College Football Week 1 Weekday Games Preview & Picks Recap
The College Football Experience (@TCEonSGPN) on the Sports Gambling Podcast Network continues its 2026 season coverage with college football Week 1 predictions, a full weekday preview and picks show. Pick Dundee aka (@TheColbyD) and Ryan McIntyre (@Moneyline_Mac) run the entire midweek slate, from Thursday night’s marquees down to the small-school board, and hand out their favorite bets. Is Toledo worth the points as a road dog at Michigan State? Do the guys trust Fresno State to hang with USC as a three-touchdown underdog? Is San Jose State a live outright play at Eastern Michigan? Can Illinois cover a number in the high twenties against UAB on Thursday night? Where is the value on Colorado, the moneyline dog at Georgia Tech, and does Colby just lay the points with the Yellow Jackets instead?
The guys go top to bottom, locking Utah, Oklahoma, Purdue and Kansas among the big favorites, then digging into the FCS and Division II games Colby lives for, from Merrimack and West Georgia to Harding and Howard Payne. They close by ranking their top locks of the week and grading how the whole weekday slate should shake out. We talk it all and more on this episode of The College Football Experience.
College Football Week 1 Predictions: The Thursday Night Headliners
The headliner is Colorado at Georgia Tech. First, the guys split it. Colby wants the Yellow Jackets at a short number, and he likes the total going over. So Ryan went the other way. He bet Colorado to win outright as a live dog, betting on a game that stays close late. Meanwhile, they lined up on the other Thursday opener. Illinois is a heavy favorite against UAB, and both guys are on the Illini laying the number. Finally, neither one talked himself into the road underdog.
Friday’s Best Bets Across The Country
Friday is where the card fills out. First, Toledo drew the loudest agreement of the night. Both hosts took the Rockets and the points on the road at Michigan State. From there they doubled up on Fresno State plus the points at USC, and Ryan sprinkled the moneyline on top. Also, San Jose State is another road play they both like outright at Eastern Michigan. Meanwhile, Miami and Stanford is the one game they part ways on. Colby took Stanford and the big number at home, but Ryan leaned toward Miami covering.
The Small-School Board Colby Lives For
This is the part of the show that sets it apart. Colby walked the FCS and Division II board game by game. He hit Merrimack, West Georgia, North Carolina A&T, Harding and Howard Payne, mixing in the underdogs he wants with the spots he is simply rooting for. On the other side of the board, the guys stacked the big favorites. They also locked Utah, Oklahoma, Purdue and Kansas as teams they expect to cover in comfortable home openers.
Top Locks And How Week 1 Grades Out
They closed by ranking their top locks of the week. Then they graded how the whole weekday slate should shake out. Ryan was honest about it. Finally, he handed the opening midweek card a middling grade, and he admitted Week 1 is as much about reading new rosters as it is about cashing tickets. The full game-by-game breakdown, every lean and every number, is on this episode of The College Football Experience.
2026 College Football Team Previews
College Football Previews
SEC
Arkansas Razorbacks
Auburn Tigers
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Big Ten
Illinois Fighting Illini
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Marshall Thundering Herd
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MAC
Bowling Green Falcons
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Ohio Bobcats
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Umass Minutemen
Western Michigan Broncos
Conference USA
Jacksonville State Gamecocks
Liberty Flames
Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders
Independents
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
UConn Huskies
Podcast Chapters
00:00 Download the SGPN App Today!
00:53 Week 1 Weekday Slate: Intro & Schedule Talk
16:39 Merchant Marine vs Montclair State
20:00 UMass vs Rutgers
25:19 Kentucky Christian vs Morehead State
27:31 Roanoke vs Lynchburg
34:18 West Georgia vs Kennesaw State
37:53 Albany vs Buffalo
46:59 Merrimack vs Delaware
48:54 Bethune-Cookman vs UCF
56:39 Akron vs Wake Forest
1:00:15 Southern Illinois vs Samford
1:03:19 Lindenwood vs Stony Brook
1:05:04 NW Oklahoma State vs Harding
1:06:50 Eastern Illinois vs Minnesota
1:09:39 Arkansas-Pine Bluff vs Missouri
1:10:59 Southern Virginia vs Wisconsin-River Falls
1:12:29 Colorado vs Georgia Tech
1:18:02 Idaho vs Utah
1:19:54 UAB vs Illinois
1:23:04 Bentley vs Ferris State
1:25:24 San Jose State vs Eastern Michigan
1:29:05 Franklin Pierce vs Marist
1:29:34 North Carolina A&T vs Georgia State
1:30:52 Indiana State vs Purdue
1:32:28 Long Island (LIU) vs Kansas
1:35:05 UTEP vs Oklahoma
1:40:29 Toledo vs Michigan State
1:43:21 Miami vs Stanford
1:48:14 Fresno State vs USC
1:51:16 Howard Payne vs Pacific
1:53:46 Top Locks & Power Rankings
1:59:06 Grading Week 1’s Weekday Slate
2:03:24 Close / Sign-Off
