College Football Week 1 Betting Picks

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Special to Outkick The Coverage from OddsShark.com

The defending national champion Alabama Crimson Tide and LSU Tigers are two top-ranked teams that will face some pressure as big favorites on Saturday versus traditionally solid programs looking to pull off upsets. In addition, the Oklahoma Sooners will attempt to get back into the College Football Playoff field for the second year in a row like the Tide. So will Oklahoma, LSU and Alabama come through as large chalk this week?

Oklahoma (-11.5) vs. Houston (Sat, 12pm ET) -Matchup Report

The Sooners have quarterback Baker Mayfield back for another shot at the national championship after last year's disappointing 37-17 loss to the Clemson Tigers in the CFP semifinals. The Cougars will present Oklahoma with a test right away and have thrived as underdogs recently, going an outstanding 12-1-1 against the spread in their last 14 games in that role. While Mayfield is a Heisman Trophy candidate, so is Houston's Greg Ward Jr. Take the Cougars to stay within double digits and give the Sooners a scare.

Wisconsin vs. LSU (-10.5) (Sat, 3:30pm ET) -Matchup Report

This will essentially be a home game for the Badgers at Green Bay's Lambeau Field, and you can bet they will be ready for the Tigers and star running back Leonard Fournette. The key for Wisconsin will be just holding Fournette in check and not letting him run wild. The rest of LSU's offense is not very intimidating, and Wisconsin has won 11 of its previous 13 season openers. The Tigers may win this game, but the Badgers will keep it close and cover.

USC vs. Alabama (-12) (Sat, 8:00pm ET) -Matchup Report

The Crimson Tide will get to see if Max Browne is the real deal for the Trojans and possibly their next great quarterback. Alabama head coach Nick Saban has made a habit of making early statements here, beating the Badgers, West Virginia Mountaineers, Virginia Tech Hokies and Michigan Wolverines in the last four season openers by an average of 20 points and covering the spread three times. Saban will make Browne's first career start a nightmare as the Tide roll.

 

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Clay Travis is the founder of the fastest growing national multimedia platform, OutKick, that produces and distributes engaging content across sports and pop culture to millions of fans across the country. OutKick was created by Travis in 2011 and sold to the Fox Corporation in 2021. One of the most electrifying and outspoken personalities in the industry, Travis hosts OutKick The Show where he provides his unfiltered opinion on the most compelling headlines throughout sports, culture, and politics. He also makes regular appearances on FOX News Media as a contributor providing analysis on a variety of subjects ranging from sports news to the cultural landscape. Throughout the college football season, Travis is on Big Noon Kickoff for Fox Sports breaking down the game and the latest storylines. Additionally, Travis serves as a co-host of The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show, a three-hour conservative radio talk program syndicated across Premiere Networks radio stations nationwide. Previously, he launched OutKick The Coverage on Fox Sports Radio that included interviews and listener interactions and was on Fox Sports Bet for four years. Additionally, Travis started an iHeartRadio Original Podcast called Wins & Losses that featured in-depth conversations with the biggest names in sports. Travis is a graduate of George Washington University as well as Vanderbilt Law School. Based in Nashville, he is the author of Dixieland Delight, On Rocky Top, and Republicans Buy Sneakers Too.