Week 1 College Football Predictions: Picks for 5 Best CFB Games This Week

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Week 0 of the 2026 college football season is in the books, meaning we can finally look ahead to a college football schedule this week that puts everyone on the field. While Week 1 of the college football season isn’t loaded with great matchups, there are a few worth keeping an eye on.

Let’s dive into our Week 1 college football predictions for the best games on the schedule this weekend.

(2) Oregon Ducks 38, Boise State Broncos 14

While Saturday afternoon’s Boise State Broncos vs. Oregon Ducks matchup isn’t a ranked-on-ranked duel, there’s still plenty of intrigue to it. Oregon is obviously viewed as a national championship contender, but plenty of analysts have picked Boise State to make the College Football Playoff.

However, the Broncos’ season will start with a loss in Eugene. Autzen Stadium should be plenty loud for the home opener, especially with the excitement over quarterback Dante Moore’s return. Boise State’s defense simply doesn’t have the depth or talent to stick with Oregon’s offensive weapons. Even more impactful, Broncos quarterback Maddux Madsen has been abysmal (51.6% completion rate, 2-5 TD-INT and 5.5 yards per attempt) versus Big Ten defenses.

(11) LSU Tigers 31, Clemson Tigers 17

Week 1 College FOotball Predictions, LSU Tigers, Clemson Tigers — Quarterback Sam Leavitt (10) during LSU football practice on Aug. 18, 2026.

The 2026 LSU Tigers are everything that Dabo Swinney feared would happen to college football. Months into the job, Lane Kiffin has had LSU pour tens of millions of dollars into the program, even to poach some NFL talent and pull them back into the SEC. This game probably feels a little personal for Swinney; unfortunately, LSU is at home and boasts a superior roster to what the Clemson Tigers are bringing to the table.

We just don’t see Clemson’s front seven being nearly good enough to cause major problems for Sam Leavitt in Kiffin’s offense. The new-look LSU offensive line might be shaky early on as it develops cohesion, but Leavitt has an All-American-caliber tight end in Trey’Dez Green with a deep receiving corps to support him. Plus, LSU defensive coordinator Blake Baker can find plenty of ways to exploit Clemson starting quarterback Christopher Vizzina.

(4) Notre Dame Fighting Irish 28, Wisconsin Badgers 10

Week 1 College Football Predictions, Notre Dame Fighting Irhs — Notre Dame quarterback C.J. Carr (12) warms up before a NCAA college football game between Notre Dame and Louisville at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, in South Bend.

Wisconsin Badgers head coach Luke Fickell is squarely on the hot seat this season. Unfortunately for him, the team opens the season against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. This is ‘technically’ a road game for Wisconsin, even though it’s being played at Lambeau Field, but it feels safe to assume that Notre Dame fans will try their best to make it an incredible atmosphere in the Badgers’ home state.

While the Fighting Irish’s ground game certainly won’t be quite as dominant as we saw last season, the passing game will make up for it. Notre Dame boasts one of the nation’s top offensive lines, making this a tough draw for the Badgers’ pass rush. We expect C.J. Carr to have ample time to throw, and he’ll put up some Heisman-like numbers on NBC on Sunday night.

(9) Ole Miss Rebels 35, (24) Louisville Cardinals 31

There’s only one ranked-versus-ranked matchup in Week 1, and we can’t wait to watch it. The Ole Miss Rebels rallied together after Lane Kiffin’s departure to make a deeper College Football Playoff run than anyone expected. Their top talent is back, but the same can be said for Jeff Brohm’s Louisville Cardinals.

We’re expecting a lot of points. Trinidad Chambliss and Kewan Lacy should have little trouble delivering explosive plays against the Cardinals’ defense. The bigger question is whether or not Louisville can keep pace. We really like the backfield tandem of Lincoln Kienholz and Isaac Brown in Brohm’s scheme. While the Cardinals’ defensive limitations and thinner roster mean they likely lose a close one, no one should be stunned if Ole Miss opens its season losing on Sunday night at Nissan Stadium in Nashville.

(19) SMU Mustangs 27, Florida State Seminoles 20

Closing out our Week 1 college football predictions is the Monday night draw between the SMU Mustangs and Florida State Seminoles. Fans at Doak Campbell Stadium don’t exactly have much reason for excitement about this duel on ESPN, given Florida State kept things way too close this past weekend (34–17) against New Mexico State. That showing doesn’t bode well for what we’ll see on ESPN.

The SMU Mustangs clearly have the better quarterback in this matchup, and it’s easy to argue they have the better coaching staff right now. Both of those factors can trump Florida State’s home-field advantage, especially given how rough things have been for that program under Norvell over the past year-plus. We expect Kevin Jennings and Kendrick Raphael to propel the Mustangs to a win in Tallahassee.