Rutgers vs. Howard prediction, odds, spread: 2024 college football picks, Week 1 best bets from proven expert

Rutgers and Howard get Week 1 of the 2024 college football season started in New Jersey on Thursday. Big Ten competitor Rutgers finished the 2023 season 7-6 while Howard finished 6-6 in FCS play. The Scarlet Knights have a 5-0 lifetime record against the Bison and have outscored them 215-43, although Howard has covered the spread four times across that span.

Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. ET from SHI Stadium in Piscataway, N.J. The Scarlet Knights are 38.5-point favorites in the latest Rutgers vs. Howard odds. The over/under for total points scored is 50.5. Before making any Howard vs. Rutgers picks, be sure to check out the college football predictions and betting advice from SportsLine expert Emory Hunt Jr. .

Hunt is the founder and CEO of Football Gameplan, which has been supplying analysis of all levels of football since 2007, and a former running back for the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns. He knows the game from a player's perspective. In addition, he was 93-78-5 (+777) on his college football picks last year. Anyone who has followed him is way up.

Now, Hunt has set his sights on Rutgers vs. Howard and just locked in his picks and CFB predictions. You can visit SportsLine now to see Hunt's picks . Here are the college football odds and betting lines for Howard vs. Rutgers:

• Rutgers vs. Howard spread: Rutgers -38.5
• Rutgers vs. Howard over/under: 50.5 points
• Rutgers: 7-6 overall last season, including a bowl win against Miami
• Howard: 6-6 in FCS play last season
• Rutgers vs. Howard picks: See picks at SportsLine

Why Howard can cover

Rutgers will be without their star linebacker Mohamed Toure this season, and the Bison will want to take full advantage. Howard was very good on third-down conversions and will use its ground game to grind down the field and manage the clock. The running back tandem of Eden James and Jarett Hunter returns for another season and will be hard to contain.

Howard also showed last season it can stand up to bigger teams. The Bison made Northwestern sweat last year when they rallied for 13 fourth-quarter points thanks to touchdowns from James and Hunter. The Wildcats ultimately won 23-20, but a repeat performance on Thursday would really help Howard keep things close with Rutgers. See which team to pick here .

Why Rutgers can cover

The Scarlet Knights already boast a tough offense to contain. They have a new offensive weapon this season with the addition of Athan Kaliakmanis from Minnesota . Kaliakmanis has reportedly already upped the tempo during practices, so there are high expectations that he will open the offense up. This team already has the ground game covered, with Kyle Monangai expected to be a dominant force yet again.

Even with the loss of star linebacker Toure, the Rutgers defense still has the potential to keep this game from getting too close for comfort. The Scarlet Knights have 16 players returning from last season's bowl-winning team, so they have the experience to get into the win column in Week 1. See which team to pick here .

How to make Howard vs. Rutgers picks

Hunt is leaning Over on the total, and has identified a critical x-factor that makes one side of the spread a must-back. You can only see his pick at SportsLine .

So who wins Howard vs. Rutgers, and which side of the spread is a must-back? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the spread to jump on, all from the football expert who was 93-78-5 (+777) on his college football picks in 2023 , and find out.