clearly come to the right place as I offer up a quartet of expert Week 1 picks that are sure to please.

In Depth Analysis On The 2017 College Football Picks And Week 1 Predictions

  

Stanford vs. Rice

When: Saturday, August 26, 2017 at 10:00 PM ETWhere: Allianz Stadium, Sydney, AustraliaTV: ESPNNCAAF Odds: Stanford -33.5Analysis: The Rice Owls went 3-9 last season and has absolutely no chance of pulling off the upset win against the Stanford Cardinal in their opener in Australia, but I’m going to urge you to back the Owls to cover the spread simply because Stanford doesn’t have the most explosive offense around – not to mention the fact that they failed to cover as nearly identical 34-point underdogs against Rice last season.Pick: Rice Owls +33.5 Points

Akron vs. Penn State

When: Saturday, September 2 at 12:00 PM ETWhere: Beaver Stadium, University Park, PATV: ESPNNCAAF Odds: Penn State -35Analysis: I love Penn State running back Saquon Barkley and quarterback Trace McSorley and I believe both are primed for huge Heisman Trophy-contending seasons in 2017, but I just don’t see the Nittany Lions covering the spread as five touchdown favorites, seeing as how they’ve gone 0-4 ATS in their last four games as a favorite between 33.5 and 35 points.Pick: Akron +35 Points

Louisville vs. Purdue

When: Saturday, September 2, 7:30 PM ETWhere: Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, IndianaTV: FOXNCAAF Odds: Louisville -23.5Analysis: Louisville and Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Lamar Jackson are the easy pick to win and cash in as three-touchdown-plus home faves in Week 1 against a Purdue team that went 3-9 last season. Not only does Louisville have an unstoppable quarterback in Jackson and one of the most explosive offenses around, but the Cardinals are 3-1 ATS in their last four games as a favorite of 22 or 23 points.Pick: Louisville -23 Points

Florida State vs. Alabama

When: Saturday, September 2 at 7:00 PM ETWhere: Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, GATV: ABCNCAAF Odds: Alabama -6.5Analysis: The Alabama Crimson Tide and Florida State Seminoles will square off in the Chick-Fil-A Kickoff Classic in a matchup featuring two of the best young quarterbacks in the nation in Florida State signal-caller Deondre Francois and Alabama star Jalen Hurts.The Noles went 10-3 SU and 804 ATS last season and fell just short of reaching the four-team CFB Playoff while Alabama went 14-1 SU and and made it the national championship game before falling to Deshaun Watson and the Clemson Tigers 35-31.For this huge Week 1 showdown, I’m going to urge you to back Florida State to, not only cover the spread as near touchdown underdogs, but do so by winning outright.  Alabama lost a ton of talent on the defensive side of the ball and I believe that Florida State now has a great blueprint on how to beat the Tide, thanks to Watson and Clemson’s title game win to cap off the 2016 season.Deondre Francois was fantastic as a freshman last season in completing 58.8 percent of his passes for 3,350 yards with 20 TD passes and a modest seven interceptions. More importantly, Florida State has gone 3-0 ATS in their last three games as an underdog of 6.5 points or less.