College Football Preview: 5 Games Week 1 You Can't Miss

We’re less than a month away from the start of the college football season, and I can barely wait.

Here are the top five games of Week 1, starting on Thursday, August 31, and running through Monday, September 3.

7:30 p.m. ET (FOX) Sunday – September 3

Win Totals: LSU 9.5 (O-114/U-106) | Florida State 9.5 (O-134/U+110)

National Championship Odds: LSU +1200 | Florida State +2500

These teams opened up last season with a 24-23 thriller won by Florida State and expect to start the 2023 campaign ranked in the top 10. Back are quarterbacks Jayden Daniels (+1000) and Jordan Travis (+1200), two of the top three quarterbacks in the Heisman odds after Caleb Williams. As good as they are, edge rushers FSU’s Jared Verse and LSU’s Harold Perkins will be the ones who NFL scouts salivate over in the Camping World Kickoff.

7:30 p.m. ET (ABC) Saturday – September 2

Win Totals: UNC 8.5 (O+122/U-150) | USC 6.5 (O+144/U-178)

National Championship Odds: UNC +12000 | USC +15000

The Duke’s Mayo Classic pits Drake Maye versus Spencer Rattler in the Battle of Carolinas. Maye is considered to be a lock top-five pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, and many have him slotted as the No. 2 overall prospect, with some even touting he can challenge the aforementioned Caleb Williams, who gets his second mention even though his team didn’t make the list. I don’t believe Maye is that good, but I’m open to being wrong.

Many were wrong about Rattler, who was once the presumptive No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft before losing his job at OU to… Williams. Has the pendulum swung too far on Rattler? He did throw for 798 yards and eight touchdowns in upsets over playoff contenders Tennessee and Clemson.

12:00 p.m. ET (FOX) Saturday – September 2

Win Totals: TCU 7.5 (O-144/U+118) | Colorado 3.5 (O+126/U-154)

National Championship Odds: TCU +20000 | Colorado +40000

It’s last season’s national runner-up against Coach Prime! Love or hate him, Deion Sanders will bring eyeballs, especially early in the season. As someone who cheered Primetime with every high step as a kid, I’m rooting for him to succeed. We know one thing…he will look cool AF on the sidelines. The Buffs may have the most talented player on the field in WR/CB Travis Hunter, and I’m curious to see how Shedeur Sanders fares against a Power Five defense. Quarterbacking TCU will be Chandler Morris (another OU transfer), who beat out Max Duggan last season before he was injured in the 2022 opener at Colorado.

8:00 p.m. ET (ESPN) Thursday – August 31

Win Totals: Utah 8.5 (O+104/U-128) | Florida 5.5 (O-134/U+110)

National Championship Odds: Utah +6000 | Florida +20000

The Utes are the two-time defending Pac-12 Champs with a third-year starter under center in Cam Rising, a duel-threat who can beat you as a passer and a runner. Utah opened last season ranked No. 7 in the preseason polls, and was knocked out of the top 10 by the Gators in Week 1, so this is a revenge game. That contest was in the Gainesville heat and humidity. This one will be played in rocking Rice-Eccles Stadium, where the Big-12-bound Utes haven’t lost a game in front of fans since 2018.

8:00 p.m. ET (FOX) Thursday – August 31

Win Totals: Minnesota 7.5 (O+122/U-150) | Nebraska 6.5 (O+114/U-140)

National Championship Odds: Minnesota +20000| Nebraska +30000

A sneaky solid W1 contest pits a pair of division foes on Thursday night, which could have ramifications in the fairly wide-open Big Ten West in the final season of division play. P.J. Fleck will row the boat and sprint all over the place (clap it up!) while Matt Rhule makes his debut as Nebraska’s head coach. Can the Huskers finally turn it around after falling short of a bowl in six-straight seasons? Fleck and the Gophers have won four straight in this series simply by being the more physical team, the last three by precisely a touchdown, which makes this spread particularly intriguing.

Boise State @ Washington (-15.5)

Coastal Carolina @ UCLA (-15.5)

Clemson (-12.5) @ Duke

WVU @ Penn State (-20.5)

Ohio State (-27.5) @ Indiana 

Fresno State @ Purdue (-6.5)

Louisville (-7.5) @ Georgia Tech

Northwestern @ Rutgers (-6.5)

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