College Football Straight Up Picks for Every Top 25 Game in Week 1 (Notre Dame Takes Care of Business vs. Miami)

Iain MacMillan | Aug 26, 2025

CJ Carr and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish are slight road favorites against the Miami Hurricanes in Week 1. / Michael Caterina-Imagn Images

Week 0 provided us a perfect appetizer of college football action, but now it's time for the main course as Week 1 is officially here! There is a loaded slate of games, including a few marquee matchups between ranked team.

No game will be bigger than the showdown between No. 1 Texas and No. 3 Ohio State, a rematch of last year's Cotton Bowl.

In this article, I'm going to give you my straight up pick for every game involving a ranked team and I'll break down a few of them with specifics. Point spreads don't matter here, all we care about is winners.

Let's dive into them.

All odds listed in this article are via FanDuel Sportsbook

College Football Picks for Every Top 25 Game in Week 1

Boise State vs. USF Prediction and Pick

Pick: Boise State -235

Western Illinois vs. Illinois Prediction and Pick

Pick: Illinois (N/A)

Texas vs. Ohio State Prediction and Pick

Pick: Texas +100

Ohio State has to deal with the more difficult turnover from last year's National Championship team to this year's version of the squad. It wasn't just talent that the Buckeyes lost, but also leadership in key roles.

Meanwhile, Texas seems poised to establish itself as the top team in the nation with Manning now set as its permanent starter. A lot of people felt the Longhorns would've been better off last season if he were the full-time starter over Quinn Ewers, so confidence has to be at an all-time high for one of the deepest teams in the country.

Syracuse vs. Tennessee Prediction and Pick

Pick: Tennessee -610

Old Dominion vs. Indiana Prediction and Pick

Pick: Indiana -2800

Nevada vs. Penn State Prediction and Pick

Pick: Penn State (N/A)

Alabama vs. Florida State Prediction and Pick

Pick: Alabama -550

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.

South Dakota vs. Iowa State Prediction and Pick

Pick: Iowa State (N/A)

Marshall vs. Georgia Prediction and Pick

Montana State vs. Oregon Prediction and Pick

Pick: Oregon -4500

Illinois State vs. Oklahoma Prediction and Pick

Pick: Oklahoma (N/A)

LSU vs. Clemson Prediction and Pick

Pick: LSU +142

LSU is an interesting case this season as they had the No. 1 Transfer Portal Class in the country during the offseason, which included bringing in 18 new players to the program. Can they gel with each other quick enough to overcome a tough Clemson Tigers team?

I think they can. Clemson is still riding the high of the Trevor Lawrence era and haven't quite looked like the same program since he left for the NFL. The Tigers have struggled against SEC competition of late, including going 0-3 against SEC opponents last season, losing to Georgia, South Carolina, and Texas. Until they can prove they can beat a ranked team from the SEC, I'm going to fade them in spots like this.

New Mexico vs. Michigan Prediction and Pick

Pick: Michigan (N/A)

Georgia State vs. Ole Miss Prediction and Pick

Pick: Ole Miss (N/A)

Long Island University vs. Florida Prediction and Pick

Pick: Florida (N/A)

North Dakota vs. Kansas State Prediction and Pick

Pick: Kansas State (N/A)

UTSA vs. Texas A&M Prediction and Pick

Pick: Texas A&M -2800

Arkansas-Pine Bluff vs. Texas Tech Prediction and Pick

Pick: Texas Tech (N/A)

East Texas A&M vs. SMU Prediction and Pick

Pick: SMU (N/A)

Northern Arizona vs. Arizona State Prediction and Pick

Pick: Arizona State -10000

South Carolina vs. Virginia Tech Prediction and Pick

Pick: South Carolina -295

Notre Dame vs. Miami Prediction and Pick

Pick: Notre Dame -137

The Carson Beck era begins in Miami on Sunday and while he's a skilled quarterback, he has shown to have a problem turning the ball over, which is going to cost him and the Hurricanes in their opening game against a skilled team like Notre Dame.

I'm all in on CJ Carr in his first year as Notre Dame's starting quarterback. The Redshirt Freshman and former four start recruit seems to have all the talent in the world. The Fighting Irish also have an elite run game they can lean on to ease Carr into his first start.

I think Notre Dame gets the job done on the road.

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