Outkick founder Clay Travis has unveiled his full slate of 18 selections for the opening week of the college football season. Travis is rolling into Week 1 brimming with confidence in his picks, including three “blood bank guarantees.”
Clay Travis’ Week 1 picks:
- Nebraska +7.5 at Minnesota
- Florida vs Utah under 45.5
- Oklahoma vs Arkansas State over 58.5
- Kentucky vs Ball State over 48.5
- Colorado vs TCU over 59.5
- Tennessee vs Virginia over 57.5
- Utah State +25.5 at Iowa
- Texas A&M -38 vs New Mexico
- Auburn vs UMass over 52.5
- Ohio State -28.5 at Indiana
- Rice +35.5 at Texas
- USC vs Nevada over 65.5
- MTSU +39.5 at Alabama
- West Virginia +21 at Penn State
- UNC vs South Carolina over 64.5
- Old Dominion +15.5 at Virginia Tech
- Northwestern +7 at Rutgers
- LSU vs Florida State under 57.5
Nebraska +7.5 at Minnesota
Travis likes Nebraska as a home underdog with new coach Matt Rhule to keep this close and cover.
Florida vs Utah under 45.5
One of Travis’ “blood bank guarantees,” he expects Florida’s poor offense and questions around Utah QB Cam Rising to lead to a low-scoring affair.
Kentucky vs Ball State over 48.5
Another “guaranteed” over play for Travis, who predicts Kentucky’s new offensive coordinator and QB to spark a high-scoring game.
Oklahoma vs Arkansas State over 58.5
Travis sees Oklahoma’s defensive woes continuing even under a defensive coach, combined with mistakes by Arkansas State coach Butch Jones, leading to an offensive shootout.
Colorado vs TCU over 59.5
With attention on Deion Sanders’ debut and TCU trying to validate last season, Travis predicts an action-packed, high-scoring game.
Tennessee vs Virginia over 57.5
Travis expects Tennessee QB Joe Milton to have a big game and the Vols to put up 50+ points in a shootout win over Virginia.
Texas A&M -38 vs New Mexico
Travis envisions a big debut for Aggies coach Bobby Petrino’s offense and A&M cruising past this huge spread.
Auburn vs UMass over 52.5
Travis thinks new Auburn coach Hugh Freeze will bring an aggressive offensive approach that pushes this game over the total.
Ohio State -28.5 at Indiana
While expecting Indiana to hang around for a while, Travis sees Ohio State pulling away late like usual behind a couple quick strikes.
Rice +35.5 at Texas
Travis doesn’t believe Texas is “back” yet and sees Rice keeping the game within 35 points.
USC vs Nevada over 65.5
With USC giving up points to everyone, Travis is betting the overs in all of their probable blowout wins.
West Virginia +21 at Penn State
Despite believing in Penn State QB Drew Allar, Travis sees West Virginia keeping this close well into the 4th quarter and covering.
UNC vs South Carolina over 64.5
With two talented QBs, Travis predicts a thrilling shootout between UNC and South Carolina in this neutral site game.
Old Dominion +15.5 at Virginia Tech
Travis doesn’t think struggling Virginia Tech is ready to pull away from Old Dominion yet and takes the points.
Northwestern +7 at Rutgers
Counting on Northwestern to channel their anger productively and keep this a one score game.
LSU vs Florida State under 57.5
The third “blood bank guarantee” from Travis, who expects a lower-scoring affair between two talented defenses.
MTSU +39.5 at Alabama
With Alabama potentially playing 3 QBs and not showing much offense yet, Travis sees Middle Tennessee scoring enough to cover this huge spread.
Utah State +25.5 at Iowa
Travis knows Iowa shouldn’t be favored by this much and believes Utah State can keep it within 25 points.