The first full week of the 2024 college football season is upon us, and the Week 1 college football schedule is loaded with must-see matchups. The anticipated showdowns include No. 14-ranked Clemson visiting top-ranked Georgia, No. 7-ranked Notre Dame visiting No. 20-ranked Texas A&M and an in-state rivalry as the No. 19-ranked Miami Hurricanes meet the Florida Gators. The Bulldogs are favored by 13.5 in their matchup with the Tigers in Atlanta and the Hurricanes are 2.5-point road favorites over the Gators in the latest Week 1 college football odds.
Meanwhile, Texas A&M is a 2.5-point favorite over Notre Dame at home and No. 8 Penn State is an 8.5-point favorite on the road against West Virginia. So which side should you be backing in those high-profile matchups, and what other Week 1 college football lines should you be targeting for your Week 1 college football bets? Before locking in any Week 1 college football picks, be sure to see the top Week 1 college football expert picks, predictions and best bets from Thomas Casale.
A frequent guest on national radio and TV shows to discuss college sports, Casale has been betting — and winning — for more than 30 years. Over the past two college football seasons, Casale is 122-92-5 (57%) overall on his college football picks and 26-8 (76.4%) in bowl games — all publicly documented. Anybody who has followed him is way up.
Now, he has turned his attention to the Week 1 college football odds and is sharing his top three best bets over at SportsLine. If you parlay them together, you could be looking at a return of around 6-1. Get his top college football picks at SportsLine.
Top Week 1 college football expert predictions
One of Casale’s top Week 1 college football picks: He’s backing Nebraska (-27) to roll against rebuilding UTEP on Saturday (3:30 p.m. ET). Matt Rhule went 5-7 in his first season as the Cornhuskers head coach, improving by a game over Scott Frost and Mickey Joseph going 4-8 in 2022. However, Rhule’s defense was one of the best in the nation, allowing only 18.2 points per game to rank 13th nationally and now they’ll welcome most of that squad back.
“I get it, you are a little uneasy about laying four touchdowns with Nebraska. Here’s the thing: The only person higher on the Cornhuskers this season than I am is Matt Rhule,” Casale told SportsLine. “I absolutely love this Nebraska squad. The Huskers return seven starters from last year’s top-15 defense and now have a quarterback who can actually complete a forward pass in former five-star recruit Dylan Raiola. Raiola is a true freshman, but he is the most talented passer Nebraska has recruited in recent memory.” See what other picks Casale likes at SportsLine.
How to make Week 1 college football picks
Casale has also found two other college football picks he loves, including backing a team that “has a significant edge in the trenches” in one of the week’s biggest matchups. You can only see his picks at SportsLine.
What are the best bets for Week 1 of college football, and which team has a big edge in the trenches? Visit SportsLine now to see Thomas Casale’s college football best bets, all from a proven college football handicapper who has gone 26-8 on bowl games the past two seasons, and find out.
