The NFL is back and college football is moving onto Week 2. I've got 7 picks for the best football bets to make this weekend, including 4 college picks and 3 NFL picks.
Be sure to compare the lines and odds before placing your bets to find the best deal currently available.
Want to get picks delivered straight to your inbox each week? Sign up for our weekly newsletter here.
NFL Week 1 & NCAAF Week 2 Best Bets
- Syracuse +3 vs. Georgia Tech – 12 pm ET on ACCN
- Maryland -8.5 vs. Michigan State – 3:30 pm ET on BTN
- Navy -12.5 vs. Temple – 3:30 pm ET on CBSS
- Oklahoma -27.5 vs. Houston – 7:45 pm ET on SEC Network
- Atlanta Falcons -3 vs. Pittsburgh Steelers – 1:00 pm ET on FOX
- New Orleans Saints -3.5 vs. Carolina Panthers – 1:00 pm ET on FOX
- Seattle Seahawks -5.5 vs. Denver Broncos – 4:05 pm ET on CBS
Syracuse +3 vs. Georgia Tech – Saturday, 12 pm ET on ACCN
We got the answer to the question of whether Georgia Tech is really that good or Florida State is really that bad in Week 2 when Boston College went on the road and beat Florida State, taking some of the shine off the Georgia Tech win against Florida State to open the year in Dublin.
Syracuse has a great QB in Kyle McCord (Ohio State transfer) and they return 17 starters from last year. The Georgia Tech ranking is overrated based on a win against a bad Florida State team. They should not be favored on the road against a more complete Syracuse team.
Take Syracuse +3.
>> Use our College Football Odds Comparison Tool to find the best lines & odds
Offers from our partners
Maryland -8.5 vs. Michigan State – Saturday, 3:30 pm ET on BTN
Nothing about the Michigan State win last week over Florida Atlantic inspires confidence that they will be able to go on the road and keep it close against Maryland on Saturday afternoon.
MSU turned the ball over 3 times and managed just 16 points. QB Aiden Chiles completed just 10 of 24 passes.
The Maryland offense came out firing on all cylinders, putting up over 600 yards against UConn. Michigan State won’t be able to score enough to keep up with Maryland.
While Maryland won’t put up 50, they will score plenty to win and cover comfortably.
>> Use our College Football Odds Comparison Tool to find the best lines & odds
Navy -12.5 vs. Temple – Saturday, 3:30 pm ET on CBSS
Temple is simply not a good football team.
They got torched at Oklahoma 51-3 to open the season, a game in which they put under 200 yards of offense and turned the ball over 6 times. Their defense got gashed on ground, giving up 220 rushing yards, with an average of 6.1 yards per rush.
Now Temple will be facing a Navy team that focuses primarily on the run. They rushed for 264 yards and 5 yards per carry in a win over Bucknell to open the season.
I don’t expect Temple to be able to slow Navy down or score enough to keep up. Take Navy -12.5.
>> Use our College Football Odds Comparison Tool to find the best lines & odds
Oklahoma -27.5 vs. Houston – Saturday, 7:45 pm on SEC Network
Oklahoma won 51-3 against Temple to open the year and now will face a Houston team that is not much better in Week 2.
Houston was bad at home in a Week 1 loss to UNLV, putting up only 7 points. Don’t look for things to get easier against an Oklahoma defense that forced 6 turnovers last week and wants to prove they belong in the SEC.
Last week, Houston could not get anything going on the ground. They rushed for only 36 yards and were sacked 6 times.
Look for Oklahoma to put up some more big numbers in a blowout win. Take them -27.5.
>> Use our College Football Odds Comparison Tool to find the best lines & odds
Atlanta Falcons -3 vs. Pittsburgh Steelers – Sunday, 1:00 pm ET on FOX
The Falcons come into the 2024 season with some high expectations.
They have a great core of offensive weapons, including WR Drake London, TE Kyle Pitts, and a great RB duo of Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier. And now have a QB capable of making big plays in Kirk Cousins.
On defense, they made some big moves, including picking up Matthew Judon from the Patriots and signing one of the best safeties in the league in Justin Simmons.
They will face a Steelers team that struggled in the preseason, including in games where the starters were playing significant minutes. Russell Wilson will be the QB, but he struggled mightily last year and does not have a lot of weapons on the outside to work with.
Look for the Falcons to start off 2024 with a win and cover Sunday afternoon.
>> Use our NFL Odds Comparison Tool to find the best lines & odds
Offers from our partners
New Orleans Saints -3.5 vs. Carolina Panthers Sunday, 1:00 pm ET on FOX
The Panthers might be better in 2024, but it won’t start well against an experienced Saints team with a good defense.
The Saints are the more experienced team and have a more proven QB in Derek Carr.
The defense will be able to put pressure on Carolina QB Bryce Young, as the Panthers have had trouble protecting their young QB.
The Panthers do not play well on the road, winning only one of their last 10 and going 2-7-1 ATS during that stretch.
The Saints tend to perform well in openers, winning 5 in a row. Look for them to get the win and cover a small number against a bad Carolina team to start the 2024 season.
>> Use our NFL Odds Comparison Tool to find the best lines & odds
Seattle Seahawks -5.5 vs. Denver Broncos – Sunday, 4:05 pm ET on CBS
The Denver offense will be a big question mark going into the season, starting rookie QB Bo Nix. Seattle will not be an easy place for him to start his career, as it’s one of the loudest stadiums in the league.
The Seahawks return a veteran group on offense led by Geno Smith at QB and receivers DK Metcalf, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and Tyler Lockett. Their defense should be much improved under rookie head coach Mike Macdonald who came over from Baltimore.
Look for the Seahawks to get the job done with a home win and cover in Week 1.
Other football resources you might be interested in:
- Compare NFL Odds & Lines
- Compare College Football Odds & Lines
- Football Betting Picks
- NFL Hub Page
- Our NFL Betting Picks
- Best NFL Betting Sites & Apps
- Best NFL Live Betting Sites & Apps
- Betting Promo Codes & Sign-Up Bonuses
- NFL Odds Calculator
- College Football Hub Page
- Our College Football Betting Picks
- Best College Football Betting Sites
- How to Bet on College Football
- +EV Bets Search Tool
- Arbitrage Bets Search Tool
