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The first full weekend of the 2025 college football season kicked off in earnest Thursday night with a primetime doubleheader that featured one big upset and other nail-biter between a pair of gritty teams. The opening act saw South Florida, which closed as a 5.5-point underdog to Boise State after opening at +9.5, overcome a sluggish start to bury the Broncos 34-7 behind an improved defense and sometimes-explosive offense. The Bulls closed at about +200 on the money line at most outlets. The nightcap saw Nebraska (-6.5) edge a resilient Cincinnati club 20-17 by sealing the victory with an end zone interception from Malcolm Hartzog Jr. with 34 seconds left to play.

The Week 1 college football fun continues Friday night with a handful of compelling matchups. The default main event sees a battle-tested Georgia Tech club visiting the high-profile Colorado Buffaloes (8 p.m. ET), who will be looking to remain viable amid the loss of last season's stars to the NFL.

The Yellow Jackets are coming off a 7-6 campaign that likely would have been more successful if it had the full-time services of dynamic quarterback Haynes King. Now a sixth-year senior, King missed two full games (both losses) and was hampered in others due to a torn labrum in his throwing shoulder. Even so, the Jackets finished strong down the stretch with a 28-23 upset of then No. 4-ranked Miami and took rival Georgia to eight overtimes before falling 44-42.

King is expected to be a full strength and is joined in the backfield by senior workhorse running back Jamal Haynes, who notched 944 yards and nine touchdowns last season. They were also underrated by oddsmakers as they went 7-1 in a mid-season stretch and covered in all of the victories. But their season ended on a sour note with a 36-14 loss to BYU in the Alamo Bowl.

Two-way star Travis Hunter grabbed the Heisman trophy on his way out the door to becoming the No. 2 overall pick by the Jacksonville Jaguars, while quarterback Shedeur Sanders, long believed to be a first-round pick, was taken in the fifth round by the Cleveland Browns.  

The revamped Buffaloes will feature Liberty transfer Kaidon Salter at quarterback, and the team lost four of its top five receivers. But some key contributors return, including bruising offensive tackle Jordan Seaton.

The Yellow Jackets are currently 4.5-point favorites (though -4 is still available at some outlets) and the over/under for total points scored is 51.5 in the latest sportsbook odds for Georgia Tech vs. Colorado.  

In addition to the CFB card, Friday's sporting landscape also features a full MLB slate and a two-game WNBA card. Below is a snapshot of the top viewing options for Friday, Aug. 29:

CFB best bets today, where to watch

Georgia Tech at Colorado 

Time: 8 p.m. | Location: Boulder, Colo. | TV: ESPN | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)

SportsLine picks: Model pick: Colorado +160 | Expert pick: Georgia Tech -4

Three SportsLine experts have taken Georgia Tech at -4, with all three pointing to the continuity present in the offense, particularly QB Haynes King and RB Jamal Haynes.

The model, however, sees value in backing the Buffs on the money line. Colorado wins in just under half of the model's simulations, which is a high enough rate to provide value at the +160 price.

More CFB best bets:

MLB best bets today, where to watch

Tigers at Royals 

Time: 8:10 p.m. | Location: Detroit | TV: MLB Network, Fan Duel Sports Netowrk | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)

SportsLine picks -- Model pick: Tigers +102 | Expert pick: Vinnie Pasquantino Over 1.5 total bases +110

The SportsLine Projection Model loves the visiting Tigers in this matchup of AL Central rivals. Its 10,000-game simulation projects Detroit as the winner by an average score of 4.4-3.8 and a win rate of at least 56%. this provides a major position against the sportsbook implied odds of around 49%. 

In the player props market, SportsLine MLB expert Jeff Hochman sees an advantage position in taking taking the plus-money prop on Vinnie Pasquantino over 1.5 total bases at +110. He notes the Royals first baseman has 24 RBI in 34 career games against Detroit, his most against any opponent.

More MLB best bets

WNBA: Fever at Sparks

Time: 10 p.m. | Location: Los Angeles | TV: ION | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)

SportsLine expert picks -- Fever money line +110

SportsLine expert Max Meyer's top WNBA prop picks Friday

SportsLine's WNBA expert tandem of Calvin Wetzel and Aaron Barzilai say they see the Fever (20-18), who are coming off one of their best performances of the season in a 95-75 win over the Seattle Storm, keeping their momentum going with another win over the middling Sparks (17-19), who have split their last six games.   

They note the Sparks are just 3-7 this season as home favorites this season and aren't sure if they should be favored Friday night. Los Angeles is a 1.5-point favorite with an over/under total of 179.5 points. 

The Sparks are allowing a league-worst 88.5 points per game and allowed the Phoenix Mercury to shoot 11-of-25 from 3-point range in a 92-84 loss Tuesday night.