Spring practice hasn’t even opened yet for most FBS teams, but FanDuel Sportsbook released college football opening odds for select games this coming season. Among the bunch are Texas at Alabama, Colorado at TCU, and staple rivalries like Ohio State at Michigan. With six months separating these openers and the start of the season, these lines are bound to change.
Is there any value betting these lines? What are the situations surrounding these games? We’ll dive into that below. If you’d like to bet any of spreads below, just click the odds.
FanDuel Sportsbook Releases College Football Opening Odds
FanDuel offers spreads on 23 games for this upcoming season. Top billing goes to Ohio State at Michigan (-1), LSU at Alabama (-8.5), USC (-3) at Notre Dame, and Texas at Alabama (-8.5). They also feature the Week 0 rivalry between Navy and Notre Dame (-17.5) played in Dublin, Ireland. Moneylines and totals were not a part of the opening release.
Also included are rubber matches like LSU vs. Florida State (-1) and home-and-home series like Nebraska (-6.5) at Colorado. After opening the Buffaloes at just 4.5 wins, Deion Sanders’ Colorado is a considerable underdog in both lined games.
Releasing lines this early isn’t abnormal for the country’s largest sportsbook. Each year, they drop opening odds way early in the offseason. These lines will be rescinded later on and re-posted, sometimes with dramatically different numbers.
- Continue the discussion on TheLines Discord channel and join over 4,300 sports betting fans. Head over to the #roles server and sign up for push notifications any time our staff makes a college football bet.
Should You Bet These Lines?
I’m not betting any of these numbers. It’s simply too far from the regular season to accurately handicap many of these teams. Take, for example, Penn State at Ohio State (-8) on Oct. 21. The Buckeyes are favored by 6.6 points in my preseason aggregate power ratings, but turn over a new quarterback. Early estimations believe Kyle McCord will be the guy and he’ll square off against Penn State rising sophomore Drew Allar. Two five stars battling it out is an intriguing matchup for certain, but we just have no idea where either of these teams will be Week 8.
Perhaps Ohio State will be another National Championship contender. In that case, this number may be a bargain. But at this juncture, rosters aren’t set.
The same goes for teams like Nebraska, who turn over an entirely new coaching staff. Will Casey Thompson retain his role as starter or will Georgia Tech transfer Jeff Sims get the nod? Are you willing to gamble on not just the decision but also the execution of each QB?
My best advice is to note the lines and move on. There’s nothing worth betting before camp.
College Football Opening Odds Feature Week 1 Blockbusters
The closest games to now – aside from Navy vs. Notre Dame – are those kicking off Week 1. Three Week 1 games got opening lines thanks to FanDuel:
Colorado at TCU
We get our first look at Primetime’s Colorado Buffaloes roster after he turned the entire thing over with “his guys.” Primetime’s son, Shadeur Sanders, makes his FBS debut at starting QB against the national runners-up in Fort Worth. Also suiting up in black and gold is former No. 1 overall recruit Travis Hunter, who may play both cornerback and receiver.
TCU restarts under coach Sonny Dykes without their Heisman runner-up QB and just 33% of their offensive production from a season ago (130th). Chandler Morris is the most likely heir behind center, but he’ll need to find an entirely new cast of weapons.
South Carolina Vs. North Carolina
It’s a border war in this year’s Duke’s Mayo Classic. South Carolina and North Carolina meet at the literal border in Charlotte, NC. Expect a primetime TV broadcast for this game between Heisman contender Drake Maye and returning starter Spencer Rattler. FanDuel Sportsbook favors UNC by 1.5 points, a number that’s likely to change either way throughout the offseason.
These two teams played in the exact same stadium with the exact same sponsor in the 2021 Duke’s Mayo Bowl. Shane Beamer led the Gamecocks to a huge upset over the TarHeels despite not rostering a QB. Circumstances changed wildly since then, but expect plenty of replays of Beamer taking the Mayo bath.
LSU Vs. Florida State
The hype train comes to a full head in Orlando. Jordan Travis returns for Florida State, a team almost certain to debut in the AP Top 10. The Seminoles return an FBS-leading 87% of their 2022 production, including 94% on defense. Besides Travis, star pass rusher Jared Verse returns for the ‘Noles as well as deep threat Johnny Wilson. Steam based on the promise of Florida State this year may bump their -1 longer.
LSU returns their fair share of production, as well (81% on offense, 10th-most). Jayden Daniels decided to return for one final season and the Tigers may very well be ranked inside the top 10, too. Like last season, ESPN put this matchup on Sunday for a national TV audience before the NFL takes that day. Last year produced one of the wildest college football games in memory and this year will carry serious expectations.
College Football Opening Odds 2023
These are the lines released by FanDuel Sportsbook on Feb. 22:
- Week 0: Navy vs. Notre Dame -17.5 (-110)
- Week 1: Colorado at TCU -17.5 (-110)
- Week 1: South Carolina vs. North Carolina -1 (-110)
- Week 1: LSU vs. Florida State -1 (-110)
- Week 2: Texas at Alabama -8.5 (-110)
- Week 2: Nebraska -6.5 (-110) at Colorado
- Week 2: Texas A&M -4.5 (-110) at Miami
- Week 2: Iowa -3 (-105) at Iowa State
- Week 3: Tennessee -6.5 (-110) at Florida
- Week 3: Washington -5.5 (-110) at Michigan State
- Week 3: Pitt at West Virginia -1 (-110)
- Week 4: Ohio State -8.5 (-110) at Notre Dame
- Week 4: Florida State at Clemson -3 (-110)
- Week 6: Texas -5 (-110) vs. Oklahoma
- Week 7: USC -3 (-105) at Notre Dame
- Week 8: Penn State at Ohio State -8.5 (-110)
- Week 8: Michigan -15 (-110) at Michigan State
- Week 9: Georgia -17.5 (-110) vs. Florida
- Week 10: LSU at Alabama -8.5 (-110)
- Week 11: Michigan -1.5 (-110) at Penn State
- Week 12: Kansas State -3.5 (-110) at Kansas
- Week 12: Georgia -7.5 (-110) at Tennessee
- Week 13: Ohio State at Michigan -1 (-110)
Check back throughout the offseason for more college football odds and analysis.
