CFB Week 1 Picks

Week 1 of the 2025-26 college football season is stacked with matchups that could shape the national championship picture before September even starts.

Here are our three CFB best bets for the opening weekend, featuring No. 6 Notre Dame at No. 10 Miami, No. 9 LSU vs No. 4 Clemson and a player prop spotlighting Nebraska’s highly-touted sophomore quarterback Dylan Raiola to get your week started tonight!

CFB Week 1 Predictions

Pick #1: Notre Dame -2.5 over Miami (-110) Click Here to Bet

Pick #2: LSU vs Clemson Under 57.5 Total Points (-110) Click Here to Bet

Pick #3: Dylan Raiola 250+ Passing Yards in Nebraska vs Cincinnati (-112) Click Here to Bet

PICK #1: Notre Dame -2.5 over Miami (-110)

Sunday night at Hard Rock Stadium sets the stage for one of college football’s most iconic rivalries: Notre Dame vs Miami. 

Notre Dame enters with momentum from a remarkable 2024-25 run to the national title game. Head coach Marcus Freeman has built a culture rooted in toughness and discipline, and his program boasts strong continuity across the depth chart. Redshirt freshman CJ Carr gets the Week 1 start at quarterback, and while untested, he emerged after a tightly contested battle with Kenny Minchey, and that means something. 

Carr inherits a loaded backfield and an experienced offensive line. Doak Walker Award favorite Jeremiyah Love enters the season after recording 1,125 yards and 17 touchdowns last season, and he is supported by Jadarian Price (746 yards, 7 touchdowns last season) and Aneyas Williams (219 yards, 2 touchdowns last season). The Irish also hit the portal hard, adding impact receivers Malachi Fields (Virginia) and Will Pauling (Wisconsin) to complement emerging targets Jordan Faison and Jaden Greathouse. 

Miami, meanwhile, replaces QB Cam Ward with Georgia transfer Carson Beck. Beck has talent but is working with a brand-new receiving corps while going against a secondary loaded with NFL-caliber cover men in Week 1. The Hurricanes’ front seven, led by Rueben Bain and Akheem Mesidor, is dangerous, but five of their top six DBs are transfers still gelling under a new coordinator.

In a matchup this tight, coaching looms large. Freeman’s preparation and game-day decision-making outweigh Mario Cristobal’s well-documented blunders in big spots. Notre Dame’s defensive depth and balanced offensive weapons should edge Miami in a conservative, grind-it-out game plan.

PICK #2: LSU vs Clemson Under 57.5 (-110)

Saturday night’s clash in Death Valley between No. 9 LSU and No. 4 Clemson is a Week 1 dream matchup for fans. Both teams feature Heisman-caliber quarterbacks, but circumstances and defensive talent point to value on the Under.

LSU aggressively retooled its defense through the portal, adding Patrick Payton, Jack Pyburn, Mansoor Delane, Tamarcus Cooley and AJ Haulcy, while also welcoming back star linebackers Harold Perkins Jr. and Whit Weeks from injuries. This rebuilt unit should be far more capable of handling elite opponents than last season’s leaky defense.

Clemson counters with NFL-ready talent of its own. Peter Woods and T.J. Parker anchor a terrifying defensive line, while corner Avieon Terrell has first-round pedigree. Clemson held their own in the ACC last year but faltered against the type of SEC speed and power LSU possesses, scoring just 41 combined points in three matchups with Georgia, South Carolina and Texas.

Despite a promising young running back prospect in Caden Durham, LSU offensive coordinator Joe Sloan has yet to crack a top-100 rushing offense with the Tigers in three years. With his disregard for the run game, and Clemson’s running back room loaded with question marks, each offense risks becoming one-dimensional in this one, giving defenses the upper hand.

If Garrett Nussmeier vs Lincoln Riley in LSU vs USC Week 1 last year only resulted in 47 total points, this total feels too high at 57.5.

PICK #3: Dylan Raiola 250+ Passing Yards in Nebraska vs Cincinnati (-112)

The final best bet of Week 1 shifts to Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, where Nebraska and Cincinnati meet in a Big Ten–Big 12 crossover under the lights. 

Nebraska QB Dylan Raiola, a former five-star recruit, showed flashes as a true freshman but also faced the typical growing pains when protection broke down. After a full offseason working with one of the sport’s most gifted OC’s in Dana Holgerson, expectations skyrocket for his sophomore leap. Nebraska has upgraded its offensive line and surrounding skill talent, most notably adding Dane Key from Kentucky to give Raiola a true No. 1 target. With Nyziah Hunter and Jacory Barney Jr. rounding out the rotation, this receiver room is much improved.

Cincinnati brings a respectable front seven led by Dontay Corleone, but its secondary is inexperienced. Holgerson’s track record with quarterbacks suggests Nebraska will attack vertically, and with Raiola’s arm talent, chunk plays should be there. On a neutral field, with protection expected to hold up more often, Raiola is primed for a breakout performance.