Fearless Rick & Coin Flip Week 1 College Football Picks

Thursday, September 3

Colorado at Georgia Tech (-6.5, 60) 8:00 pm (ESPN) - The Bulldogs have serious bowl aspirations after going 6-2 in the ACC and 9-4 overall. They come packed with offensive talent and the Buffs are going to have trouble keeping the Tech offense off the field.

Following a 3-9 season, Colorado may again be the laughing stock of the Big 12 and coach “Prime Time” Sanders may be looking for a job.

Coin Flip: Georgia Tech

Fearless Rick’s Pick: Bulldogs 48 Buffaloes 14

Eastern Illinois at Minnesota (-42.5, 51.5) 8:00 pm (Peacock) - There are often upsets in these early season Big 10 versus lesser conference games, but this isn’t likely to be one of them. The Panthers of Eastern Illinois went 3-9 last season and are hardly the kind of team to challenge even a second-rate Big 10 team like the Gophers.

Minnesota should take command early and rip to a big score.

Coin Flip: Minnesota

Fearless Rick’s Pick: Golden Gophers 56 Panthers 10

Friday, September 4

Toledo at Michigan State (-10, 47.5) 8:00 pm (FS1) - Another one of those Big 10 - Mid-America match-ups that may be just a little more interesting. The Rockets went 8-5 overall last season and always field a solid team.

The Spartans have fallen on lean times, going 1-8 in conference and just 4-8 overall, meaning they won their non-conference games, but only one after that. Could be the biggest upset of Week 1. Even if the Rockets don’t win, the Spartans might have a difficult time rolling up a 48-point margin.

Coin Flip: Michigan State

Fearless Rick’s Pick: Rockets 34 Spartans 24

7 Miami (-24.5, 47.5) at Stanford 9:00 pm (ESPN) - The question is how good will the Hurricanes be without Carson Back throwing the ball? Miami played for the National Championship last season and are likely going to pick up right where they left off, with one of the more dominant teams in the ACC, possibly taking the conference title and heading back to the CFP.

Stanford lost to the Hurricanes last season, 42-7, and the Cardinal are still playing catch-up in the ACC. Even though they’re at home, they’re probably not going to win this game. Miami gets off to a fast start.

Coin Flip: Stanford

Fearless Rick’s Pick: Hurricanes 44 Cardinal 14

Fresno State at 14 USC (-22.5, 51.5) 9:00 pm (FOX) - The Trojans are coming off a Week Zero, 42-26, home win over San Jose State, though many who saw that game were not impressed with the USC defense giving up 23 4th quarter points, despite having a huge lead and many defensive starters having been pulled.

None the less, a win is a win for Lincoln Riley and the USC faithful. Fresno State, which finished 9-4 last season out of the Mountain West, and is now in a revamped PAC-10, may be a little bit of a tougher test. Plenty of scoring to be expected here and it could get closer than the Trojans are expecting.

Coin Flip: USC

Fearless Rick’s Pick: Trojans 38 Bulldogs 28

Saturday, September 5

North Texas at 6 Indiana (-40.5, 55) 12:00 pm (FOX) - Defending national champions, Indiana has a lot on the line here against a North Texas team that reached the American conference championship game, losing, 34-21, to Tulane.

The Mean Green made amends by winning the New Mexico Bowl over San Diego State, 49-47. North Texas is not likely to go do easy and Indiana doesn’t have many of the same players as they did last season. Points look very, very juicy.

Coin Flip: North Texas

Fearless Rick’s Pick: Hoosiers 31 Mean Green 20

East Carolina at 13 Alabama (-27.5, 52.5) 12:00 pm (ABC) - The Crimson Tide aren’t what they used to be under Nick Saban, when they were expected to win a national championship every year and nearly did so, but they are probably quite a bit better than the East Carolina Pirates, a team that held their now in the American Conference, going 9-4 overall while allowing the fewest points in the conference.

All said and done, the Pirates may turn the tide on Alabama. Defensive scheming should work well against an offense that may not be at its best.

Coin Flip: Alabama

Fearless Rick’s Pick: Crimson Tide 31 Pirates 26

Oregon State at 23 Houston (-21, 49) 12:00 pm (ESPN) - The Beavers are now a part of the newly-aligned PAC-10 conference, so they’ll have something to play for other than impressing their girlfriends.

Still, their 2-10 record from last season doesn’t scare the Cougars, who are seeking a Big 12 title after going 6-3 in the conference and 10-3 overall last season.

Coin Flip: Houston

Fearless Rick’s Pick: Cougars 41 Beavers 14

Boise State at 2 Oregon (-24.5, 51.5) 3:30 pm (CBS) - The Broncos usually field a quality team and this year seems to be no exception. However, Oregon is loaded with talent on both sides of the ball and are one of the favorites to win the Big 10 conference title and do damage in the playoffs.

Look for the Ducks to fly high on offense and show up with a defense that might be even better than last year’s.

Coin Flip: Boise State

Fearless Rick’s Pick: Ducks 51 Broncos 13

Baylor at Auburn (-7, 60) 3:30 pm (ABC) - Two teams that aren’t expected to be great in 2026, yet have solid coaching staffs and more than enough talent to compete at the highest levels of collegiate football.

Auburn had a very down season in 2025, winning only one of eight conference games, so this will be a real test for them. Baylor was 3-6 in in Big 12 and 5-7 overall, making this game look more like a toss-up than the seven point line indicates.

Coin Flip: Auburn

Fearless Rick’s Pick: Bears 37 Tigers 31

Clemson at 11 LSU (-10, 51) 7:30 pm (ABC) - This is, for sure, the big game of the opening weekend, despite the Clemson Tigers being left out of the preseason Top 25.

Coach Lane Kiffin took over as the LSU head coach at the end of last season and is expected to lead the Tigers back to national prominence. This game will be a litmus test for his high hopes against a crafty Dabo Swinney, head coach of the Clemson Tigers. Clemson has had a couple of rough seasons, but Swinney has a plan and losing to LSU may not be part of it. The war of words has already begun and the Clemson players will be ready to rock.

Coin Flip: LSU

Fearless Rick’s Pick: Clemson Tigers 27 LSU Tigers 24

Sunday, September 6

Washington State at 17 Washington (-23.5, 50) 4:00 pm (NBC) - If there’s any question how irrelevant preseason rankings are, this is the game that proves the point. A long-running, traditional, natural rivalry is set up as a runaway for the ranked Huskies.

The Cougars managed a 7-6 record last season and now have company in an expanded PAC-12 conference. They should put forth a competitive effort and may come away with a win.

Coin Flip: Washington State

Fearless Rick’s Pick: Cougars 34 Huskies 24

Wisconsin vs 4 Notre Dame (-21, 47) Lambeau Field, Green Bay, WI, 7:30 pm (NBC) - The Irish have eyes on a national championship and are usually ready to roll when the regular season begins.

Wisconsin is one of the better defensive teams out of the Big 10, but they’re not likely to slow down Notre Dame’s offense. Besides, the Fighting Irish may have one of the best defenses in the country. We’ll find out who’s boss right away with this prime-time matchup.

Coin Flip: Notre Dame

Fearless Rick’s Pick: Fighting Irish 38 Badgers 14

24 Louisville vs 9 Ole Miss (-7, 55) Nissan Stadium, Nashville, TN, 7:30 pm (ABC) - The Rebels finished last season at 13-2, making it all the way to the CFP semifinals, where they lost to eventual runner-up Miami, 31-27.

Even with Lane Kiffin being replaced by Pete Golding, there isn’t much drop-off to be expected from Ole Miss. They’re likely to compete heavily in the SEC and may very well return to the CFP. Louisville, although a solid squad in their own right, will struggle to keep their defense off the field.

Coin Flip: Louisville

Fearless Rick’s Pick: Rebels 34 Cardinals 20

Monday, September 7

19 SMU (-3, 52.5) at Florida State 8:00 pm (ESPN) - Florida State unranked and an underdog at home? Blasphemy!

Of course, one has to consider what a colossal flop the Seminoles were in 2025 (5-7) to understand the reasoning. It doesn’t help matters that SMU went through their 2025 campaign at 9-4, finishing up with a 24-19 win over Arizona in the Holiday Bowl. The Mustangs are always a team on the edge, and this season they just might break into the top ranks.

Of course, a win here would be essential to that cause and much can go wrong. Florida State already has a win in hand, a Week Zero, 34-17, win over New Mexico State, though that may not count for much. These ACC foes did not play each other last season.

Coin Flip: SMU

Fearless Rick’s Pick: Mustangs 35 Seminoles 20