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College football odds, picks, top predictions for Week 1, 2024: Proven computer backs Penn State in best bets

By CBS Sports Staff,

9 hours ago

https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=489O7l_0vGSyp1v00 — USATSI

The 2024 college football season has already seen some big moments such as Georgia Tech upsetting Florida State in Ireland during Week 0 as well as thrilling wins for Colorado and North Carolina on Thursday of Week 1. The meat of the Week 1 college football schedule now kicks off Saturday and bettors will be closely studying the Week 1 college football odds for big matchups like No. 14 Clemson vs. No. 1 Georgia (-12.5 via SportsLine consensus) and No. 20 Texas A&M (-3) vs. No. 7 Notre Dame, as well as dozens of other matchups.

With the NFL still a week from kicking off, college football takes the spotlight Sunday as well with No. 23 USC vs. No. 13 LSU (-4.5) and Monday as FSU looks to bounce back against Boston College (+16.5). Which Week 1 college football lines have the most value over Labor Day Weekend? Before locking in any college football picks for Week 1 of the 2024 season, be sure to see the latest college football predictions from SportsLine's proven model .

The model simulates every FBS college football game 10,000 times. Since its inception, it has generated a profit of well over $2,000 for $100 players on its top-rated college football picks against the spread. It is also coming off a profitable 13-9 season on top-rated spread picks. Anyone who has followed it has seen strong returns.

Now, it has turned its attention to the latest college football odds and Week 1 college football betting lines on the spread, money line, and over/under,. Head here to see every pick .

Top college football predictions for Week 1

One of the college football picks the model is high on during Week 1: No. 8 Penn State (-7.5) covers against West Virginia at noon ET on Saturday. Separated by only about 180 miles, these schools have met 60 times in history and it was an annual occurrence between 1947 to 1992 before Penn State settled in the Big Ten. They renewed the rivalry for a home-and-home in 2023 and 2024, and PSU won 38-15 in State College last year.

The model is calling for more of the same this year as the Nittany Lions look to improve their dominant 49-9-2 head-to-head record against WVU. The Nittany Lions are 21-5 over the past two seasons, and while they haven't been able to slay the top powers in the Big Ten recently, these are the type of games that James Franklin has thrived in. The model projects that PSU runs away with this one by 20 points, covering the 8.5-point spread in well over 70% of simulations. See which other picks the model likes here .

Another prediction: Western Kentucky (+32.5) stays within the spread at No. 5 Alabama in a 7 p.m. ET kickoff on Saturday. WKU covered in its last two of 2023, while Bama failed to cover in two of its last three to end the season. As is usual the case, the Tide lost lots of players to the pros -- 10 in the 2024 NFL Draft -- in addition to several players to the transfer portal. But their biggest loss was the retirement of Nick Saban, and one shouldn't be surprised if Alabama needs a bit of an adjustment period under Kalen DeBoer.

The Hilltoppers have the type of offense that can stay with Alabama for a while as they ranked 15th in FBS in passing yards per game a year ago. Even with that high volume, they still have efficiency as just seven teams allowed fewer sacks than WKU's 13. Coach Tyson Helton has won at least eight games in four of his five seasons at the helm, and he has a 4-1 bowl record, so he gets his teams up for big games. With Western Kentucky's style of play, and with how these teams ended 2023 ATS, the model is backing the Hilltoppers to cover well over 50% of the time. See the rest of the model's picks here .

How to make college football picks for Week 1

The model has also made the call on who wins and covers in every FBS matchup in Week 1, and it's calling for an upset in one of the week's biggest games. You can only get every pick for every game at SportsLine .

So what college football picks can you make with confidence, and which underdog wins outright? Check out the latest college football odds below, then visit SportsLine to see which teams win and cover the spread, all from a proven computer model that has returned well over $2,000 in profit since its inception , and find out.