College Football Early Lines 2016: Week 1 Point Spreads, Complete Betting Odds For Top 25 Teams

Nick Saban Alabama — Alabama is the No.1 team in college football to begin the season. Getty

The 2016 college football season is right around the corner, and there are already betting lines for the first weekend of games. Many of the teams ranked in the top 25 are overwhelming favorites, though a few begin the year with tough matchups.

The biggest game on opening weekend is set for Saturday, Sept. 3 when No.1 Alabama hosts No.20 USC. The Crimson Tide are more than 10-point favorites in their toughest non-conference game, but most ranked teams are much bigger favorites on the first weekend.

Hawaii and California are set to officially open the season on Friday night as the only game on the schedule in the final weekend of August. They’ll meet in Sydney, Australia, where the Rainbow Warriors are getting 20 points. The game’s result will likely affect next week’s point spread, but as of now, Hawaii is more than a 40-point underdog for their visit to Michigan, who begins the season on Sept. 3.

No.19 Louisville is nearly as big of a favorite on Thursday, Sept. 1, giving Charlotte 39.5 points in their opener. No.6 Ohio State, No.14 Washington and No.17 Iowa are all favored by more than 25 points.

A few teams are considered such locks to win that there is no betting line for their games. Facing the likes of Furman and Northwestern State, No.12 Michigan State and No.23 Baylor could potentially win by 50-plus points. The same goes for No.13 TCU and No.24 Oregon.

Below are the early betting lines for the top 25 teams in Week 1 of the college football season, including the point spreads and totals. These are the consensus odds from multiple sportsbooks in Las Vegas, via vegasinsider.com.

Thursday, Sept. 1

Charlotte (+39.5) at No.19 Louisville, 61

Appalachia State (+21) at No.9 Tennessee, 57.5

Friday, Sept. 2

Furman at No.12 Michigan State (No line available)

Northwestern State at No.23 Baylor (No line available)

Kansas State (+16) at No.8 Stanford, 50

Saturday, Sept. 3

No.3 Oklahoma (-10) at No.15 Houston, 68

Bowling Green (+27.5) at No.6 Ohio State, 62.5

Hawaii (+41.5) at No.7 Michigan, 52

Rutgers (+26) at No.14 Washington, 55