College football picks, schedule: Predictions against the spread, odds for top Week 1 games on Friday

Week 1 of the 2024 college football season keeps rolling with another slate of games Friday night. Five of the evening’s six contests see a Power Four team making their first appearance of the season, including one AP Top 25 team in No. 16 Oklahoma. 

The Sooners start an important Year 3 under coach Brent Venables with a home showdown against Temple. This will, notably, be Oklahoma’s first contest as an SEC team, so a big win against a team it’s heavily favored against will be important. 

A pair of new coaches are also set to make their debut in Duke’s Manny Diaz and Michigan State’s Jonathan Smith. Diaz’s return to the ACC is worth watching; he coached at Miami from 2019-21 and led the Hurricanes to three straight bowl games. 

The nightcap features one of Week 1’s most intriguing no-conference games when TCU travels to Stanford. The Horned Frogs are trying to bounce back after 2023’s disappointing 5-7 showing, while Stanford hopes to enter back into bowl contention after three straight losing seasons. 

Be sure to stick with CBS Sports throughout the evening for college football coverage from the opening kickoff onward. Let’s take a look at our expert picks for the best games on Friday of Week 1. 

Odds via SportsLine consensus | All times Eastern

7 p.m. | ESPN, fuboTV (Try for free) — Oklahoma enters its first game as an SEC member ranked top 20 in the country and with plenty to prove behind a first-year quarterback. Without question, the Sooners will leave zero meat on the bone against a wildly overmatched Temple team. Expect deep shots early and often as Oklahoma tries to build some confidence and swagger under first-year coordinators. Pick: Oklahoma -42.5 — Shehan Jeyarajah 

7 p.m. | Big Ten Network, fuboTV (Try for…

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Author : Will Backus

Publish date : 2024-08-29 23:01:34

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