2022 College Football Week 1 Odds, Overview & Picks

By Hank Blaine • August 30, 2022

It’s finally here! A new season of college action arrives! It’s time to take a look at the games and pick out the top ones you should definitely place your bet on.

Before everything else, Nitrobetting arms you with everything you need to kick things off on a positive note. Below, we provide event details, team and player statistics, and the latest NCAAF odds. More than that, we go the extra mile and share timely betting trends and predictions that help you secure the best picks. Check out for more sports betting odds and lines, exclusively at our online BTC sportsbook.

Top 2022 College Football Week 1 Games to Bet

1. Alabama
3. ???
5. Michigan

PFF’s College Football Power Rankings with the 2022 season nearing⬇️https://t.co/xNZGUzIbAm
— PFF College (@PFF_College) August 21, 2022

West Virginia vs. Pittsburgh

When: Thursday, September 1st, 2022. 7pm EST.
Where: Acrisure Stadium, Pittsburgh, PA
College Football Odds: West Virginia (+7.5) // Pittsburgh (-7.5)

The first Power 5 game in Week 1 of the 2022 college football season is Thursday night as West Virginia visits No. 17 Pittsburgh as one of the great rivalries in the sport, the Backyard Brawl, is finally renewed. Both teams will have new starting quarterbacks, and Pittsburgh is a 7.5-point favorite at newly named Acrisure Stadium (formerly Heinz Field).

Pittsburgh is the defending ACC champion as it beat Wake Forest in the 2021 title game, but the Panthers lost star quarterback Kenny Pickett, the ACC Player of the Year, to the NFL and star wideout Jordan Addison, the Biletnikoff Award winner, to Southern Cal.

Speaking of USC, Trojans transfer Kedon Slovis has been named the Week 1 starting quarterback for coach Pat Narduzzi. Slovis beat out redshirt senior Nick Patti for the job. He made 26 starts in three seasons at USC, throwing for 7,576 yards and 58 touchdowns. Slovis’ debut will coincide with the debut of new offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti Jr., who comes from Boston College and has a wealth of experience in the NFL. Pitt’s entire starting offensive line returns.

Another former USC (and Georgia) quarterback, JT Daniels, will start for West Virginia as he will battle his former teammate Slovis. Daniels burst onto the scene as a freshman for the Trojans with 2,672 yards passing and 14 touchdowns after reclassifying to the Class of 2018. However, his follow-up sophomore campaign didn’t go as planned as a leg injury in the opener against Fresno State sidelined him for the season, opening the door for Slovis, then a freshman, to take the job and run with it. Daniels eventually transferred to Georgia.

It’s the first Backyard Brawl since 2011 — a 21-20 West Virginia win in Morgantown. It will be the 105th all-time meeting between the Panthers and Mountaineers in a series that dates back to 1895. Pitt leads the series, 61-40-3, but enters this year’s encounter having lost the past three. The father of Pitt’s Cignetti Jr. (Frank Sr.) served as head coach at West Virginia from 1976-79. Additionally, Frank Jr.’s brother Curt was a quarterback on WVU’s 1981 Peach Bowl and 1982 Gator Bowl teams.

2022 College Football Week 1 Pick: WVU to cover.

Cincinnati vs. Arkansas

When: Saturday, September 3rd, 2022. 3:30pm EST.
Where: Razorback Stadium, Fayetville, AR
College Football Odds: Cincinnati (+6.5) // Arkansas (-6.5)

The Hogs are 6-point favorites for their home opener against the Bearcats, who last year became the first Group of 5 school to reach the College Football Playoff but were routed by Alabama in the national semifinals. UC lost a lot of talent off that team, including QB Desmond Ridder.

He finished his collegiate career with the third-most wins by a quarterback in college football history (44), while finishing undefeated (26-0) at Nippert Stadium. He was the 2021 and 2020 AAC Offensive Player of the Year, 2020 AAC Championship Game Most Outstanding Player and 2018 AAC Rookie of the Year who finished with a school-record 87 career touchdown passes, 10,239 passing yards and 2,179 rushing yards. Ridder was responsible for more touchdowns than anyone else in AAC history (113) and finished eighth in 2021 Heisman Trophy voting.

With a 44-7 mark since the start of 2018, Cincinnati’s 86.0 winning percentage ranks among the nation’s Top 5 winning percentages over the last four years. Cincinnati’s only two losses over the last two seasons are to the last two national champions in bowl games. UC has won 22 straight non-bowl games.

UC lost nine players to the NFL Draft, but return leaders like TE Josh Whyle, a third-team All-American in 2020 and two-time All-AAC selection, all five offensive line starters, three senior defensive linemen and three-year starters at defensive back in Arquon Bush and Ja’von Hicks.

The Hogs are opening their season with a top-25 matchup in Fayetteville for the first time in program history. This year marks the first time since 1974 that Arkansas is ranked in the preseason. The Razorbacks lost star wideout Treylon Burks but return QB KJ Jefferson.

Jefferson threw for 2,676 yards and 21 touchdowns while running for 664 yards with six scores on the ground last season, posting the SEC’s fourth-best passing efficiency (164.7). He is one of two returning FBS quarterbacks (Louisville QB Malik Cunningham) to lead their team in both passing and rushing yards one year ago.

It’s the first meeting between the schools.

2022 College Football Week 1 Pick: Arkansas on moneyline.

Where to Bet On College Football with Bitcoin

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Check out our latest sports betting guides for the 2022 College Football season. Stay tuned for more football previews and articles, and don’t forget to check out the latest NCAAF betting odds at our online Bitcoin sportsbook.

*All stated odds are subject to change without prior notice.