86 College Football Game Picks For Labor Day Weekend

August 26, 2018 by CFP Staff

Though four FBS teams opened their college football season this past Saturday, the long Labor Day holiday weekend is when the season begins en masse.

No team is idle and 86 games are on tap, though nearly half (42) pit FBS teams against FCS foes.

There are a dozen games on Thursday, but only 4 matchups among FBS schools, the most interesting of which is a Big Ten tussle in West Lafayette where Purdue hosts Northwestern, the computer's pick for winning the West division. The computer lists the Wildcats as the favorite by 7.36 over the Boilermakers.

The 8-pack of games on Friday features the state rivalry matchup in Denver of Colorado and Colorado State. The Rams opened last Saturday at home with a somewhat surprising 43-34 loss to Hawaii.

Also on Friday, the computer's No. 1 team, Michigan State, will kick off as a 37.19-point home favorite over Utah State. Another game that stands out on Friday's slate is San Diego State at Stanford, though the computer has the Cardinal as hefty 27.83-point favorites.

If you're going to open a college football weekend in style, you may as well schedule Michigan to open at Notre Dame where the computer likes the Irish by 3.57 as the piece de resistance on Saturday.

That's also when the Scott Frost era begins at Nebraska as the man who led UCF to an undefeated season a year ago returns to his alma mater as the head coach. The computer only makes the 'Huskers a 14.71-point choice over Terry Bowden's Akron Zips.

Jeremy Pruitt debuts as the head coach of Tennessee when the Vols clash with West Virginia (-11) in Charlotte, while Pruitt's former team, Alabama opens as a 5.75-point choice over Louisville in Orlando.

Saturday also gives us Auburn and Washington in Atlanta, plus Ole Miss and Texas Tech in Houston.

Other cross-sectional matchups include UNC at Cal, and FAU at Oklahoma.

The lone Sunday game is in Arlington with Miami listed as an 8.42-point favorite over LSU.

The weekend wraps up on Monday night with an ACC showdown in Tallahassee when Virginia Tech visits Florida State as a 0.47-point computer underdog in Willie Taggart's debut as the Seminoles' head coach.

See all of the Computer Picks.