College Football

'Bear Bets': Best bets for Penn State-West Virginia, standout Week 1 games

Published Aug. 30, 2024 9:34 a.m. ET

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Week 1 of the college football season is here. 

To mark the occasion, "Bear Bets" has returned, as the gang finally has games to pick.

Chris "The Bear" Fallica and Geoff Schwartz were joined by Sam Panayotovich and Will Hill for the gambling Group Chat to discuss which sides they like in the biggest Week 1 games and some of their favorite plays of the weekend.

Let's dive into their picks!

No. 14 Clemson (+13.5) vs. No. 1 Georgia 

Sammy P: Lean Clemson +13.5, will wager if it moves to Clemson +14

"My concern is this for Georgia: Georgia wants to run over everybody. They want to play Geoff Schwartz football and just beat you to death with the offensive line, run you over, run for 180 yards. Set up the pass via the run. Can Georgia railroad Clemson for four quarters? I have my hesitations."

Hill: Lean Clemson +13.5

"Clemson set a standard for themselves. When you win national championships but don't win national championships anymore, that's why people are so down on them. Maybe they're not the national champion team of the past with Trevor Lawrence and Deshaun Watson, but they still have pros on defense. … I think Clemson plays good enough defense to hang in this game."

The Bear: Would look at Under 48.5 point total

"Just a lack of faith in Clemson's quarterback, and Georgia's defense usually does pretty good against these non-conference opponents that don't see Kirby Smart's defense year in, year out. So, we could very easily be looking at like a 27-14 type game."

No. 7 Notre Dame (+3) vs. No. 20 Texas A&M

The Bear: Under 46.5

"Obviously, you've got the familiarity with Mike Elko and Riley Leonard. Does Notre Dame have the playmakers to really separate against what should be a really good A&M defense? Does A&M have the playmakers on the offensive side of the ball? Last year, if it wasn't for Evan Stewart or Ainais Smith, they weren't moving the ball. … A&M may have struggles moving the ball as well."

Sammy P: Notre Dame +3

"In years past, when Notre Dame is going on the road in the SEC, they're catching a lot more than three, guys. They're catching seven, they're catching 10. This is respect, I believe, for the Irish."

CFB Week 1: Gambling Group Chat previews Penn State vs. WVU

No. 8 Penn State (-8) vs. West Virginia (noon ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app)

The Bear: Penn State -8

"If you look at James Franklin's Penn State in games they are favored between seven and 24 points, they're 16-0-1 against the spread. When they're a favorite by a touchdown or more, they're 26-1."

Sammy P: Lean Penn State -8

"Franklin knows what the number is. He knows that the boosters want to cover the number. [He did it last year in the] West Virginia game and against Northwestern, when he had the backup take a fake knee and throw a touchdown pass to cover like 27.5."

Schwartz: Penn State -8

"I think Penn State looks to make a statement offensively in this game. Now, West Virginia, offensively, has a lot back, though they might be able to keep up at some points, but I think Penn State's defense, while losing a lot, has recruited very well over the years."

CFB Playoff Best Bets: Big Ten's Penn State and Iowa

No. 19 Miami (Fla.) (-2.5) vs. Florida

Sammy P: Miami (Fla.) -2.5

"I'm all in on the U. It is what it is. It's already done. I've talked about this for a month. I'm taking the U. I've taken the U. Got them to make the Playoff. I'm not scared. I think Mario channels all this doubt, and they come out and whoop up on Florida. Florida's win total is 4.5. Florida's not that good."

No. 23 USC (+4.5) vs. No. 13 LSU

The Bear: Under 64.5 total points

"I think it's a pretty good spot in a situation where most people are going to be expecting a super high-scoring game."

Sammy P: Waiting to bet the Under

"I think this new communication rule is going to slow these games down. … If we go back to that Florida State and Georgia Tech game in Ireland last weekend, only 14 possessions. That was the least amount of possessions in an FBS game since November 2020. If you're only getting the ball six, seven times a game, you really have to be extra efficient against a USC defense that's better than it's been, and I think this LSU defense is underrated."

Schwartz: LSU -4.5

"The best unit in this game is LSU's offensive line. That's why I bet LSU. I think overall, at the end of this game, that's the unit that takes over the fourth quarter, and they win this game and cover it for LSU."

Hill: USC +4.5

"I'm looking to fade LSU. You lose the second pick in the draft, a couple top-20 receivers and maybe are a little better on defense. With what you lose on offense, I don't know that a tiny uptick on defense makes up for it."

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