It’s time for the first full week of college football action, which means that we have a huge range of options to pick from when making our Week 1 parlay picks — even if some teams are scheduling cupcakes to open their slates.
The Georgia Bulldogs will try to get their national title back after merely going 13-1 last year, opening against the Clemson Tigers. The Syracuse Orange also have plenty of enthusiasm heading into the 2024 season thanks to a new coach and a notable transfer quarterback, while the Notre Dame Fighting Irish are starting out as underdogs despite having playoff aspirations.
I’ll take a look at these three teams and more to make some parlays in my free college football picks for Week 1 of the 2024 season.
Best college football parlays for Week 1
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Georgia -13.5 
Miami -2.5
Syracuse -17.5
Notre Dame +3
Georgia -13.5
Syracuse -17.5
Notre Dame +3
It wasn’t too long ago that the Georgia Bulldogs and the Clemson Tigers were seemingly on equal footing in the college football landscape. The Tigers brought home national titles in 2016 and 2018, and have won the ACC championship in seven of the past nine seasons.
Yet, there’s now a clear talent gap between these two teams, with Clemson having lost at least three games in each of the past three seasons, while Georgia has gone 42-2 in that span. Clemson coach Dabo Swinney didn’t pick up a single player from the transfer portal this year, and while he stands by that decision, his Tigers have slipped out of the national elite in terms of talent. Georgia should smash a Clemson team that simply isn’t on its level on Saturday.
Meanwhile, the Syracuse Orange have brought in new head coach Fran Brown to lead the team and, perhaps more significantly, landed former Ohio State starting quarterback Kyle McCord. The Orange should have more than enough juice to blow out the Ohio Bobcats on Saturday.
Finally, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish head into College Station as underdogs against the Texas A&M Aggies. Whether or not that’s justified is another question, however.
Notre Dame has more talent on paper, particularly on defense, where the Fighting Irish are likely to graduate multiple players to the NFL next year. The Aggies have struggled against top-level competition in recent campaigns, and I expect the Irish to cover in this one.
Miami -2.5
Over 54.5
Damien Martinez anytime touchdown
One of the most competitive matchups we’ll see this weekend will take place in Gainsville, where the Florida Gators will host the rival Miami Hurricanes in what should be a fun one in the Swamp.
Florida is putting a national-best streak on the line, as it has won 33 consecutive home openers. However, the Gators come in as an underdog against the Hurricanes, who initially looked like they might be an elite team before floundering down the stretch last season. Florida finished just 5-7 on the year and still has a lot of question marks on the defensive side of the ball.
Meanwhile, Miami has improved its offense by picking up quarterback Cam Ward and running back Damien Martinez in the transfer portal. That should be enough for the Hurricanes to run roughshod over the Florida defense and cover the spread, which sits at less than a field goal. I’ll also pick Martinez to get a touchdown behind an excellent offensive line that should dominate in the trenches.
But Miami won’t be the only team scoring on Saturday. The Gators have a capable quarterback in Graham Mertz, and the Hurricanes have overhauled their defense, meaning there could be a bit of an adjustment period — not something you particularly want to see against a Florida team that can score points.
I’m taking these teams to combine to hit the Over to round out my SGP.
Not intended for use in MA.
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