Best College Football Bets Today for Week 1 (Predictions for Washington State-Washington, Notre Dame-Wisconsin)

Still haven't had enough college football? Well, I have good news for you. There are three more games for us to watch today, including the only ranked vs. ranked game of the week, Louisville vs. Ole Miss. We also have the Apple Bowl between Washington State and Washington, as well as Notre Dame's first game of the season against Wisconsin.

Let's dive in the best bets to place for each game.

Best College Football Bets Today

Odds via Caesars Sportsbook

Washington -23.5 (-109) vs. Washington State
Louisville +210 vs. Ole Miss
Notre Dame -20.5 (-112) vs. Wisconsin

Washington State vs. Washington Best Bet

In Ryan Gilbert's betting preview for this game, he broke down why he's backing the Huskies to cover the sizable spread:

Washington beat their intrastate rivals by 35 on the road last season, and I could see a similar outcome here in Week 1.

The Huskies are ranked 17th in the nation for a reason, and they ended last year with a 38-10 victory over Boise State in the LA Bowl.

I’ll back Washington to open the season with a big win at home.

Pick: Washington -23.5 (-109)

Louisville vs. Ole Miss Best Bet

In my Week 1 upset picks article, I made the case for betting on Louisville to win this game outright:

Trinidad Chambliss is back for another year at Ole Miss, but that's not enough for me to think that the Rebels will be the dominant team they were last season under Lane Kiffin. There's no doubt that Ole Miss has plenty of offensive weapons, but so does Louisville. Isaac Brown, the Cardinals' running back, averaged a blistering 8.8 yards per carry last season. If he can replicate numbers even close to his 2025 production, Louisville is going to be a tough offense for any defense to stop.

Let's also remember how good this Louisville defense was last season, ranking 25th in the country in defensive success rate, compared to Ole Miss, which ranked 56th in that metric while ranking 86th in opponent rush success rate.

I have more faith in the team with the returning head coach. This could be a big season for Jeff Brohm.

Pick: Louisville +210

Notre Dame vs. Wisconsin Best Bet

In my betting preview for this game, I made the case for betting on Notre Dame to win and cover:

Wisconsin is in a tough spot this season. Their metrics were amongst the worst in college football last season, including ranking 121st in offensive success rate and 97th in defensive success rate. They have plenty of returning production this season, but I don't know if they made enough moves in the transfer portal to significantly improve from last year.

Colton Joseph is the Badgers' starting quarterback this season, but I'm not impressed by his numbers at Old Dominion. He completed just 59.7% of his passes last season, but rushed for 1,007 yards and 13 touchdowns. Can he carry that level of rushing success into a power conference program?

Notre Dame had one of the best teams in the country last season despite missing out on the playoffs, and with a nation-leading 72% of production returning, there's no reason to think they won't once again be an elite team.

I'll lay the points with the Fighting Irish.

Pick: Notre Dame -20.5 (-112)

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