Week 1 College Football Parlay Picks

Week 1 College Football Parlay Picks Recap

As it turns out the Clemson Tigers have a long way to go to be among the college football elite. In their Week 1 showdown with top-ranked Georgia, Dabo’s crew ran out of gas in the second half getting outscored 28-3 and failing to stay within the closing NCAA football betting line in the 34-3 setback. Unfortunately the Tigers were part of a three-team CFB parlay and they were the only losing bet. But, when playing a parlay all wagers have to win in order to cash the ticket.

The game was actually close through two and a half quarters with Clemson’s defense hanging tough. The offense, on the other hand, couldn’t do anything. The Tigers were limited to just 47 yards on the ground and compiled less than 200 total yards getting only a third quarter field goal from Nolan Houser. Apparently there were some bettors out there that liked Clemson with the line dropping a few points. UGA opened -13.5 with the closing number at BetMGM down to -10.5. It didn’t matter.

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A college football odds change in the matchup between Iowa and Illinois State worked in our favor. There are reasons to wait before placing a wager and this was one of them. With the total originally at 40.5 backing the OVER would’ve been a loser on the parlay card since the Hawkeyes eked out a 40-0 win. However, late movement dropped the total below 40 and that wager proved to be a winner. It was mentioned in the parlay picks article that Illinois State scoring could be an issue and it was, but the Hawkeyes showed an up-tempo offense with Cade McNamara tossing three touchdowns and Kaleb Johnson rushing for 119 yards and two TDs on only 10 carries.

What a difference a competent quarterback makes. Star recruit Dylan Raiola passed for 283 yards and two TDs in his collegiate debut leading Nebraska to a 40-7 win over UTEP, covering the 27.5-point college football spread for another winning bet on the parlay card. However, just like Iowa, the Huskers should feel good about their win but not get overconfident. Both played overmatched opponents and things will be different starting in Week 2 with Iowa taking on rival Iowa State and Nebraska playing Colorado in primetime.

Week 1 College Football Parlay Picks Recap

Clemson +10.5 (Lost)

Nebraska -27.5 (WON)

Iowa / Illinois St. OVER 38.5 (WON)

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Week 1 College Football Parlay Picks

After a sampling of games in Week 0, the 2024 college football season gets started for real with at least one game spanning five days in Week 1 giving bettors plenty of opportunities to hit it big when betting on college football at BetMGM. Things aren’t always as they seem at the start of a season and we witnessed that with a Week 0 shocker when Georgia Tech upset No. 10 Florida State as a 10-point dog. If anything that may have been a wakeup call to some ranked teams as they open their season against unranked foes.

We also have some compelling matchups between nationally ranked clubs that will receive plenty of college football betting action. On Saturday No. 1 Georgia takes on No. 14 Clemson and No. 7 Notre Dame visits No. 20 Texas AM. The following day in primetime on ABC No. 23 USC and No. 13 LSU tangle in Las Vegas. Are these games you should target to build a winning college football parlay? It’s time to scan over the NCAAF lines and odds to see what winners are available on the Week 1 college football parlay ticket.

Reduced juice betting is one of the best ways for any sports bettor to save money and far too many people don’t take advantage of it. If you are not playing at a sportsbook that offers reduced juice betting then you are simply giving away money.

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Week 1 College Football Parlay Picks

Clemson +13.5 vs. Georgia

Nebraska -27.5 vs. UTEP

Illinois State / Iowa OVER 40.5

I experienced plenty of ups and downs with my college football parlay picks last season, but all it takes is one three-team winner to make everything feel right. It’s always difficult to handicap teams and games at the start of a season especially now since most programs and some more than others experience turnover of their roster. Going off pure talent and past results, the Georgia Bulldogs emerged as the top-ranked team in the land and a near two-touchdown NCAAF betting line favorite over perennial ACC powerhouse Clemson.

I don’t believe Clemson is better than UGA and neither do oddsmakers based on the 13.5-point college football point spread. But the Tigers had a strong close to an otherwise down year winning their last five games and going 4-1 on the NCAA football betting line. Their defensive front seven remains a strength and Cade Klubnick emerged as a star QB in the season-ending run. I don’t think Clemson is going to win, but if they value the football and play strong defense they have an outstanding chance of staying within the spread. 

I don’t like to back teams when laying 27.5 points and it’s harder to do when that team is Nebraska, but this is a different time in Lincoln with the arrival of blue-chip prospect Dylan Raiola. The Huskers lacked a competent quarterback last season and as a result the offense struggled. Over their last four games of 2023, all losses, the Huskers failed to score more than 17 points so asking them to cover a four-touchdown spread is huge. There are some highly-skilled position players who were silenced last year with the lack of a QB. Plenty of production returns and if Raiola lives up to his billing Nebraska will score a lot of points. 

The Huskers won five games thanks to a stingy defense that returns eight starters from a season ago. Nothing against UTEP, but the Miners reimagined the entire program with a new coach and new players and facing an energized Nebraska squad on the road is an unenviable task. Wanting to prove this is a breakout year for Big Red the Huskers will pour it on if they can, leading to a cover.

Another offensively-challenged team from a season ago is looking to change things up. Iowa became a laughingstock with their punter the most popular dude on the team because he got so much exposure. That will change with the Hawkeyes boasting a healthy Cade McNamara at QB and a new coordinator willing to open up the offense. The only issue I have with this game is getting Illinois State to score in order to go OVER the total. However, with Iowa looking to have an impactful game offensively to show they can actually score, the Hawkeyes might go score 41 on their own. They dropped 41 on Western Michigan last year with McNamara tossing a pair of TD passes so it isn’t out of the question.

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