2025 college football Week 1 picks against the spread, odds, lines, trends: Betting expert reveals picks

Legendary Vegas handicapper Bruce Marshall reveals the best betting values for the Week 1 college football schedule

By Daniel Lewis

Aug 25, 2025 at 8:00 am ET • 2 min read

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After a four-game FBS appetizer in Week 0, the 2025 college football season kicks into high gear over Labor Day Weekend. There are college football games every day from Thursday to Monday, including some of the most anticipated showdowns of the season. It's an absolutely loaded Week 1 college football odds board that leaves bettors with almost endless opportunities to lock in their college football best bets.

No. 1 Texas is a 2.5-point underdog against No. 3 Ohio State, No. 8 Alabama is -13.5 vs. Florida State and No. 4 Clemson is -4 against No. 9 LSU. Those are just a few of the top college football lines to consider. Before locking in any college football picks for Week 1 of the 2025 season, be sure to see the college football betting guide from legendary Vegas handicapper Bruce Marshall.

For years Vegas-based Marshall was synonymous with The Gold Sheet, the famous sports betting newsletter. He has also won various handicapping titles and also is working on several book projects. Marshall crushed his 2024 college football betting picks, going 64-43 and returning more than 16 units.

Now, using his Tech Corner technique that evaluates all the trends, Marshall has turned his attention to the latest college football odds for Week 1 and evaluated each matchup. Head here to see every pick, and new users can also target the DraftKings promo code, which offers new users $200 in bonus bets instantly plus over $300 off NFL Sunday Ticket:

Top college football predictions for Week 1

One of the top college football picks Marshall is recommending for Week 0: He says the trends point to backing No. 24 Tennessee (-14) against Syracuse in a noon ET matchup in Atlanta. He also projects the Over to hit in that game.

The Vols had an offseason of change as quarterback Nico Iamaleava moved on in the midst of an NIL dispute. Joey Aguilar transferred in to replace him in the spring and has won the starting job. The Vols, however, leaned largely on their defense and running game last year, and many key components return in those areas.

Marshall notes that Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel is 9-0 against the spread in regular season non-conference games since 2022. The Vols also cleared the total in their last four games of the 2024 season, so those are the plays the trends point to in this neutral-site opener. Go to SportsLine to see all of Marshall's picks.

How to make college football picks for Week 1

Marshall has evaluated every other matchup and he's found a critical 23-6 ATS trend in one of the other top Week 1 games. Get betting analysis for each matchup at SportsLine.

So what college football picks can you make with confidence, and what alarming trend do you need to know about in one of the week's biggest game? Check out the latest college football odds below, then visit SportsLine to see which teams to back, all from the legendary Vegas expert who has won multiple handicapping titles and went 64-43 last seasons, and find out.