In the mornings, it feels like fall weather and that means football is finally here. We have already witnessed an upset in the season after Georgia Tech stunned Florida State. This is sure to be a crazy season and that was just the beginning. We also know this will be the first season to get the 12-team playoff system. The new 12-team College Football Playoff field will include the five highest-ranked conference champions, which will receive automatic bids. The seven highest-ranked teams remaining will round out the 12-team format. The top four teams will receive a first-round bye to the quarterfinals. Every week I’ll be picking at least the top 5 games for that week.  There are five games I’ll be picking in Week 1. Three of those games will match ranked teams facing off. Check out Trav’s Week 1 college football picks below.

Clemson is trying to rebound from a season where it wasn’t their usual year. The Tigers finished 9-4 and all four losses came in the ACC. Clemson ruled the ACC for years and they’re hoping to get back to that this season. They will try to establish themselves against the number 1 ranked team in the nation. Can this Clemson team head to Georgia and the Mercedes-Benz Stadium and pull off the upset? Georgia missed their opportunity at pulling off the 3-peat last season. The loss to Alabama in the SEC Championship knocked them out of playoff contention. They demolished Florida State in the Orange Bowl and set a lot of records. Georgia should be elite on both sides of the ball. Carson Beck is looked at as the top quarterback in the country. I’m picking the Dawgs to win in a good one in the dome. Georgia Win 31-20

The 8^th ranked Penn State Nittany Lions will have to travel to Morgantown to face the West Virginia Mountaineers. Penn State finished the season with a 10-3 record last season. The Nittany Lions fell to the Ole Miss Rebels in the Peach Bowl to finish the season. The other two losses came against Ohio State and eventual National Championship, Michigan. In the Big Ten, they have been the third best team for a few years now. With the addition of Oregon, the Nittany Lions will be in a bigger fight for conference supremacy. West Virginia is looking to be one of the top teams in the Big 12 this season. With the exits of Texas and Oklahoma, they have a legit shot at doing that. Can they start the year with an upset of Penn State at home? I’m picking the Nittany Lions to barely edge them. Penn State Win 30-24

We have the 7^th ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish traveling to College State to meet the 20^th ranked Texas A&M Aggies. The Irish finished with a 10-3 mark a season ago. Notre Dame ended the season with three consecutive, dominating wins. Coach Marcus Freeman and the Fighting Irish has a schedule that’s set up for them to make a playoff run. They must get by the Aggies and their tough environment on Saturday Night. Texas A&M was thought to compete for national titles under Jimbo Fisher. The experiment didn’t work, and he was fired towards the end of last season. The Aggies are looking to make a statement and what better way than to knock off the Irish in primetime? This should be an interesting game and one that’ll be close. In the end, I’m going with the Fighting Irish to find a way to win. Notre Dame Win 27-24

We have a battle of two teams out of the state of Florida. The Miami Hurricanes finished with a disappointing 7-6 record last season. They began last year 4-0 but dropped six of their final nine games. They have Cam Ward at the quarterback position this season. Ward is a transfer out of Washington State and he’s looking to bring consistency and durability to the quarterback position. The defense should be much better and there are some picking Miami to be in the playoffs this season. Florida finished with a 5-7 record a season ago. They also have the toughest schedule in the nation this season. Napier is one of the head coaches that will be fired this year. I’m picking the Florida Gators to win only three games in 2024. This will not be one of their wins as the Hurricanes prevail. Miami Win 34-24

My final game of the weekend will put two top 25 teams against each other. The 23^rd ranked USC Trojans will battle the 13^th ranked LSU Tigers in Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. Lincoln Riley will try to turn USC into the powerhouse they once were. Caleb Williams has gone to the NFL after being the top pick for the Chicago Bears. Miller Moss steps in and he tossed 6 TDs in their win over Louisville in the Holiday Bowl. LSU finished last year with a 10-3 record. They were led by the Heisman Trophy winning Jayden Daniels. Daniels was the second overall pick to the Washington Commanders in the NFL. Garrett Nussmeier had an incredible bowl game in their win over Wisconsin. The Tigers defense is a little better than the Trojans, so I’ll ride with them. LSU Win 31-30

What do you think about my Week 1 college football picks? Any upsets happening? Leave some feedback below about anything related to my Week 1 college football picks.

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