College football is finally back! After a nice appetizer of games in Week 0, we have a full slate to look forward to this weekend. Handicapping Week 1 is always difficult, you’re flying blind not knowing exactly how some of these teams will look after a full offseason, but some of these spreads are just too good to pass up. I consider this week a learning week in pretty much every aspect, this is where you get to gage which teams you can trust to hammer bets on the rest of the season, and which teams to steer clear from going forward. Let’s get to it.

Oklahoma State -9.5 vs South Dakota State

When looking strictly at the names of teams playing in this one you’d think Oklahoma State walks their way to an easy victory. Hold your horses, South Dakota State aren’t exactly slouches. The reigning FCS National Champions come in on an insane 29 game win streak, blowing out a majority of their opponents the last year plus. While that’s impressive, the last time they played a Power 5 opponent was Iowa in September of 2022, coincidentally their last loss. I have a hard time believing the Jackrabbits will be able to walk into Stillwater and come out with a win, or even keep it within 10 points. Oklahoma State brings back a ton of upperclassmen highlighted by Ollie Gordon II, a player I’d expect Oklahoma State to feed early in order to get the season off on the right foot. Last year the Cowboys slept through the first four games, going a mediocre 2-2, I have to believe they’ll learn from their past mistakes and take this matchup seriously.

Virginia Tech -13.5 vs Vanderbilt

A lot of professionals are loading up on Virginia Tech futures this year. I’m not one of them, but I do see them getting a resounding win to start the season against the lowly Vanderbilt Commodores. The Hokies return a strong running back room that they tend to rotate to keep fresh. Relying on QB Kyron Drones and RB Bhayshul Tuten to shoulder the offensive load in this one feels like a safe bet. Vanderbilt really doesn’t have much to look forward to, the offense is a mess and now they will have to face one of the better defensive lines in the ACC that will limit the rushing attack. Not only that, but Virginia Tech’s secondary have some playmakers that will make life tough for whoever Vanderbilt decides to start between transfers Nate Johnson and Diego Pavia. Not much to like coming out of Nashville, so back the Hokies to cover.

UNLV Moneyline vs Houston +120

Another team getting a lot of preseason love has been the UNLV Rebels. Never looked at as a true threat, Head Coach Barry Odom led the team to one of their most successful seasons in decades in 2023, going 9-5 and ending the season in a tie for the Mountain West regular season title. While they lost quarterback Jayden Maiava to the transfer portal, they gained two highly athletic options at the position in Hajj-Malik Williams (Campbell) and Matthew Sluka (Holy Cross). Both are known to escape the pocket and run when given the opportunity, which is where a Houston defense that really struggled to defend the run last year will have issues. Add in a potential All-American in receiver Ricky White III and returning running back Jai’Den Thomas and the Houston defense could be in real trouble.  Houston’s offensive line will be without four of their starters from last year, so even a UNLV defense that struggled last year should have a better chance at making quarterback Donovan Smith sweat.

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