2018 Week 1 College Football Picks & Predictions – Washington vs Auburn Odds & Free Pick 9/1/18

2018 Week 1 College Football Picks & Predictions – Washington vs Auburn Odds & Free Pick 9/1/18: The preseason 6th ranked Washington Huskies will travel to Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, GA for a week 1 College Football showdown against the preseason 9th ranked Auburn Tigers. Kickoff is set for 3:30 PM EST on Saturday, September 1st in what will be the season opener for the 2018 College Football season for two of the nation’s top programs. The odds makers at at Bovada Sportsbook have installed Auburn as a -1.5 point favorite with the game betting total listed at over/under 48 points. Let’s take a closer look at this premier week 1 College Football betting matchup and release one of our free college football picks for week 1 to bet on.

2018 Week 1 College Football Picks & Predictions – Washington vs Auburn Odds & Free Pick 9/1/18

Game: Washington vs Auburn
Line: Auburn -1.5 at Bovada Sportsbook
Total: Over/Under 48
Where: Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, GA
Time: 3:30 PM EST
Date: Saturday, September 1st, 2018

Head coach Chris Petersen has arguably his most talented roster since arriving in Seattle, WA 5 years ago. The Washington Huskies are coming into the 2018 season off of a 10-3 season last year that saw them go 6-2 in the PAC 12. Peterson has 16 starters back from last year’s squad and expectations are high for the program to get back to the College Football Playoff this season.

The Huskies offense put up 36.2 points per game last season and finished 17th in the nation in scoring. The offense has 7 starters back in the fold this season including senior quarterback Jake Browning. Browning didn’t live up to expectations last season after a phenomenal sophomore season as he only passed for 2719 yards and 19 touchdowns as a junior. That was a whopping 24 less touchdowns thrown then the 43 touchdowns he tossed the prior season. Look for Browning to resemble the player he was as a sophomore rather then the player he was as a junior this season.

Defensively, the Huskies have 9 starters returning from a dominant unit that allowed just 16.1 points per game last season. The unit finished 5th in the nation in points allowed and 8th in total yards allowed at just 298 yards per game.

The Auburn Tigers come into the 2018 opener with heavy expectations after going 10-4 overall including 7-1 in the SEC. The Tigers beat both the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Georgia Bulldogs in the SEC regular season last year but had to watch their SEC rivals play each other in the National Title Game after Auburn lost 28-7 to Georgia in the SEC Championship Game.

Head coach Gus Malzhan welcomes back 13 starters from last year’s squad and should be a force on both sides of the ball. The offense has 6 starters back from a unit that was 25th in the country in scoring at 33.9 points per game. The defense has 7 starters back from a dominant unit that finished 11th in the nation in scoring defense by allowing just 18.5 points per game last year.

Look for a very close game between these two preseason top 10 teams on Saturday. The game is on a neutral field in Atlanta so this game should be won on talent and coaching alone. We give the slight edge talent-wise to Auburn but the coaching edge goes to Peterson in our opinion. Look for Washington to have a statement win and give them a signature win that they need to earn a College Football Playoff spot at the end of the season.

Washington vs Auburn Free Pick and Score Prediction: Washington to cover as a +1.5 point underdog.

Bet on week 1 College Football action at Bovada Sportsbook