Week 1 College Football Teaser Best Bets

Before we get down and dirty with our Week 1 college football teaser picks, let’s recap what a teaser is and how to play. A teaser is similar to a parlay in that a minimum of two wagers are required by sportsbooks on the same ticket in exchange for points to move the spread and/or total in your favor. Most sportsbooks allow bettors to increase their points at a price and more wagers are also accepted allowing for a higher payout on a winning ticket. In order to cash that ticket all wagers in the teaser need to win. Get all the college football odds and play your teaser at BetRivers sportsbook.

The most common teaser is a 2-team, 6-point bet. You can add more teams and increase your points at most shops but it isn’t always profitable so we’ll stick with the basics. You have to pick the right games for your teaser and with college football odds bouncing all over the place sticking with big time programs and games makes the most sense due to the uncertain nature. With that out of the way it’s time to dive into the Week 1 matchups to get the season started with on a positive note.

Nebraska Cornhuskers at Minnesota Golden Gophers

Opening Line: Minnesota -7

Teaser Line: Minnesota -1

Teasing the line in this Big Ten matchup checks several boxes on the to-do list. Crossing over key numbers 7 and 3 allows the Golden Gophers to essentially be a straight up pick against a team that’s going through another rebuild with a new coach and tremendous roster turnover. Minnesota is among the favorites to win the Big Ten West and has had more stability over the last few years with three nine-win seasons under coach P.J. Fleck.

Athan Kaliakmanis takes over at QB1 for the Gophers and transfer Sean Tyler is expected to carry the load out of the backfield with the program’s all-time rushing leader Mohamed Ibrahim exhausting his eligibility. Both are seasoned starters making their transition seamless. And Minnesota boasts several returning starters on defense that should allow them to contain Nebraska’s new-look attack. I would have seriously thought about backing the Gophers without teasing the college football point spread.

Fresno State Bulldogs at Purdue Boilermakers

Opening Line: Fresno State +4

Teaser Line: Fresno State +10

There is a bias against Group of Five programs when tangling with a team from a Power 5 conference. And I say Power 5 conference because some teams in those leagues don’t actually deserve the title. Purdue has been a staple in the Big Ten and played for the conference championship last year, only because a team from the “other” division was needed. The Boilermakers were pounded by Michigan and after head coach Jeff Brohm departed for Louisville, they were mauled 63-7 by the LSU Tigers in the Citrus Bowl.

Fresno State will have a new quarterback but the swagger has returned following nine straight victories to close last season, including a Mountain West Championship over Boise State and a pummeling of Washington State in the LA Bowl. UCF transfer Mikey Keene is a perfect fit to run Jeff Tedford’s offense in The Valley. And with several key players back from a squad that posted consecutive 10-win seasons, the NCAAF betting odds are favorable when teased to double digits.

Nevada Wolf Pack at USC Trojans

Opening Total: 67.5

Teaser Total: 61.5

The Trojans put up 56 points in their Week 0 win over San Jose State nearly clearing the teased total for this matchup against Nevada, another Mountain West Conference foe. There really is no reason to believe USC can’t run wild again with the plethora weapons at Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams’ disposal. The offense was spread around with 12 different players catching a pass from three different quarterbacks. But what has me jumping on the OVER on this college football bet is the play of USC’s defense. A sore spot last season the group allowed nearly 400 yards of offense to the Spartans and failed to create a turnover.

With the number of playmakers on the roster the Trojans are absolutely scary. Williams tossed four touchdown passes before taking a seat in the second half. Austin Jones averaged 9.0 yards per carry with two scores and Zachariah Branch was electrifying with one touchdown reception and a 96-yard kickoff return score. Nevada won’t have to score a lot since SC will do most of that, but former Colorado signal caller Brandon Lewis knows how to compete in the Pac-12 and put together a solid 2021 campaign for the Buffs before hitting the portal.

Check out the latest college football betting odds at BetRivers.