2024-25 College Football odds: Early Week 1 best bets, including Colorado to cover

Maybe it’s my post NFL Draft football brain spinning forward, or maybe I’ve been watching too much UFL. 

Either way, I’m getting super antsy looking forward to the start of the 2024 college football season, and I'm ready to make some wagers.

Thankfully, sportsbooks are on the same page and have released some early lines for Week 1 of the upcoming season.

Here are three games I’m looking at during that first full weekend of college football. 

Let's dive in.

Fresno State @ Michigan 

Yes, I'm fading the Wolverines in this one, so let's jump into the why.

First, let's look at the starters on the field. 

Fresno State ranks 52nd in overall returning-starter production heading into 2024, which includes returning quarterback Mikey Keene. He's a solid athlete who runs the Jeff Tedford offense well. Also, the Bulldogs return multiple starting offensive linemen, their top two rushers and their second-most productive wide receiver. 

On the flip side, the defense isn't returning many starters, but that unit was poor last season, so that’s probably for the best. 

Now, let's take a look at the Michigan side.

Michigan ranks 128th out of 134 FBS teams in returning production. This is no surprise, as the national title team was back-loaded with tons of NFL players, including multiple athletes who got selected in the first three rounds. 

The Wolverines have to replace their quarterback and six offensive linemen. Their top two returning receiving targets had a total of 35 catches last season. 

Fortunately, Michigan does return some strength on defense, with its interior defensive line and one of its top corners coming back. However, I think the lack of returning production is a concern, which is why I don't think UM will cover the