Best bets and predictions to make right now for the 2024 college football season, inc. Ole Miss vs Florida & USC vs Michigan

After a long and eventful offseason, the 2024 college football season is just around the corner. The battle for a spot in the brand new 12-team College Football Playoff begins on August 24 and won’t stop until the field is announced in December. Last season saw the Michigan Wolverines knock off the Washington Huskies to claim the sport’s top prize. Who will reach the mountaintop this season? It’s almost time to find out.

With most of the offseason moves in the rearview mirror, it’s time to look at the Game of the Year market and take a look at our best bets for Week 1 and beyond. There is plenty of value to be had on betting into these lines in advance, as they’ll likely move significantly as the season progresses. Let’s dive into the Game of the Year market and take a look at the best college football odds and my 5 best NCAAF picks to make before Week 1.

Don’t miss our College Football Futures Betting Guide for tons of picks ahead of the new season, including on the National Championship, Heisman and all the Power Conferences!

Week 1: Hawaii Rainbow Warriors +13.5 vs UCLA Bruins (-110)

Odds available at FanDuel Sportsbook at time of publishing. 

There has been some sharp money in the market pushing this number down slightly as we get closer to Week 1, and it’s easy to see why. Hawaii projects to be one of the most improved teams in the Mountain West this season and the “run and shoot” offense under head coach Timmy Chang should give this very weak UCLA back seven major issues on the island in Week 1. The Bruins are breaking in a new head coach and offensive coordinator while going through a complete rebuild of their roster after losing nearly half of their statistical production from a season ago. Conversely, Brayden Schager is back for his senior season at quarterback for the Rainbow Warriors and I expect this offense to show very little in its Week 0 game against Delaware State. There’s precedent for a team showing well in its second game against a team playing its first game of the season, so let’s take Hawaii to keep this one close.

Week 3: Colorado State Rams +8 vs Colorado Buffaloes (-110)

Odds available at DraftKings Sportsbook at time of publishing. 

A season ago, Colorado hosted Colorado State as massive favorites during the peak of the hype cycle for Deion Sanders and the Buffaloes. And while Colorado did escape with a win in double overtime, Colorado State probably should’ve won that game. In fact, if Jay Norvell went for a 4th-and-2 in Colorado territory with just over 2 minutes left, the Rams likely pull off the upset as over 3 touchdown underdogs. This season, the Rams kept some of their top talent on offense and will get to host Colorado in a dream spot, as the Buffaloes will have just played at Nebraska in Week 2. Playing your in-state rival on the road is bad enough, but doing it after having just faced another rival who also has revenge on the mind after last season’s result is something I wouldn’t wish on any team. Even if the Buffaloes are able to upset Nebraska on the road, I don’t see them making it out of Fort Collins without a serious challenge from this Rams team. I’ll take Colorado State to keep this within one score.

See our 2024 Heisman Trophy winner predictions, with our expert picking a longshot at 100/1 odds!

Week 4: USC Trojans +8.5 vs Michigan Wolverines (-110)

Odds available at DraftKings Sportsbook at time of publishing. 

I’m a bit higher than the market on USC heading into this season, and I’m also lower than most on Michigan’s prospects this fall. Fittingly, I’ll be taking USC in the Game of the Year market to go into Ann Arbor and give the Wolverines a real scare in this early season Big Ten clash. We know that the Trojans are going to have a very strong offense, as is the case every year with a Lincoln Riley led team. The difference for USC this season lies with the defensive side of the ball, as D’Anton Lynn comes over from UCLA to take over defensive coordinator duties. If Lynn is able to improve this defense in year 1, the upside is there for a team this talented. It helps that Michigan could be alternating between Alex Orji and Jack Tuttle at quarterback, neither of whom have proven to be consistently effective at the position. Additionally, USC will be coming off a bye heading into this contest, so I’ll trust Riley and Lynn to scheme up a gameplan to keep this one close.

Check out our expert’s CFB Win Total best bets, targeting Georgia, Colorado and more

Week 9: Kansas State Wildcats -6.5 over Kansas Jayhawks (-120)

Odds available at FanDuel Sportsbook at time of publishing. 

It’s difficult projecting what rosters will look like down the road in any college football season, but one thing we can handicap is matchups. In this instance, the Sunflower Showdown has historically been much more favorable to Kansas State than the Kansas Jayhawks. Led by dual-threat quarterback Avery Johnson and an offense that should dominate in the trenches all season long, the Wildcats are going to be a matchup nightmare for a Kansas defense that is going to struggle mightily defending the rush this season. The Wildcats have owned this rivalry, winning the last 15 meetings, and it’s easy to see why that has continued into this decade when comparing the styles of a Chris Klieman coached team to that of Lance Leipold. The Kansas front 7 should be in a world of trouble in this one, so let’s back the Wildcats at under a touchdown while we still can.

Now check out our ACC predictions and latest odds, which includes THREE best bets!

Week 13: Ole Miss Rebels -6.5 over Florida Gators (-110)

Odds available at DraftKings Sportsbook at time of publishing. 

While this is a game where the number projects to be in line with how I view both teams, what we’re getting here is one of the best spots of the entire season. Ole Miss will enter the penultimate week of the college football regular season off a much-needed bye after having hosted Georgia in Week 11. The Rebels should be rested and ready to take on a trip to the swamp for a meeting with Florida. On the other side, the Gators will be in the midst of one of the toughest 5-game stretches that you will ever see in this sport. Florida will be coming off games against Georgia, Texas and LSU, while still having a look-ahead spot to Florida State in Tallahassee the following week. By this point in time, the Gators will likely be beaten, battered and bruised by the toughest schedule in the nation, and head coach Billy Napier could even be fired. With 2 weeks to prepare for this game, let’s back Ole Miss to make a statement on the road.

Read our full SEC preview and predictions, including a best bet at +800 odds

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