Best College Football Bets Today for Week 1 (Predictions for Alabama-Florida State, LSU-Clemson and More)

Iain MacMillan | Aug 30, 2025

Trey'Dez Green is a great bet to score a touchdown in Week 1 action against Clemson. / Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

Welcome to the first full Saturday of college football action! We have plenty of games to watch and bet on today, but don't be overwhelmed by the options. I've narrowed things down in this article to give you my best overall bets for today's slate.

I have a little bit of something for everyone, including a spread bet, a big upset, a total bet, and a touchdown prop. Let's dive into them.

Best College Football Bets Today

• Ball State vs. Purdue OVER 48.5 (-110) via Caesars
• Alabama -14 (-108) vs. Florida State via DraftKings
• South Dakota +480 vs. Iowa State via FanDuel
• Trey'Dez Green Anytime Touchdown (+295) via DraftKings

Ball State vs. Purdue Prediction

Ball State and Purdue had two of the worst defenses in the country last season. Both defenses allowed 6.9 yards per play, which ranked in the bottom five amongst all 134 teams. They did little in the offseason to completely fix the issues they both have on the defensive side of the football, which leads me to believe this could be an offensive shootout.

Pick: OVER 48.5 (-110)

Alabama vs. Florida State Prediction

It's hard to have much faith in Florida State in the opening week. It may figure things out as the season progresses, but eight of the Seminoles' starters on offense came in through the transfer portal, meaning there's little chemistry on that side of the football, and the players will need some time to learn the system and how to play with each other.

Ty Simpson is going to be able to rely on one of the best young receivers in the country in Ryan Williams. It's also worth noting that Alabama has been fantastic in opening games over the past decade, going 9-1 against the spread in opening week action.

If this game were later in the season, I'd be tempted to take the points with the Seminoles, but this is too tall an order for a Florida State team that's rebuilding from the ground up.

Pick: Alabama -14 (-108)

South Dakota vs. Iowa State Prediction

In this week's edition of upset picks, I broke down why I think the FCS team, South Dakota, is worth a sprinkle to pull off the upset at +500:

I wasn't impressed with Iowa State in Week 0. Sure, the Cyclones got the win, but they had a Net Yards per Play of -2.6, and looked lost without an answer at receiver to replace Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel, who are now in the NFL.

In Week 1, they have to deal with jet lag as they return home to take on an extremely tough FCS team in South Dakota. It's worth noting that South Dakota averaged just 3.31 opponent yards per carry last season, one of the best marks at the FCS level. If Iowa State struggles to run the ball against this defense, they have no answer through the air. This matchup smells prime for an upset.

Pick: South Dakota +480

LSU vs. Clemson Prop Bet

Trey'Dez Green was the No. 3 tight end for LSU last season. He hauled in just 13 receptions, but four of those catches resulted in a touchdown. Now, he's expected to be the starting TE with Mason Taylor in the NFL and Ka'Morreun Pimpton at TCU. This is a great bet to place at almost 3-1 odds.

Pick: Trey'Dez Green +295

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You can check out all of Iain's bets here!