Three Top 10 Matchups. Intriguing non-conference showdowns. And inevitably, some inexplicable upsets.
What’s Happening this Weekend?
WOF attended the Badger home opener on Thursday night. It looked like old school Wisconsin football in the worst way: painful on offense, and suffocating dominance on defense.
Opening weekend is 5 straight days of college football, and there is at least one interesting game every day. With 64 Power 4 programs in action, I’ll watch what I can, but there’s just too much going on to see everything.
- Odds listed refer to spreads taken from FanDuel at the time of writing
Friday Night
7:00 PM CST: Competitive Non-Con Oddballs
Georgia Tech (-4.5) at Colorado – (ESPN)
This game is sneaky interesting. Georgia Tech is a contender in the ACC, which makes them a contender for the playoff. Colorado lost Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders, but Deion is still there, and they were one game away from the Big 12 title game in 2024. The winner still has a lot of work to do, but the loser is probably going to underperform their 2025 expectations. Personally, I lean Tech because I believe in QB Haynes King and Coach Brent Key. GT took Georgia to 6 OT last fall, and this year’s team is just as good.
Auburn (-1.5) at Baylor – (FOX)
Auburn is a bottom half of the SEC team. They brought in QB Jackson Arnold from Oklahoma, but I would say the Sooners ran him out of town. Baylor is one of the favorites to win the Big 12… but that’s because there are about 6 teams with equivalent odds to win the conference.
I don’t understand this line. I think the wrong team is favored. Auburn is bad, and Baylor is at home. Auburn must be getting the “SEC bump” in odds markets.
Saturday
11:00 AM CST: The Big One
1 Texas at 3 Ohio State (-1.5) – (FOX)
This is game of the year material. On the Ohio State side, they have the best offensive player in the country, WR Jeremiah Smith, and the best defensive player in the country, Safety Caleb Downs. Who does Texas have? Oh, just the favorite to win the Heisman, QB Arch Manning. These two teams are 1st and 2nd in Vegas odds to win the Natty. Watch this game.
2:30 PM CST: Bama Time
8 Alabama (-14.5) at Florida State – (ABC)
Not going to lie here. This might be a good time to take a nap on Saturday. This is the only game of any note. There are two marquee brands, but there will only be one marquee team on the field. And the spread reflects that. Florida State won 2 games last year, the Tide will roll
6:30 PM CST: Tigers vs Tigers
9 LSU at 4 Clemson (-4.5) – (ABC)
This game has so many narratives I won’t be able to cover them all in a paragraph… but I’ll try.
- Clemson HC Dabo Swinney has stubbornly refused to use the transfer portal. After several years of being a step behind the big dogs, Clemson is now top 5 in the odds to win the Natty. Is Dabo right? Can you ignore the portal?
- LSU QB Garrett Nussmeier and Clemson QB Cade Klubnik are both top 5 in Heisman odds. Who has the better game in this top 10 match up?
- LSU HC Brian Kelly left Notre Dame for LSU “to have the ability to win National Titles.” Notre Dame played in the title game last year, while LSU missed the playoffs. Will Kelly eat his words?
- LSU has lost 5 straight season openers. Are they cursed? Can they end that streak?
I’d prefer it if both of these teams lost, but with that not being an option, give me the Tigers. I mean Clemson.
10:00 PM CST: Pac-12 After Dark
Utah (-5.5) at UCLA – (FOX)
The Pac-12 lives!! This is a classic West Coast matchup that all the casuals east of the Mississippi River will miss because it’s after their bedtime. Utah was incredibly disappointing last season, winning only 5 games. But that was mostly due to being decimated by injuries. Most in the know expect them to be back to their winning ways in 2025. UCLA will probably be “meh” in 2025, but bringing mercenary QB Nico Iamaleava from Tennessee makes things interesting. Hopefully UCLA has enough coin to keep him around for a full season.
Sunday Night
6:30 PM CST: Revived Rivalry
6 Notre Dame (-2.5) at 10 Miami – (ABC)
Back when both of these teams were elite, this was dubbed Catholics vs Convicts. Personally, I don’t think Miami deserves the convicts moniker anymore (Georgia can have it). Notre Dame brings back most of a National Title Runner Up team, with an upgrade at QB – CJ Carr. Miami lost the #1 overall draft pick, QB Cam Ward, and replaced him with a solid but not great QB from Georgia – Carson Beck. QBs get all the headlines, but I’ll be watching this game for Golden Domes RB Jeremiyah Love. He’s possibly the best RB in the country and he will run all over Miami’s atrocious defense.
Monday Night
7:00 PM CST: Belichick Debut
TCU (-3.5) at North Carolina – (ESPN)
Full transparency: I know almost nothing about TCU and North Carolina. But this is Bill Freaking Belichick’s debut as a college head coach. How will a 73 year old prickly, no-nonsense head coach manage a roster full of 18-23 year olds? I have no idea, but I can’t wait to find out.
Spread Picks*:
I believe in all these picks, so let’s just see how it goes.
Auburn at
Baylor (+2.5) – Pick
The wrong team is favored. Go Bears.
Syracuse (+13.5) – Pick
at 24 Tennessee
Tennessee severely downgraded at QB and RB this offseason. They are being overvalued because they are an SEC squad. I have the Syracuse Orange covering.
Old Dominion at
20 Indiana (-23.5) – Pick
I think Indiana hit a home run with transfer QB Fernando Mendoza. Indiana puts up the points to cover.
Virginia Tech at
13 South Carolina (-7.5) – Tolly’s Favorite Pick
South Carolina is far too good to only be favored by 7.5. I think Tech is garbage and the Gamecocks are playoff contenders.
6 Notre Dame (-2.5) – Pick
at 10 Miami
Miami doesn’t play defense and Hard Rock Stadium is not an intimidating environment. ND covers easily.
Coastal Carolina (+12.5) – Tolly’s Upset Pick
at Virginia
This is a very tough week to pick an upset. I’m going with Coastal Carolina. They’ve been good in recent years, the trip isn’t too far, and Virginia football is abysmal.
How I’ve Done so far this Season:
Upset Picks must be +3 or greater to be “Upsets”
Favorite Picks: 0-0
Upset Picks: 0-0
Total Record ATS: 0-0
*These picks are to express my opinion on games from a point spread perspective. I am not advocating for you, the reader, to gamble on any of these games. Please bet responsibly.
Want more Walk On Fan?
Check out our prediction for the hardest schedule in CFB.
Follow us on Twitter (or X) @here!
Follow us on Bluesky here!
This article was written by Cole Tollison and edited by Hayden Breene