We got an appetizer last week, now College Football Week One gives us the full meal! College Football is now back for every other team that didn’t play in Week 0, and we even have a couple of teams that are back in action from last week as well.
Here are my plays and best bets for College Football Week One.
Check out the latest episodes of the JCPod for my full breakdowns and analysis. All odds are a mix/the best number from Fanatics, BetMGM, FanDuel, and DraftKings.
Straights
Saturday
West Virginia -20.5 (-120)
This is year two under Coach Rich Rodriguez, and his team this year should be a little bit better than the team he had last year. I look for West Virginia to win this game by about 24 to 28 points, as they look to get the offense rolling out the gates early this year. 
Tennesee state +48.5 (-120)
Georgia under Kirby Smart struggles to cover these massive spreads. I believe the official record is he is 0-10 when it comes to covering a spread of 44+ points. With stats that like that, it’s really hard not to take this Tennessee State team to cover. I am predicting a final score of around 54-10 at the worst.
Alabama – ECU first half under 28.5 (-125)
I think that ECU coming out and fight in the first half mixed with the weather being close to over 100° makes me feel like there will not be a whole lot of scoring to start out this game. While I think Alabama could still win big, it might just take awhile.
Sunday
Notre Dame -20.5 (-115)
Coach Fickell for the Wisconsin Badgers came out to the media this weekend and said some things that were pretty concerning to me when it came to the chances of Wisconsin covering the spread this weekend. I liked Notre Dame to win this game big to begin with, but those quotes from Fickell are pushing me in that direction even further. This should be a revenge tour season for Notre Dame, and this would be the perfect game for them to win big to start that resume.
Monday
Smu -3 (-105)
There are stats out there that show that team who played in week zero are at quite a disadvantage playing teams in Week One who haven’t played yet. I have some concerns for the pass rush of the Florida State Seminoles, so that makes me a little bit worried for them coming into this game. I think SMU is capable of winning this game by 7 to 10 points, so I will be taking them to win this game by at least a field goal.  I just do not like the vibes that I’ve been getting out of Florida State this off-season and coming into the season. 
Parnell’s Nasty Boy Parlay Play of the Day
We were one leg short of coming out the gates hot! I am mad at myself for not adding the Virginia spread in last weeks Nasty Boy, so no second guessing will happen this week.
I was able to get odds of +917:
- Tennesee state +48.5 (-120)
- Lsu -9.5 (-115)
- Louisville +10.5 (-170)
- Indiana -39.5 (-115)
Let’s have a DAY! PLEASE GAMBLE RESPONSIBLY!
Jaden Chandler-Parnell, or “JC” is a Sports & Sports Betting Analyst for Stare Down Sports. You can Follow him on X @Jaden95Chandler and on YouTube
2026-2027 BETTING RECORDS
College Football straights record (regular season): 1-2
Pickem Record:
(straights) NFL Bets [regular season]
(Touchdown scorers) NFL Bets [regular season]
(Player Props) NFL Bets [regular season]
$10 Nasty Boy Play (College) : 0-1
$10 Nasty Boy Play (NFL)
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