2026 College Football Week 1 Odds, Promos, Previews — SkimNews
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- The 2026 college football Week 1 slate runs Friday, Sept. 4 through Monday, Sept. 7, with marquee spreads including No. 2 Oregon (-24.5) vs. Boise State, No. 11 LSU (-10.5) vs. Clemson, and No. 1 Ohio State laying 50.5 points against Ball State.
- DraftKings offers new users $200 in bonus bets after a $5 wager, FanDuel offers $350, and BetMGM (code CBSSPORTS) offers up to $1,500 in bonus bets, as online sports betting is legal in more than 30 states plus Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico.
- No. 6 Indiana, defending national champion after a 16-0 season, opens against North Texas with new QB Josh Hoover — who threw for 3,400-plus yards in back-to-back seasons at TCU — replacing No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza.
- No. 13 Alabama opens with its worst preseason ranking since 2008 and starts sophomore Keelon Russell at QB after Ty Simpson went in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft; the Crimson Tide face East Carolina in coach Kalen DeBoer's third season.
- Sunday and Monday showcase neutral-site games: No. 24 Louisville vs. No. 9 Ole Miss (-6.5) at Nissan Stadium in Nashville and Wisconsin vs. No. 4 Notre Dame (-20.5) at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, with No. 19 SMU a 2.5-point favorite over Florida State on Monday.
- No. 23 Houston returns dual-threat QB Conner Weigman (2,705 passing yards, 25 TDs, 11 rushing scores) and receiver Amari Thomas (966 yards, 12 TDs) and is a 20.5-point home favorite over Oregon State, which went 2-10 last year under first-year coach JaMarcus Shephard.
Why it matters: Bettors get stacked bonus-bet promos worth $200 to $1,500 against a Week 1 slate where the defending champion and two blue-blood programs face turnover at quarterback — Indiana replaces Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza with TCU transfer Josh Hoover, and Alabama starts sophomore Keelon Russell after losing first-round pick Ty Simpson, which is why both sit outside the top five in the AP preseason.
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