Big Ten College Football Week 1 Odds, Game Notes, Betting Guide

The new-look Big Ten Conference debuts this weekend. All 18 members play a non-conference foe, highlighted by Penn State at West Virginia, Minnesota vs. North Carolina, and USC vs. LSU. Aside from adding four new members, the Big Ten underwent big changes this offseason. Bookmark this article for handicapping Big Ten football odds in Week 1.

This weekend, Big Ten football odds include games on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and even Sunday with the Modelo Vegas Kickoff. No conference games will be played, but we can and will gauge some teams.

Big Ten Football Odds: Week 1

Browse the best odds for Big Ten teams in Week 1 below. Click inside the odds tables to bet now. Best of luck betting Big Ten football odds this week!

Howard at Rutgers, Thursday (6:00 p.m.)

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• Opening odds: RUT -34.5, O/U 47.5
• Minnesota transfer QB Athan Kaliakmanis likely gets the start, having pushed incumbent Gavin Wimsatt out of town
• Rutgers star linebacker Mo Toure (93 tackles, 4.5 sacks) is out for the season after tearing his ACL in camp
• Scarlet Knights are 3-0 ATS against FCS opponents since 2021 (lines of -20, -48, -46.5)

North Carolina at Minnesota, Thursday (8:00 p.m.)

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• Opening odds: MIN +1.5, O/U 50.5
• Watch for weather here! Thursday evening is forecast to see strong thunderstorms in the area
• North Carolina saw a four-point swing in its favor Monday night (Minnesota climbed to -2.5)
• Speculation surrounds star RB Darius Taylor and top WR Daniel Jackson – P.J. Fleck notoriously plays injuries close to the vest. But the point spread swing suggests one, or both, will sit to injury
• Tar Heels will start transfer QB Max Johnson, but Conner Harrell will get work, too
• Last year, UNC (-7) beat Minnesota, 31-13, in Chapel Hill

Eastern Illinois at Illinois, Thursday (9:00 p.m.)

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• Opening odds: ILL -30.5, O/U 44.5
• Just the third FCS opponent for Illinois since 2017
• Eastern Illinois turns over both coordinators – DC left for Southern Miss (DC) and OC left for Western Illinois (HC)

FAU at Michigan State, Friday (7:00 p.m.)

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• Opening odds: MSU -11.5, O/U 48.5
• Watch for weather here! Moderate rain is expected throughout the game
• First game under head coach Jonathan Smith for Michigan State
• Spartans will start touted transfer Aiden Chiles, Owls will start Marshall transfer Cam Fancher at QB
• Smith is 15-3 ATS as a home favorite from his time at Oregon State

Western Michigan at Wisconsin, Friday (9:00 p.m.)

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• Opening odds: WIS -23.5, O/U 52.5
• Game has been one of the largest movers in point total (up five points)
• WMU turns over both coordinators in Year 2 under Lance Taylor

Read up on our preseason college football betting guide for Big Ten football odds, complete with Big Ten team previews.

Illinois State at Iowa, Saturday (12:00 p.m.)

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• Opening odds: IOWA -26.5, O/U 40.5
• Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz and WR coach Jon Budmayr are suspended this game for recruiting violations
• WR Kaleb Brown will not play, related to an offseason arrest
• Just the fourth FCS opponent since 2016 – Iowa is 1-2 ATS against those teams, including an outright loss to North Dakota State in 2016

Penn State at West Virginia, Saturday (12:00 p.m.)

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• Opening odds: PSU -9.5, O/U 49.5
• Watch for weather here! As of Tuesday, thunderstorms are in the forecast for Morgantown
• Penn State leads all-time series 49-9-2 (second meeting since 1992)
• James Franklin successfully scored late on a fake kneel down last year in State College to cover a -20 spread
• Franklin is a coach acutely aware of the point spread and has a tendency to cover it when he is able
• Penn State is 21-1 against teams not named Ohio State or Michigan the past two years

UConn at Maryland, Saturday (12:00 p.m.)

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• Opening odds: UMD -23.5, O/U 45.5
• Rain is expected in the forecast, but no wind impacts
• UConn saw some of the most point spread movement of any team this offseason
• Huskies start Wisconsin and Oklahoma transfer QB Nick Evers
• Mike Locksley is 11-4 ATS against non-conference opponents at Maryland
• Terps are 14-3 SU against non-conference opponents since 2017, including three upset wins against Texas (+17, +13) and West Virginia (+3)

Indiana State at Purdue, Saturday (12:00 p.m.)

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• Opening odds: PUR -36.5, O/U 47.5
• Last time played, Purdue (-37) won and covered, 56-0 (2022)
• Transfer WR C.J. Smith won't play for Purdue this week due to injury

FIU at Indiana, Saturday (3:30 p.m.)

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• Opening odds: IND -19.5, O/U 49.5
• First game under new regime and roster headed by Curt Cignetti (James Madison)
• Indiana starting guard Nick Kidwell is out for the season. Kidwell is a two-time All-Sun Belt selection
• All-MAC QB Kurtis Rourke starts for Indiana and 10 JMU transfers are on this roster
• There is a chance of rain Saturday

Miami (OH) at Northwestern, Saturday (3:30 p.m.)

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• Opening odds: NW -3.5, O/U 43.5
• Down 3.5 points, this is one of the biggest point total movers
• First game played at the temporary Lakeside stadium in Evanston while Northwestern awaits new Ryan Field (2026)
• Miami last beat Northwestern as +7 underdog in 2022 (last year, beat Cincinnati as +14 'dog)
• Northwestern won seven games last year as underdog or PK (including bowl)

UTEP at Nebraska, Saturday (3:30 p.m.)

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• Opening odds: NEB -27.5, O/U 51.5
• Starting Nebraska left tackle Teddy Prochazka is out for the season with a torn ACL
• First game for UTEP under new coach Scotty Walden
• Walden brings Austin Peay staff, changes offense to 15-seconds-or-less tempo

Akron at Ohio State, Saturday (3:30 p.m.)

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• Opening odds: OSU -50.5, O/U 55.5
• Akron OC Taylor Housewright stepped away from football months after being hired, HC Joe Moorhead takes over playcalling
• Chip Kelly takes over as offensive coordinator for Ohio State
• Ohio State is 2-5-1 ATS against non-conference FBS opponents since 2021 (3-2 against Group of Five opponents)
• 50.5 points is the largest spread in favor of Ohio State since at least 2017
• Since 2017, the Buckeyes average 53.5 points per game against Group of Five opponents
• Since 2019, Akron averages eight points per game against Power Conference opponents (27-of-56 total points came against Indiana last year)

College Football National Title odds

Fresno State at Michigan, Saturday (7:30 p.m.)

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• Opening odds: MICH -21.5, O/U 47.5
• Sherrone Moore declined to name a starter, citing that Alex Orji and Davis Warren are both in competition for QB1
• Michigan went 0-3 ATS against non-conference opponents during Jim Harbaugh's suspension. Moore was acting head coach in a 31-6 win over Bowling Green before assuming the same role later in the year against Penn State, Maryland, and Ohio State (2-2 ATS)
• Fresno State head coach Jeff Tedford medically retired in July for a second time
• All-American candidate safety Rod Moore (MICH) is out for the season

UCLA at Hawaii, Saturday (7:30 p.m.)

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• Opening odds: UCLA -15.5, O/U 54.5
• First game for UCLA under head coach DeShaun Foster, UCLA alum and longtime assistant
• Hawaii is 2-5 ATS at home against non-conference opponents since 2017
• Hawaii sprung an upset on Arizona (+11) in 2019 and is 2-9 against Power Conference opponents since 2017 (3-8 ATS)
• Rainbow Warriors were a popular bet this offseason, but after failing to cover against Delaware State (-40.5), UCLA again saw action
• UCLA has not played at Hawaii since 1939 (won 32-7)

Idaho at Oregon, Saturday (7:30 p.m.)

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• Opening odds: ORE -43.5, O/U 59.5
• With a 4:30 p.m. local kickoff, temperatures during this game are forecast to be in the mid-90s
• Idaho lost its star QB to Oregon State, who will start for the Beavers this year
• Oregon scored 151 combined points against FCS opponents the last two years (Portland State, -48 and Eastern Washington, -27)

Weber State at Washington, Saturday (11:00 p.m.)

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• Opening odds: WAS -29.5, O/U 52.5
• First game under Jedd Fisch after losing Kalen DeBoer to Alabama
• Washington is 74-101 (.423) under coaches other than DeBoer or Chris Petersen since 2001

USC vs. LSU, Sunday (7:30 p.m.)

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• Opening odds: LSU -6.5, O/U 66.5
• LSU opens its third-straight season at a neutral site, went 0-2 SU and ATS against Florida State the last two years
• Both LSU starting WR Chris Hilton and OL Miles Frazier are questionable to play Sunday
• First game under LSU OC Joe Sloan, who was an internal hire
• USC plays its first game under new DC D'Anton Lynn

Odds to make the College Football Playoff

We are covering much more than Big Ten football odds this week in college football. Browse some more of our betting coverage below.