College Football Week 1 Betting Preview

It's the top ranked team in the nation versus No. 3 in college football this weekend, when the Alabama Crimson Tide take on the Florida State Seminoles.

There is no home team in this one as it's being played at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. At the Bovada Sportsbook Alabama is listed as a 7-point favorite. Last season Alabama was 10-5 against the spread when favored, but in their last 14 when favored by seven points or less they're only 5-8-1 ATS. That includes their upset loss to the Clemson Tigers in the National Championship Game in which they were 6.5-point chalk.

Florida State delivered for bettors late last season with a 7-1 record straight up and 6-2 mark ATS in their last eight games. The Seminoles have also won their last four games ATS as the underdog and they're 6-0 SU and 4-2 ATS in their last six versus SEC opponents.

There are two other ranked matchups on the Week 1 schedule, as the No. 11 Michigan Wolverines face the No. 17 Florida Gators, and the No. 22 West Virginia Mountaineers take on the No. 21 Virginia Tech Hokies.

The Wolverines are a 4-point favorite at the Bovada Sportsbook in their neutral site matchup being played at AT&T Stadium in Arlington. Michigan was 10-2 SU when favored last season, but they were only 5-7 ATS. Against the SEC the Wolverines are only 1-3 SU and 2-2 ATS in their last four.

The Gators have not been a smart play as the underdog in recent years. In their last eight games as the underdog, Florida is 1-7 SU and 2-6 ATS. Florida has also been rough on bettors when they face Big Ten schools, having posted a 1-7 mark ATS in their last eight.

In the West Virginia-Virginia Tech matchup the Hokies are a 5-point favorite at the Bovada Sportsbook. This is another neutral site game being played at FedEx Field in Washington D.C.

The Hokies have been a big money loser in Week 1 for many years with a 2-8 record ATS in their last 10. They are 5-1 SU and 4-2 ATS in their last six versus the Big 12, and sport a 7-3 SU record and 6-4 ATS mark in their last 10 versus the Mountaineers.

West Virginia tends to live up to the billing when listed as the underdog, with a 1-6 record SU and 2-5 mark ATS in their last seven. They also have trouble with ACC opponents, at 4-4 SU and 3-5 ATS in their last eight.