Week 1 Predictions: 2 College Football Best Bets for Thursday, August 28

After a small Week 0 appetizer, Week 1 of the college football season kicks off on Thursday, August 28. Our CFB insider has 2 best bets on tap for this slate. Good luck with your wagers! Enjoy the action, folks!

Best Bet: Boise St Broncos at South Florida Bulls OVER 63.5

Boise is still the top pick to win the Mountain West this season, even after losing Ashton Jeanty to the NFL. QB Maddux Madsen will be returning and is likely to be relied on more in the absence of a Heisman candidate running back this season. While there will be a larger need in the passing game, the offensive line should provide a stable pocket for Madsen. The unit is going to be the best in the conference. On the other side of the ball, the Broncos return 6 starters to a defense that improved throughout the year and is likely to be one of the top defenses in the conference this year.

South Florida is likely to contend with the top dogs in the American Athletic Conference this season. Last year’s season ended with the Bulls finishing just 1 game over .500. That was mostly in part due to Byrum Brown’s injury. The QB is back and healthy for this season, which has the program excited for the 2025-2026 campaign. He will have a top-notch offensive line protecting him and one of the most dynamic playmakers in Keshaun Singleton to throw the ball to. The issue for the Bulls is likely to be their defense. It could not hold up much last year and allowed nearly 30ppg last season.

Taking the over on the 1^st game of the season for teams is always dicey. However, we like how both offenses line up on paper. We would lean Boise St to get the cover, but the one-touchdown line makes us hesitate, as it could be a trap line. The only way USF really stays in this one is with its offense. We are expecting both offenses to air it out and give us some fireworks early to get this total over the number.

Key Trends for Boise State vs USF:

• The total has gone OVER in 6 of South Florida’s last 7 games.

Best Bet: Nebraska Cornhuskers -6.5 at Cincinnati Bearcats

Welcome to the Dylan Raiola show of 2025-2026. He claims to have tempered his ego, but the real question is if his play will take the rest steps forward. After leading the Huskers to a winning season last year, he and OC Dana Holgorsen look to make the scoreboard light up with the offense. They brought in Nyziah Hunter from Cal and Dane Key from Kentucky to give Raiola some new targets through the air. On defense, they have a veteran secondary, but the boys up front will be the question mark.

The cupboard is nearly bare on both sides of the ball for Cincinnati. They lose their top 4 receivers from last year. This is going to put QB, Brendan Sorsby, in a tough spot early in the season. He will need to gel quickly with the new faces which include 3 new offensive linemen. On defense, they have some returners up-front, but the secondary is mainly transfers. With so many question marks on both sides of the ball, it will be difficult to trust this Bearcat team early in 2025.

We trust Matt Rhule to get the Cornhuskers started off on the right foot this season and take full advantage of a veteran signal caller returning to the program. Raiola will face a rather weak secondary to ease him into the season and they should be able to cover the number here on the road.

Key Trends for Nebraska vs. Cincinnati:

• Nebraska is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games against an opponent in the Big 12 conference.
• Nebraska is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games played on a Thursday when playing on the road.
• Cincinnati is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games.
• Cincinnati is 1-6-1 ATS in its last 8 games when playing as the underdog.