Latest College Football Odds and Picks Factoring in New Weather Forecasts for Week 1 Schedule

The sun will be shining all over college football in Week 1.

The weekend's top games are expected to be played in pristine conditions from Baton Rouge to Green Bay and beyond.

Lane Kiffin's debut as coach of the LSU Tigers takes center stage on Saturday night, as the SEC side plays host to the Clemson Tigers.

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish will be in the spotlight on Sunday night inside Lambeau Field against the Wisconsin Badgers.

Notre Dame has a ton of national championship steam. We'll see just how good the Irish are in the national TV window on Sunday.

While there is plenty of buzz for the season to start, there's only one Top 25 matchup on the Week 1 schedule. That game will be played in Nashville on Sunday.

Below is a look at everything you need to know for Week 1, including the forecast for every game courtesy of The Weather Channel.

Week 1 Top 25 Schedule, Odds and Weather

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Thursday, September 3

Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook.

Arkansas Pine Bluff at No. 25 Missouri (-54.5)

Schedule: 8 p.m. ET, SEC Network

Forecast: Sunny, High of 97°F

Prediction: Missouri 55, Arkansas Pine Bluff 3

Idaho at No. 21 Utah (-34.5)

Schedule: 9 p.m. ET, ESPNU

Forecast: Partly Cloudy, High of 86°F

Prediction: Utah 37, Idaho 10

Friday, September 4

UTEP at No. 10 Oklahoma (-41.5)

Schedule: (8 p.m. ET, SEC Network)

Forecast: Sunny, High of 97°F

Prediction: Oklahoma 45, UTEP 3

No. 7 Miami (-24.5) at Stanford

Schedule: (9 p.m. ET, ESPN)

Forecast: Partly Cloudy, High of 77°F

Prediction: Miami 37, Stanford 14

Fresno State at No. 14 USC (-21.5)

Schedule: (9 p.m. ET, Fox)

Forecast: Sunny, High of 83°F

Prediction: USC 34, Fresno State 17

Saturday, September 5

North Texas at No. 6 Indiana (-40.5)

Schedule: (Noon ET, Fox)

Forecast: Partly Cloudy, High of 89°F

Prediction: Indiana 52, North Texas 10

East Carolina at No. 13 Alabama (-27.5)

Schedule: Noon ET, ABC

Forecast: Sunny, High of 96°F

Prediction: Alabama 38, East Carolina 10

Oregon State at No. 23 Houston (-20.5)

Schedule: Noon ET, ESPN

Forecast: Sunny, High of 92°F

Prediction: Houston 34, Oregon State 13

Ball State at No. 1 Ohio State (-50.5)

Schedule: 12:30 p.m. ET, BTN

Forecast: Partly Cloudy with Scattered Thunderstorms, High of 84°F

Prediction: Ohio State 49, Ball State 7

Tennessee State at No. 3 Georgia (-47.5)

Schedule: 3 p.m. ET, SEC Network

Forecast: Sunny, High of 99°F

Prediction: Georgia 41, Tennessee State 3

Boise State at No. 2 Oregon (-24.5)

Schedule: 3:30 p.m. ET, CBS

Forecast: Partly Cloudy, High of 72°F

Prediction: Oregon 27, Boise State 20

Texas State at No. 5 Texas (-29.5)

Schedule: 3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN

Forecast: Sunny, High of 98°F

Prediction: Texas 38, Texas State 13

Marshall at No. 18 Penn State (-24.5)

Schedule: 3:30 p.m. ET, FS1

Forecast: Partly Cloudy, High of 77°F

Prediction: Penn State 31, Marshall 10

Furman at No. 20 Tennessee (-48.5)

Schedule: 3:30 p.m. ET, SEC Network

Forecast: Sunny, High of 94°F

Prediction: Tennessee 45, Furman 3

Northern Illinois at No. 22 Iowa (-31.5)

Schedule: 4:15 p.m. ET, BTN

Forecast: Sunny, High of 94°F

Prediction: Iowa 28, Northern Illinois 10

Missouri State at No. 6 Texas A&M (-40.5)

Schedule: 7 p.m. ET, ESPN

Forecast: Sunny, High of 94°F

Prediction: Texas A&M 38, Missouri State 3

Abilene Christian at No. 12 Texas Tech (-42.5)

Schedule: 7 p.m. ET, FS1

Forecast: Sunny, High of 98°F

Prediction: Texas Tech 45, Abilene Christian 21

Clemson at No. 11 LSU (-10.5)

Schedule: 7:30 p.m. ET, ABC

Forecast: Partly Cloudy, High of 88°F

Prediction: LSU 27, Clemson 13

Western Michigan at No. 16 Michigan (-27.5)

Schedule: 7:30 p.m. ET, NBC

Forecast: Sunny, High of 79°F

Prediction: Michigan 31, Western Michigan 10

Utah Tech at No. 14 BYU (-51.5)

Schedule: 8 p.m. ET, ESPN+

Forecast: Sunny, High of 88°F

Prediction: BYU 51, Utah Tech 10

Sunday, September 6

Washington State at No. 17 Washington (-23.5)

Schedule: 4 p.m. ET, NBC

Forecast: Partly Cloudy, High of 70°F

Prediction: Washington 21, Washington State 17

Wisconsin vs. No. 4 Notre Dame (-20.5) (Game in Green Bay, WI)

Schedule: 7:30 p.m. ET, NBC

Forecast: Sunny, High of 78°F

Prediction: Notre Dame 34, Wisconsin 10

No. 24 Louisville vs. No. 9 Ole Miss (-6.5) (Game in Nashville)(

Schedule: 7:30 p.m. ET, ABC

Forecast: Sunny, High of 96°F

Prediction: Ole Miss 27, Louisville 17

Monday, September 7

No. 19 SMU (-3.5) at Florida State

Schedule: 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN

Forecast: Thunderstorms, High of 87°F

Prediction: SMU 24, Florida State 16

Clemson at No. 11 LSU

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Lane Kiffin's debut as LSU head coach takes place under the lights in Baton Rouge on Saturday night.

The expectations are through the roof in Baton Rouge for many reasons. Kiffin is coming off a successful tenure at Ole Miss, LSU is desperate to be back at the top of the sport and a ton of money was thrown at the roster to make it a title contender.

Arizona State transfer Sam Leavitt will be in charge of the LSU offense, a unit that contains plenty of explosive playmakers. Tight end Trey'Dez Green is one of the best red-zone targets in the country. Transfer wide receivers Jayce Brown and Eugene Wilson are expected to be a few of the team's top pass-catchers.

Kiffin's teams usually have a high-scoring offense, so it wouldn't be a surprise to see LSU ride its offense to a handful of wins in 2026.

Clemson is currently clinging on to relevance in the national conversation. The Tigers went 7-6 last year, but the season could have been much worse after a 3-5 start.

Dabo Swinney is riding with Christopher Vizzina at quarterback. Vizzina has 406 passing yards in his collegiate career. Clemson was one of the few schools with a quarterback need that didn't raid the transfer portal.

That could ultimately cost Clemson across the entire 2026 campaign. Tiger Stadium is one of the last places a new starting quarterback with little experience wants to begin his season.

There are too many things going in LSU's favor to pick against the Tigers in Week 1.

Prediction: LSU (-10.5)

Wisconsin vs. No. 4 Notre Dame

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The Notre Dame Fighting Irish have to be viewed as one of the premier national title candidates in 2026.

The Irish have one of the best rosters, led by quarterback and Heisman Trophy contender C.J .Carr, and they have one of the easiest schedules among the top-ranked teams.

The Irish have three Top 25 teams on their schedule. Two of those games take place in South Bend.

Sunday's opener at Lambeau Field against the Wisconsin Badgers is viewed as more of a warm-up for the Irish. Getting to a bowl game is the expectation for Wisconsin in 2026.

Carr and Co. will be playing in perfect conditions in Green Bay, where it is expected to be 79 degrees and sunny on Sunday.

The Irish are a 20.5-point favorite. Eight of their 10 wins last season came by 20 points or more.

Not only do the Irish boast an impressive offense, they have one of the best defenses in the nation as well.

Wisconsin might be competitive in some of its other high-profile games in 2026, but it feels like it is walking into a buzzsaw on Sunday against a Notre Dame team that can make an early statement to a national audience about its title credentials.

Prediction: Notre Dame (-20.5)

No. 24 Louisville vs. No. 9 Ole Miss

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Week 1's only Top 25 matchup takes place in Nashville on Sunday night in sweltering 90-degree heat.

The 24th-ranked Louisville Cardinals are one of the top contenders beneath the Miami Hurricanes in the ACC. They return running back Isaac Brown, who has run for 2,057 yards in his first two seasons with the Cardinals.

Louisville has more of an unknown at quarterback with Lincoln Kienholz, an Ohio State transfer, so it is expected to rely a lot on Brown to challenge Ole Miss' defense.

Ole Miss brings back the backfield duo of quarterback Trinidad Chambliss and running back Kewan Lacy. That's a strong foundation for first-year head coach Pete Golding to have.

The Rebels own the edge at quarterback. That helps justify the 6.5-point spread in favor of the SEC side.

Louisville could certainly be competitive if Kienholz settles in, but he is the unknown quantity in the equation going into the game.

Ole Miss has the potential to run away with the game behind Chambliss and Lacy. A victory would be a nice starting point for the Rebels, who are gearing up for Lane Kiffin's return to Oxford in Week 3.

Prediction: Ole Miss (-6.5)