College Football Best Bets: Odds & Predictions for September 4

Now that Week 0 is over, we can get to real counting. In Week 1 of the College Football season, we have three games featuring Top 25-ranked teams.

The Miami Hurricanes start their season in NorCal to face the Stanford Cardinal. In the SEC, the Sooners get to welcome UTEP to Norman for what could be a shellacking. Elsewhere, USC tries to extend its winning streak in regular season nonconference games to 11 (not including the matchups against traditional rival Notre Dame that comes every November).

(Photo by Samuel Lewis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Odds are from DraftKings unless otherwise noted.

Top 25 CFB Schedule for Today

• No. 7 Miami (-24.5) at Stanford
• UTEP at No. 10 Oklahoma (-40.5)
• Fresno State at No. 14 USC (-22.5)

College Football Best Bets for September 4

The 2026-27 college football season is now underway, so make sure to view this list of the best sports betting offers here.

Miami Hurricanes (-24.5) vs. Stanford Cardinal

The last time we saw the Hurricanes they were one drive away from winning the National Championship. Either a stop or a touchdown in the CFP title game would have inched Miami past the Indiana Hoosiers.

The Canes are loaded again, especially on the lines. Last season, Miami was 5th in the nation in fewest points allowed. The offense was paced by QB Carson Beck, who left for the NFL. This Friday will be the debut in Hurricane Orange of QB transfer Darian Mensah.

Last season, primary RB Mark Fletcher Jr. averaged 85 yards per game. He's going to be handling the ball on Sundays in the future: he's hard to bring down, and quick enough to make the first defender miss. His opposite on the Stanford side will be Micah Ford, a junior, who scampered for 99 yards in Week 0 (which also happens to be what he averaged per game last season).

Davis Warren will be under center again for the Cardinal, which is a strong reason I love the running commitment we'll see from Stanford. Warren is a turnover-waiting-to-happen, and he'll be under pressure from the vaunted Miami pass rush, which ranked in the top 10 in both sacks and pressures in 2025.

With Fletcher behind the Miami O-line, and Ford needed to carry the load for Stanford, I like this game prop bet from DraftKings.

• BEST BET: Mark Fletcher (MIA) & Micah Ford (STAN) 150+ Combined Rushing Yards: +150 from DraftKings

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 UTEP Miners vs. Oklahoma Sooners (-40.5)

The mismatches are many in the early weeks of the CFB season. An interesting game will take place tonight in Norman, Oklahoma when the heavily-favored Sooners host University of Texas El Paso.

The sportsbooks list Oklahoma as a roughly 40-point favorite. Most books are not offering moneyline odds. That means the experts don't even want to take bets on the winning team for this game that is almost certainly going to be a blowout.

The Miners of UTEP have not won more than three games since 2022. In the current era under head coach Scotty Walden, UTEP is 8-28 with a 4-15 road record. The size advantage Oklahoma will have in this game means we'll see the pile moving in the Sooners favor a lot.

Since 2023, Oklahoma has won its games against non-major conference teams by an average of 34 points. Last season the team was fourth in fewest yards per play allowed. The Sooners return much of that excellent defense.

But the disparity in talent will work against Oklahoma in this game. Once the Sooners build a huge lead, expect the bench to be emptied as the starters are given (most likely) a full half off. That's why UTEP will be able to beat the spread. I also like the chance for UTEP to score over 7.5 Points. All it takes is one busted play for a TD against the Sooners, and a well-placed field goal to get the over for the Miners.

Take these as single bets or bundle as a parlay for +296 odds from DraftKings.

• BEST BET
• UTEP +40.5 Points (-110)
• UTEP Over 7.5 Points (+210)
• PARLAY: +296