College Football Expert Picks: Best Bets for Week 1

You want some fun games on Saturday?

You got it.

College football is kicking things off with a bang with several massive matchups between preseason top-25 teams on the docket.

And, at least according to FanDuel Research's college football staff, there's betting value to be had.

Below are our writers' favorite bets across college football in Week 1 based on FanDuel Sportsbook's college football betting odds. And plenty of them just so happen to come from those premier matchups.

Let's dive in and see where they're seeing value.

College Football Week 1 Expert Betting Picks

Austin Swaim, Senior Editor

Spread/Moneyline: LSU -4.5 (-105) at USC

The LSU Tigers and USC Trojans seem primed for a shootout in Sin City on Monday, but I see LSU pulling away.

Brian Kelly's group was uncharacteristically poor on defense a year ago, but that youth has turned to nine upperclassmen and two experienced sophomores, led by stud pass rusher Harold Perkins Jr. Meanwhile, USC has five new starters on that side of the ball.

LSU also seems to deliver a more known offensive product here with returning starter Garrett Nussmeier. Nussmeier has had a passer rating of 139.5 or better in consecutive bowl starts, sitting behind reigning Heisman winner Jayden Daniels. USC's Miller Moss had similar success in last year's Holiday Bowl, but the sample is smaller.

This game should come down to the running game to protect fragile defenses. A hallmark of Kelly's offense for years, LSU's 6.2 YPA led all 133 FBS schools last year with this same crew of tailbacks. USC was 29th (4.8 YPA) and lost MarShawn Lloyd to the NFL Draft. Look for the Tigers to establish the line of scrimmage and win comfortably.

Total: Clemson-Georgia Under 48.5 Points (-110)

With two returning quarterbacks and a bulk of each team's defensive starters, the Clemson Tigers and Georgia Bulldogs are favorites to win their respective conferences. We shouldn't expect much scoring from their head-to-head matchup.

While UGA's efficiency (7.1 yards per play) was awesome a year ago under Carson Beck, this is a team notorious for taking air out of the football. They were 120th of 133 FBS schools in seconds per play, and they should at least meet some resistance for a perennially excellent Clemson D, who was 12th in opponent yards per play (4.7) last year.

Georgia was 10th in that regard (4.7) by a rounding difference, so we're dealing with two excellent, experienced defenses. For what Clemson might make up for in tempo (42nd in seconds per play last year), this is an offense that hasn't found its footing since Trevor Lawrence departed. They were 103rd in yards per play (4.9) last season with a comparable returning cast.

Add in college football's clock changes that allow for fewer stoppages, and this game could breeze by without many points.

Riley Thomas, Writer

Spread/Moneyline: Miami (FL) -2.5 (-110) at Florida

Yes, The Swamp is one of the loudest atmospheres in CFB, but the Miami (FL) Hurricanes have the veterans to weather the storm. The Florida Gators had one of the worst defenses in American last season, giving up 8.5 yards per passing attempt (bottom 7%) and 5.1 yards per rushing attempt (bottom 12%).

Meanwhile, Miami added the fourth-best transfer quarterback in Cam Ward and the second-best transfer running back, Damien Martinez, per 247 Sports' transfer portal rankings. The Gators finished 112th in Pro Football Focus' coverage grade a season ago. The Canes' offense could prove to be too much led by Ward, who recorded an 80.2 player grade and 77.5 passing grade in 2023.

Total: Clemson Under 17.5 Points (-118) vs. Georgia

The Clemson Tigers' offense has simply not been the same in recent years, and quarterback Cade Klubnik is still a question mark after posting a mediocre 63.9 passing grade in 2023. Clemson's interior offensive line remains a concern for 2024.

Meanwhile, the Georgia Bulldogs remain the prime example of elite defense. Coach Dabo Swinney continues to completely ignore the transfer portal, failing to the bring in one player. I'm expecting the Tigers' offense to struggle against Georgia's nasty defense.

Skyler Carlin Writer

Spread/Moneyline: Georgia -12.5 (-105)

Consider me skeptical of the Clemson Tigers to begin the 2024 season as quarterback Cade Klubnik ranked just 69th in QBR (58.4) in 2023. Can a Klubnik-led offense keep up against a motivated Georgia Bulldogs defense that surrendered the fifth-fewest points per game (15.64) a season ago?

On the flip side, Georgia has quarterback Carson Beck -- who had the seventh-best QBR (85.2) in 2023 -- returning for his fifth season, and he has plenty of weapons to dish the ball to despite losing Brock Bowers and Ladd McConkey to the NFL. Clemson was just 2-3 against the spread (ATS) on the road last season, and they won't have enough answers to keep the game within single digits with this game in Atlanta versus arguably the best team in college football.

Total: Virginia Tech-Vanderbilt Over 48.5 (-105)

Saturday's bout between the Virginia Tech Hokies and Vanderbilt Commodores could be more exciting than some expect as both teams will have dual-threat quarterbacks operating their respective offenses. Virginia Tech will have Kyron Drones starting under center for a second straight year after totaling 22 touchdowns in 2023, and he'll have his two leading receivers (Da'Quan Felton and Jaylin Lane) and leading running back (Bhayshul Tuten) from a season ago returning this year.

As for the Commodores, they landed New Mexico State transfer quarterback Diego Pavia, who accounted for 33 total touchdowns in 2023. Virginia Tech went 9-4 to the over in 2023 while Vanderbilt went 9-3 to the over, and both teams have the pieces to be better offensive units in 2024.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.