2024-2025 College Football Week 1 Betting Online
Week 1 is a sacred time for college football fans. The eternal nine-month offseason ends, and the start of the best regular season of any sport kicks off, only to end in a flash three months later. This year, Week 1 offers some good matchups, but offsetting that is far too many games between FCS and FBS programs. Amazingly, the television networks paying billions of dollars to college football allow for so many mismatches. Yet they do. Another poor decision is putting the name-brand showdown between Clemson and Georgia in the Saturday noon window instead of in prime time. But for college football fans desperate for the greatest sport of all, they will take all that bad for some of the very good. Officially, college football gets started with Week Zero, as for some unknown reason, the NCAA had four games scheduled for Saturday, August 24, but the real Week 1 games begin on Thursday, August 29 and conclude with games on Monday, September 2. As we look at NCAA Football Week 1 betting, we’ll preview the Thursday night game between the North Carolina Tar Heels and the Minnesota Gophers and two Saturday games, the Clemson Tigers vs. the Georgia Bulldogs and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs. the Texas A&M Aggies.
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2024-25 College Football Week 1 Schedule
Thursday, August 29, 2024
Howard at Rutgers | 6 p.m. | Big Ten Network
North Carolina A&T at Wake Forest | 7 p.m. | ESPN+/ACCNX
New Hampshire at UCF | 7 p.m. | Big 12/ESPN+
Western Carolina at NC State | 7 p.m. | ACC Network
Jackson State at UL Monroe | 7 p.m. | ESPN+
Lafayette at Buffalo | 7 p.m. | ESPN+
Fordham at Bowling Green | 7 p.m. | ESPN+
Central Connecticut at Central Michigan | 7 p.m. | ESPN+
Arkansas-Pine Bluff at Arkansas | 7:30 p.m. | ESPNU
Duquesne at Toledo | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN+
North Carolina at Minnesota | 8 p.m. | FOX
One of the most competitive games in Week 1 college football should be this one with the Minnesota Gophers listed as a 1-point favorite against the North Carolina Tar Heels. Last season, when Drake Maye and the Tar Heel offense took over the Gopher attack found it difficult to get going and North Carolina defeated Minnesota 31–13. This season, things might be very different. This should be a better matchup because the Golden Gophers' attack seems superior and the Tar Heels could use some defensive support.
Even without Drake Maye, North Carolina's offense will still be very good. The receiving corps is stocked with quick weapons. Omarion Hampton is perhaps the best running back in the country, and Max Johnson is a capable veteran who can fill in and play quarterback.
The passing attack is where the Golden Gophers differentiate themselves from previous teams. Minnesota was unable to defeat the Tar Heels last year through the air. To what extent was it bad? Now at Rutgers, Athan Kaliakmanis completed 11 of 29 throws for 133 yards and a touchdown. Max Brosmer, a dangerous New Hampshire playmaker, enters. He has a strong group of receivers to work with and a solid backfield rotation to relieve pressure.
North Carolina won the battle of possession time last year. The Gophers looked to have the ball less often than not, and Maye was excellent on third downs. Under PJ Fleck, Minnesota doesn't typically operate like that. The Big Ten team will look the part at home in front of a national audience by increasing offensive pressure and maintaining greater control to prevent the Tar Heel attack from getting on the field.
Murray State at No. 11 Missouri | 8 p.m. | SEC Network
North Dakota State at Colorado | 8 p.m. | ESPN
Lindenwood at No. 22 Kansas | 8 p.m. | Big 12/ESPN+
Coastal Carolina at Jacksonville State | 8 p.m. | CBSSN
Alcorn State at UAB | 8 p.m. | ESPN+
SE Louisiana at Tulane | 8 p.m. | ESPN+
Northwestern State at Tulsa | 8 p.m. | ESPN+
Southern Utah at No. 12 Utah | 9 p.m. | Big 12/ESPN+
Eastern Illinois at Illinois | 9 p.m. | Big Ten Network
Friday, August 30, 2024
Lehigh at Army | 6 p.m. | CBSSN
Temple at No. 16 Oklahoma | 7 p.m. | ESPN
Florida Atlantic at Michigan State | 7 p.m. | Big Ten Network
Elon at Duke | 7:30 p.m. | ACC Network
Western Michigan at Wisconsin | 9 p.m. | Big Ten Network
TCU at Stanford | 10:30 p.m. | ESPN
Saturday, August 31, 2024
Clemson vs. Georgia (Atlanta, GA) | 12 p.m. | ABC
The Georgia Bulldogs are nearly a two-touchdown favorite against the Clemson Tigers on Saturday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. The Tigers finished a somewhat disappointing season in which they did not record double-digit victories for the first time since 2010 but they are still the 14th-ranked squad in the country. Georgia was on a collision course for a third consecutive national championship last year for the majority of the season until Alabama beat the Bulldogs 27-24 in the SEC Championship Game.
Carson Beck, the Heisman Trophy front-runner and returning senior quarterback, leads a talented Bulldog team. In his first season as the starting quarterback for the Bulldogs last year, Beck passed for 3,941 yards and 24 touchdowns while also scoring four on the ground.
Beck lost tight end Brock Bowers, wide receiver Ladd McConkey, running backs Kendall Milton and Daijun Edwards to the NFL Draft, but Georgia still boasts a strong offensive backfield led by Trevor Etienne, a transfer from Florida, and wide receivers Dominic Lovett and Dillon Bell.
Anytime Georgia's defense takes the field, it will be easy to see how dominant they are. Under Kirby Smart, the Bulldogs have been turning out defensive players of NFL talent for years. Last year, they finished fifth in the country in points allowed per game.
Preseason All-American defensive backs Mykel Williams and Malaki Starks lead Georgia's defense after the team produced excellent pass rushers for the previous two years.
After losing to Duke 28-7 in Week 1, the Tigers were essentially ruled out of the postseason discussion last year. Following that first-game shock defeat to the Blue Devils, they went on to finish the season 9-4. Led by a strong defense, Clemson appears capable of making it to the College Football Playoffs this year. The Tigers had 28 interceptions, four defensive touchdowns, and were seventh in terms of yards-against per game (278.7) last season. This season, Clemson's defense is ranked sixth in FBS to begin the year.
The Tigers should have enough offensive skill and a strong defense to contend for the ACC and CFP regular-season championships. However, Clemson's questionable offense, which will be headed by starter quarterback Cade Klubnik in his second year, will determine if the team can stay with Georgia in this contest.
After D.J. Uiagalelei was replaced by Klubnik last season, Klubnik passed for 2,844 yards and 19 touchdowns. Replacing drafted running back Will Shipley should not be too difficult for Clemson, since returning back Phil Mafah actually led the Tigers in both rushing yards (965) and touchdowns (13), as well. Despite this, the Tigers' offense was not very strong; they finished the previous season ranked 51st in points per game (29.8) and 43rd in running yards per game (174.3) among FBS teams. Coach Dabo Swinney's philosophy of developing with in-house prospects continues to hurt Clemson, which once again did not add anyone through the transfer portal.
Virginia Tech vs. Vanderbilt (Nashville, TN) | 12 p.m. | ESPN
Illinois State at Iowa | 12 p.m. | Big Ten Network
Austin Peay at Louisville | 12 p.m. | ACC Network
Indiana State at Purdue | 12 p.m. | Big Ten Network
Kent State at Pitt | 12 p.m. | ESPNU
Bucknell at Navy | 12 p.m. | CBSSN
UConn at Maryland |12 p.m. | FS1
Florida International at Indiana | 12 p.m. | Big Ten Network
Penn State at West Virginia | 12 p.m. | FOX
Chattanooga at Tennessee | 12:45 p.m. | SEC Network
South Dakota State at Oklahoma State | 2 p.m. | Big 12/ESPN+
Towson at Cincinnati | 2:30 p.m. | Big 12/ESPN+
Miami (Fla.) at Florida | 3:30 p.m. | ABC
Colorado State at Texas | 3:30 p.m. | ESPN
Eastern Michigan at UMass | 3:30 p.m. | ESPN+
East Tennessee State at Appalachian State | 3:30 p.m. | ESPN+
North Dakota at Iowa State | 3:30 p.m. | FS1
Ohio at Syracuse | 3:30 p.m. | ACC Network
Kennesaw State at UTSA | 3:30 p.m. | ESPN+
Merrimack at Air Force | 3:30 p.m. | CBSSN
UTEP at Nebraska | 3:30 p.m. | FOX
Western Illinois at Northern Illinois | 3:30 p.m. | ESPN+
Akron at Ohio State | 3:30 p.m. | CBS
Miami (Ohio) at Northwestern | 3:30 p.m. | Big Ten Network
Boise State at Georgia Southern | 4 p.m. | ESPNU
Old Dominion at South Carolina | 4:15 p.m. | SEC Network
Stony Brook at Marshall | 5 p.m. | ESPN+
UC Davis at Cal | 5 p.m. | ESPN+/ACCNX
North Texas at South Alabama | 5 p.m. | ESPN+
Eastern Kentucky at Mississippi State | 6 p.m. | ESPN+/SECN+
Campbell at Liberty | 6 p.m. | ESPN+
Richmond at Virginia | 6 p.m. | ESPN+/ACCNX
Norfolk State at East Carolina | 6 p.m. | ESPN+
Western Kentucky at Alabama | 7 p.m. | ESPN
Furman at Ole Miss | 7 p.m. | ESPN+/SECN+
Central Arkansas at Arkansas State | 7 p.m. | ESPN+
Bethune-Cookman at South Florida | 7 p.m. | ESPN+
Tarleton State at Baylor | 7 p.m. | Big 12/ESPN+
UNLV at Houston | 7 p.m. | FS1
UT Martin at Kansas State | 7 p.m. | Big 12/ESPN+
Tennessee Tech at Middle Tennessee | 7 p.m. | ESPN+
Sam Houston at Rice | 7 p.m. | ESPN+
Nevada at Troy | 7 p.m. | ESPN+
North Alabama at Memphis | 7 p.m. | ESPN+
Alabama A&M at Auburn | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN+/SECN+
Notre Dame at Texas A&M | 7:30 p.m. | ABC
The college football season's first week is always intense, and this year is no exception. A matchup between No. 7 Notre Dame and No. 20 Texas A&M is the main event on Saturday night's schedule. It starts at 7:30 p.m. ET on ABC with the Texas A&M Aggies listed as a 3-point favorite against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish with a total of 45.5.
After finishing 10-3 in 2023, the Fighting Irish made it into the preseason top 10 for the fifth time in the previous six years. Riley Leonard, a transfer quarterback, may be a candidate for the Heisman Trophy, while the Notre Dame defense should be excellent.
On the other side, the Aggies, coming off a 7-6 season the previous year, will be hoping to move past a poor year. Mike Elko, an A&M defensive coordinator and former head coach of Duke, is in charge on the sidelines, and an enhanced offensive line might be the difference for the Aggies this season.
The question on Saturday that might decide the contest is whether or not Leonard receives the protection he needs to exploit the Aggies secondary. Although the Irish have a history of turning out All-Pro offensive lineman, their current squad is very young.
Shemar Turner of A&M might be in for a big day. The Irish have one of the best defenses in the country, and players like Benjamin Morrison and Xavier Watts should handle the A&M offense. We could see a low scoring contest on Saturday night.
Fresno State at Michigan | 7:30 p.m. | NBC
Idaho at Oregon | 7:30 p.m. | Big Ten Network
UCLA at Hawai'i | 7:30 p.m. | CBS
Abilene Christian at Texas Tech | 7:30 p.m. | Big 12/ESPN+
Southern Miss at Kentucky | 7:45 p.m. | SEC Network
Southern Illinois at BYU | 8 p.m. | Big 12/ESPN+
Georgia State at Georgia Tech | 8 p.m. | ACC Network
Houston Christian at SMU | 8 p.m. | ESPN+/ACCNX
Grambling at Louisiana | 8 p.m. | ESPN+
Nicholls at Louisiana Tech | 8 p.m. | ESPN+
James Madison at Charlotte | 8 p.m. | ESPNU
Lamar at Texas State | 8 p.m. | ESPN+
Southeast Missouri State at New Mexico State | 9 p.m. | ESPN+
New Mexico at Arizona | 10:30 p.m. | ESPN
Wyoming at Arizona State | 10:30 p.m. | FS1
Weber State at Washington | 11 p.m. | Big Ten Network
Sunday, September 1, 2024
North Carolina Central vs. Alabama State (Miami Gardens, FL) | 3 p.m. | ESPN
USC vs. LSU (Las Vegas) | 7:30 p.m. | ABC
Monday, September 2, 2024
Boston College at Florida State | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN
2024-2025 College Football Schedule
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