Caleb Wilfinger
At long last, Week 1 is finally here! Sure, Week 0 was a nice appetizer, but this week truly marks the start of the 2025 college football season. The action will kick off with a number of games on Thursday night, and there is value to be had across the board. With that in mind, I have built a 2-leg college football parlay with my favorite plays on the slate. Let’s dive into my parlay at +434 odds, while you can also see our college football picks for all the big matchups tonight and across the weekend.
South Florida ML (+180)
Buffalo +17.5 (-110)
NCAAF parlay odds: +434
For this college football parlay, we are going with a significant underdog against the spread and an underdog on the money line. Let’s break down each leg.
South Florida Bulls ML over Boise State Broncos (+180)
We’ve got a massive game in the Group of 5 on our hands to kick off Thursday’s action, and South Florida is very live in its home opener. For starters, while the Broncos still return plenty of production from last season’s offense, including quarterback Maddux Madsen and his top receiving targets in Latrell Caples and Matt Lauter, Boise State will obviously be adjusting to life without Ashton Jeanty in this one. In fact, even with Jeanty in the backfield, Boise State still struggled when playing heat down south in Week 1 against Georgia Southern a season ago. That same scenario could certainly play out in Tampa, especially since this will be the first time Madsen faces an opposing defense where he will be the main focus.
On the other side, quarterback Byrum Brown is at the center of what makes this USF team go. And while Brown is certainly an injury risk from a long-term perspective as the season goes on, he’ll certainly be at this healthiest in this game against a defense that struggled mightily in the back end a season ago. USF head coach Alex Golesh is someone that I’m bullish on going forward, and I expect the influx of talent on this roster to be a real difference maker for the veer and chute offense that Golesh likes to run. As long as Brown is given some time by his offensive line, he should see success in this matchup against Boise State’s middling defense. This should be a close game throughout, so we’ll take a shot on the money line.
Don’t miss our full South Florida vs Boise State prediction
Buffalo Bulls +17.5 vs Minnesota Golden Gophers (-110)
We’re targeting the underdog in this MAC vs Big Ten showdown on Thursday, and the game script is one that appears to favor the Buffalo Bulls in this matchup. Pete Lembo is an excellent head coach and his defense will be returning 9 starters for a unit that should take another step forward this season. In this game, the Bulls should be able to key in on Minnesota running back Darius Taylor in an effort to slow down the Gophers ground game, forcing them to ask their brand new redshirt freshman quarterback to make plays from the pocket in his first start. The experience and returning production Buffalo has gives me confidence that the Bulls won’t be intimated against a Big Ten foe.
On the other side of the ball, Buffalo’s offense was certainly not the strength of the team last season, but the Bulls do have a decent ground game and they’ll return 3 starters on the offensive line, along with bringing in Ta’Quan Roberson at quarterback to provide a veteran element at the position. Lastly, given the fact that the total in this game is in the mid-40’s and dropping, there is inherent value on backing a sizable underdog in this spot, particularly when both teams can be expected to play at a pretty slow pace and look to grind the game out.
Get our expert’s full Buffalo vs Minnesota prediction
