The wait is officially over for college football fans, with the NCAAF season technically starting this week despite it being considered Week 0. Regardless, we’re ready with the best college football bets for Saturday.
We have five games scheduled for Saturday, with the highlight being a BIG 12 matchup in Dublin, Ireland. Below, we look at the college football best bets and odds on the top sportsbook apps. Be sure to use college football betting promos on FanDuel, bet365 and DraftKings for these wagers.
College Football Best Bets for Saturday
| College Football Betting Picks | Odds |
| Sam Houston State/Western Kentucky over 61.5 | -110 on FanDuel |
| Kansas State -3 | -110 on DraftKings |
| Kansas -12.5 | -110 on bet365 |
Expect Points in Sam Houston State vs. Western Kentucky
This has the makings of a game that could be a shootout when all said in done. These are two offenses that have the expectation of playing at a fast pace, going up against two dreadful defenses.
Last year, Western Kentucky finished 96th in the nation in total defense, and specifically 129th against the run. Not only that, but they must replace their top 12 players in terms of total tackles from the 2024 defense. While Sam Houston did have a good defense last year, they are also replacing legitimately all their starters from last year’s defense. This is another situation where growing pains are to be expected.
As far as the offenses go, these are two coaching staffs that love to push the tempo and play at a fast pace. Phil Longo is in his first year as the Sam Houston head coach, who had among the fastest offenses in the nation at two previous stops with Ole Miss and North Carolina, but was unable to have the same success the last couple years as the Wisconsin OC.
On the other side of the ball, Western Kentucky has a new OC and QB, who both came over from Abilene Christian in what was a fun, high-flying offense. Root for the offenses in this one.
Kansas State Covers Field Goal in Ireland
This is a fun matchup in Ireland between BIG12 rivals. For this one, we like Kansas State to cover the field goal spread against their conference rival.
These two teams played last year, in what ended up being a victory for Iowa State, but they return only 10 of 22 starters from last year’s team. Among those that left were two stud receivers for Iowa State in Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel, both of whom topped 1,000 yards and went in the top 80 of the 2025 NFL draft. So, despite having a QB entering his third year starting for Iowa State, it would not be a surprise to see them start slow on offense.
The biggest advantage in this game is likely to be Kansas State on the ground against Iowa States run defense. Kansas State ran well in last year’s matchup and should figure to do so once again on Saturday. Their rushing attack is led by dual-threat QB Avery Johnson, and the Kansas State offense should be able to control the ball on the ground against a unique 3-3-3 defensive scheme for Iowa State.
Kansas Covers Large Spread against Fresno State
While 12.5 is a lot of points to cover, Kansas has a great opportunity to get the job done after a disappointing season last year. Continuity can be important in today's transfer portal era of college football, and Kansas is returning their same head coach and QB from last year’s squad. The Kansas QB, Jalon Daniels, is entering his sixth year in college football, boasting a ton of experience. His issue has always been staying healthy, so at least for this week we should expect him to suit up and play well.
On the other side of the field, Fresno State features a new coach in Matt Entz coming over from North Dakota State. While Entz might end up being a good hire in the long term as he had a ton of success at North Dakota State, it is going to be tough to replace all the lost talent from last year. North Dakota State top three receivers from last year’s squad are all gone, along with the offensive line that already struggled last year. For reference, Fresno State was 116th in offensive success rate last year.
Kansas is a unique team to play against, as they love to slow the pace down, relying on their defense and running game to salt the game away. The guess here is that the North Dakota State offense struggles to get much going without a lot of possessions, with the Kansas offense able to run the ball with dual-threat QB Daniels.