Expert CFB Betting Locks for LSU vs. Clemson and Week 1's Biggest Games

Whether you acknowledge Week 0 as the official start of the college football season or not is of no importance. The greatest sport on earth enjoyed its appetizer on Saturday, and it was delightful.

Now, however, it's time for the main course.

Indeed, we are so very back. Week 1 has arrived, and the long wait for football games—not offseason roster news and transfer developments—has ended. There will be better slates of games in the weeks ahead, although the vibes are trending towards immaculate no matter the point spreads and matchups.

For those new to these parts, our weekly tradition is as follows. We pick football games against the spread every week, usually tackling both the biggest and most obscure games on the board.

We'll track our season performance all season long, until only one college football team is left standing. Last week, we were underwhelming. But a 2-3 start won't cool the enthusiasm one bit.

Let's cook.

Last Week's Record: 2-3

Year to Date: 2-3

LSU (-10.5) vs. Clemson

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It's hard to know exactly what LSU's roster will look like once the game begins, with so many new faces and moving parts entering Week 1.

Maybe former NFL players will suit up for LSU. Or maybe not. It won't impact this decision either way. In some respects, one must evaluate Lane Kiffin-coached teams the same way they did with Jim Harbaugh. They must separate all emotion and tomfoolery from the picture, even when it becomes as pronounced as it has and will likely get.

On paper, LSU is better than Clemson. Neither team has been trending particularly well of late, although Kiffin has a few major factors working for him in a game of this magnitude.

For starters, he's at home. The greatest venue in college football will be on full display in Week 1, and the game will be played at night. Putting all roster and coaching elements aside, this advantage is monumental in scale.

Then, there's Kiffin himself. Whatever one thinks of his public persona, he knows offense. The fact that he pried Sam Leavitt from the portal gives him an exceptional starting piece, and the wideouts he brought to LSU through the transfer portal are wildly intriguing.

We are putting our faith in Kiffin right away, although that's not the only element of this game. Clemson has not made the necessary adjustments as a program to keep up in games of this stature, and concerns on both sides of the ball seem valid.

Perhaps new starter Christopher Vizzina will take limited reps and turn those reps into a strong performance in one of the most hostile settings we will see all season. If that's the case, we will pay to see it.

But otherwise, we're backing Kiffin.

The Pick: LSU (-10.5)

Auburn (-7.5) vs. Baylor

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Throughout the offseason, confidence has been building around Auburn. For the first time in years, the Tigers appear to have a coach capable of turning their talent into sustained success.

Although he's just 42 years old, Alex Golesh seems ready. The same can be said for quarterback Byrum Brown, who followed Golesh to Auburn from South Florida.

Brown is a perfect player in this offense, having run for more than 1,000 yards a season ago and thrown for plenty more. With so many familiar pieces around him, the goal will remain the same: go fast and apply pressure.

Baylor will break in its own new quarterback DJ Lagway. The talent is undeniable, but so are the turnovers. At least such has been the case thus far.

In a year when Dave Aranda needs to win to keep his job, this will be a true test. The issue, however, is that Baylor simply feels completely outmatched.

The good news? The game will be played in Atlanta rather than Auburn. The bad news, however, is that the Tigers seem like the superior team in essentially every facet.

The Pick: Auburn (-7.5)

Louisville (+6.5) vs. Ole Miss

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Louisville head coach Jeff Brohm

The temptation to back Trinidad Chambliss is both real and understandable. Given all we saw last year—from the shocking emergence to his dominant play down the stretch—one can't help but wonder what a more polished version of the QB could look like.

Chambliss is fabulous, so is Ole Miss running back Kewan Lacy. But it's also fair to wonder how Pete Golding, still very new to life as a head coach, will handle this opportunity.

As for the other side, we've seen Jeff Brohm cause havoc in games like this in the past.

To pull this upset, he'll need running back Isaac Brown and quarterback Lincoln Kienholz to do the heavy lifting. Kienholz, formerly of Ohio State, will be Brohm's latest QB project.

It would be reckless to assume he'll have a Chambliss-like impact early on, but he should find success. And with a total in the mid-50s, the oddsmakers foresee both teams finding the end zone regularly.

We don't disagree, although don't expect it to be all from one side. Louisville should find enough success to keep this one tight throughout.

Heck, the Cardinals might even pull this one out.

The Pick: Louisville (+6.5)

Wisconsin (+20.5) vs. Notre Dame

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Luke Fickell

We're not exactly sprinting to the betting window for this one. Perhaps it's more of a light jog. But we're taking Wisconsin and all those points, in search of a game that will be closer than many expect.

If there's any major criticism we can make about Marcus Freeman, it's that he dropped some games early on during his Notre Dame tenure. Granted, early losses to Miami and Texas A&M last season weren't bad ones; Northern Illinois a year prior was a different story.

To be clear, this Notre Dame team is excellent. CJ Carr could win the Heisman, and there are future NFL players on both sides.

For Wisconsin, welcome to the Colton Joseph show. If nothing else, the former Old Dominion QB should give the Irish plenty to think about. He scored 34 touchdowns and ran for more than 1,000 yards last year.

That's the kind of slipperiness Wisconsin will need to make this game ugly enough at Lambeau Field. While we wish it were on a college campus, this isn't a bad consolation.

It won't be pretty or easy, but it'll be inside the number.

The Pick: Wisconsin (+20.5) 

UCLA (-1.5) at Cal

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This might just be a first for our weekly picks.

In all the years we have been picking college football games against the spread, I can't recall a team firing its athletic director in the first week of the college football season. Taking that to another level, I can't recall ever backing that same team in the same week.

If you're looking for a Saturday nightcap, look no further. It's still odd that this is now a Big Ten vs. ACC matchup, but we'll look beyond that aspect.

Instead, we have a football game between two interesting teams with fascinating quarterbacks.

For UCLA, Nico Iamaleava can finally settle in after a turbulent last 15 months. For Cal, Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele can prove that his wildly successful freshman season was merely the start.

While we played around with the prospect of taking the over, we'll instead back the slight road favorite.

The hiring of Bob Chesney wasn't necessarily high-profile, although he's certainly showcased himself well over the past five-plus years. And the fact that he was able to bring so many critical pieces with him from James Madison only helps matters.

This game should feature plenty of scoring, and the QBs could ultimately decide it. Don't be shocked if Iamaleava starts to blossom under new guidance.

The Pick: UCLA (-1.5)

Other Games on the Card

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Duke head coach Manny Diaz

Toledo (+9.5) at Michigan State

In a week when some weirdness is imminent, keep an eye on this one. Michigan State may need an adjustment period under Pat Fitzgerald, and Toledo is in position to play spoiler—or at least make things awkward—from the start.

Tulane at Duke (Under 51.5)

Speaking of weirdness, the defending ACC champs are a small favorite against a Group of Five darling fresh off another reboot. Both teams will break in new quarterbacks, and one will feature a new coach. It wouldn't be a shock if this one is close and somewhat ugly.

Hawaii (+3) vs. UNLV

Although it's only Week 1, we have our first hangover game of the year. Both teams lost in different ways in Week 0, but one must now travel nearly 3,000 miles for a late Saturday night game. Hawaii found something late against Stanford; it'll show here.