Sam Avellone
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Week 1 of the 2024 college football season is finally here! The official action kicks off with over 20 games on the Thursday night slate. Like Week 0, there are few FCS vs FBS contests, but there are multiple compelling matchups that should satiate our college football appetite ahead of Saturday’s main slate. The betting lines have been posted for weeks to months in some cases, meaning there may not be too much value to be found. However, there’s still a few spots that stood out to me more than the rest of Thursday’s card. In an effort to reduce exposure so early in the season, I parlayed those spots together and hope to ring in the new college football year with a healthy ROI. Let’s dive into today’s college football parlay, while you can also find out our college football picks for Thursday and all the big games in Week 1.
Fordham vs Bowling Green Over 55.5 (-110)
North Carolina vs Minnesota Under 50.5 (-110)
Colorado ML (-345)
College football parlay odds: +370
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Fordham Rams vs Bowling Green Falcons Over 55.5 (-110)
Bowling Green enters the 2024 season as the trendy pick to win the MAC. The Falcons have plenty of returning talent on offense, including both of their quarterbacks, most of their offensive line production and their electric running back in Terion Stewart – who accumulated more than 750 rushing yards and scored 8 touchdowns on 125 carries. Multiple productive receivers had to be replaced, but Bowling Green brought in a couple of power conference transfers that will be relied upon next to standout tight end Harold Fannin – last year’s leading pass-catcher. Like the Falcons, the Fordham Rams return plenty of offensive production. Quarterback CJ Montes is back after throwing for nearly 3,000 yards and 26 touchdowns with just 1 interception, while running back Julius Loughridge returns after tallying more than 1,300 total scrimmage yards and 12 total touchdowns on 237 touches. Furthermore, the Rams’ leading receiver Mekai Felton is back after accumulating 970 yards and 7 touchdowns.
With so much returning offensive talent on both teams, I’m expecting points despite this being an FCS vs FBS matchup. Fordham is no stranger to high-scoring affairs against FBS programs. In fact, there has been an average of 76.5 points scored in their 4 FBS matchups since the start of the 2021 season. Against a Bowling Green defense that lost multiple pieces in the secondary and was outside the top 100 in opposing red zone touchdown conversion rate, Montes should find success through the air and lead the Rams to multiple scores – pushing this game over the total.
Find out our college football best bets for Thursday’s action from our expert who went 35-26 last season!
North Carolina Tar Heels vs Minnesota Golden Gophers Under 50.5 (-110)
There are multiple storylines surrounding this game ahead of Thursday night’s kickoff. Both teams have new quarterbacks and new defensive coordinators, while Minnesota’s top running back and top wide receiver are questionable to play due to injury. Coach PJ Fleck has kept their status close to his chest during the preseason, but regardless of if either plays, this should be a low-scoring, grind-it-out affair. Fleck is known for his slow-paced, ball-control offense, which ranked 111th in plays per game and top 15 in rush rate last season. That is unlikely to change this season, even with what some consider an upgrade at quarterback in Max Brosmer – who was highly productive at the FCS level.
North Carolina’s quarterback change almost certainly won’t be an upgrade over the No. 3 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, Drake Maye. The Tar Heels are expected to start the season with veteran Max Johnson under center, but don’t be surprised if multiple UNC quarterbacks see action in this contest. Despite a very talented pass-catching core, the focal point of North Carolina’s offense is running back Omarion Hampton. Hampton tallied more than 1,500 yards and scored 15 touchdowns on 253 carries in 2023, and is a top 5 running back in the country who will receive all the work he can handle. For what it’s worth, Minnesota held Hampton in check last season, forcing Maye to beat the Gophers through the air.
With new quarterbacks on both sides, I expect North Carolina and Minnesota to lean on the ground game. The expected reliance on the rushing attack should limit the number of possessions and plays between the Tar Heels and the Golden Gophers, making the under the most appealing angle in this matchup.
Read our full UNC vs Minnesota prediction
Colorado Buffaloes ML over North Dakota State Bison (-345)
North Dakota State is one of the premier programs at the FCS level, but the Bison enter the 2024 campaign after replacing their head coach, 3 starters on the offensive line, their top running back and their top 2 receivers. With so much change on offense, North Dakota State’s defense will be asked to carry the load. However, All-American safety Cole Wisniewski is not expected to play in this game due to injury, which is a big loss for the Bison after he tallied 77 tackles and 8 interceptions last year.
The Buffaloes may not have a ton of roster continuity, but they have a decent talent advantage over the Bison and are not going to overlook them after finishing 1-8 in the final 9 weeks of the 2023 season. With a revamped offensive line and defensive front 7, Colorado should be able to control the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball and provide quarterback Shedeur Sanders plenty of time to find his talented receivers for explosive gains. I would not be surprised if Colorado covered the spread, but I prefer to round out this parlay with the Buffaloes on the money line instead given all the roster turnover and general uncertainties that Week 1 presents.
Read our full North Dakota State vs Colorado prediction
