Week 1 of college football isn’t offering the kind of matchups that generally draw major betting attention, but bettors are hungry regardless.
Key Takeaways
- There’s just one top-25 showdown and a lot of unlisted games in Week 1.
- Clemson-LSU is expected to take the heaviest handle Saturday.
- Notre Dame-Wisconsin, Louisville-Ole Miss, and FSU-SMU highlight the extended weekend.
There is only one game scheduled this extended weekend between two top-25 teams. No. 24 Louisville is a 7-point underdog to No. 9 Ole Miss, and even that game is on Sunday night.
The rest of college football’s first massive slate of 2026 leaves something be desired, with popular teams like No. 1 Ohio State, No. 4 Notre Dame, No. 7 Miami, and No. 13 Alabama facing large spreads. There are also a ton of matchups between FBS and FCS schools that aren’t listed on most betting sites.
“For this particular week, it’s not the greatest of matchups for college football, but it is kind of stand-alone,” DraftKings Sportsbook director Johnny Avello said. “You've got some pretty nice teams playing (Friday) that the public's very aware of: USC, Miami, Florida, Oklahoma.
“There are some pretty huge spreads. Some of those teams are 40, close to 50-and-a-half. Not the greatest of marquee matchups, but you've got all the teams that everybody's aware of: Penn State and Ohio State and Indiana and Alabama.”
College football also gets all the attention. The NFL doesn’t begin until Wednesday night, so newly acquired customers and bettors with fresh promos to play with will still be heavily interested in this week’s games, which started Thursday and run through Monday night.
Enjoying Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account“I think it's good for football all around,” Avello said. “I think it's good for us to get a base under us before we have the pros.”
1st taste of upset
Thursday night provided one of the biggest upsets in years. Massachusetts was a 29.5-point underdog and had a 16-game losing streak at Rutgers, but the Minutemen blasted the favorite 37-21, securing an outright win that Avello called a “wash” for the sportsbook.
There was a lot of money on UMass. Meanwhile, Colorado’s upset of Georgia Tech as a touchdown underdog provided DraftKings with the highest handle of the night and a solid win for the book, Avello said.
Taking favorites
Despite those early upsets, Avello expects that in a week without prominent showdowns, the public will be loading up on big favorites.
“They don’t take dogs,” he said.
Favorites are the flavor on Friday, Avello said. He’s concerned that covers by Miami (-24.5), USC (-21.5), Oklahoma (-40.5), and Michigan State (-10) could lead to significant parlay liabilities. The Hurricanes being on the road against a Stanford team that picked up a win and cover against Hawaii last week hasn’t slowed money on the favorite.
Big spread Saturday
A team that’s stood out to Avello so far for not getting overwhelming money is No. 5 Texas, which is a 29.5-point favorite against Texas State. The underdog Bobcats are getting a surprising 35% of the handle at DraftKings, while BetMGM reported that nearly 30% of the wagers have come in on Texas State.
Ohio State is laying 50.5 points Saturday against Ball State, but BetMGM has seen the underdog take 58% of the tickets and 62% of the handle so far. The Buckeyes are getting 68% of the bets at DraftKings but less than 40% of the money.
Caesars reported one-way action on Indiana, a 40.5-point favorite against North Texas, a “very different team this year,” the operator’s head of football, Joey Feazel, said.
Texas A&M has seen 97% of the handle and 87% of the tickets at DraftKings, a trend Avello sees continuing into Saturday evening.
Alabama’s line against East Carolina has moved up two points at DraftKings to -27.5, and the Crimson Tide are getting pounded with 92% of the handle and 90% of the bets.
Marquee matchup
The biggest game Saturday appears to be the prime-time showdown between Clemson and LSU (-10), which has been in the news for legal battles and getting NFL players eligible.
“I don't think that's going to affect the players on the field,” Avello said. “Two teams with two good coaches. Clemson has not regained the status of a Clemson team of long ago. LSU just haven't played up to their expectations over the last three or four years either. A lot of hype around the game.”
Avello expects this will be DraftKings’ most-bet game of the week, and BetMGM has already seen it rise to third behind two Friday games, with a lot of time left to take action.
LSU is getting the second-most tickets and handle at BetMGM, with the home favorite taking 59% of the bets and 79% of the money. DraftKings has seen 83% of the tickets and 67% of the handle back LSU.
Caesars reported some good two-way wagering thus far.
“I expect to see some action on LSU as we approach game time,” Feazel said.
Extended action
With the NFL still off, college football will play three games on Sunday and one contest on Labor Day.
Betting for Washington-Washington State for Sunday afternoon is fairly even at BetMGM. Notre Dame is the biggest brand playing, but the Irish are nearly three-touchdown favorites and are getting over 75% of the action at both DraftKings and BetMGM.
Feazel said Ole Miss is the popular pick among bettors for Sunday night, “which isn’t too surprising given the talent” of the Rebels roster. He expects “continued support” for Ole Miss.
Betting at BetMGM has been pretty even so far, and Avello said it will be the second-most-bet Sunday game behind only Notre Dame-Wisconsin.
Florida State takes on SMU on Monday night, with the 1-0 Seminoles getting just 18% of the handle at DraftKings as 3-point underdogs.
