The first full week of the college football season is here, and with it the return of our weekly Legend Picks against the spread. After sharing our preseason outlook last week, the Legends are now back in their familiar routine of breaking down the biggest games on the schedule and where they see the value each week.
The opening slate brought plenty of alignment. In Boise State’s trip to South Florida, eight of ten human Legends backed the Broncos to cover as 6.5 point favorites, while our AI entry, Robot Rob, went the other way with USF. The most high profile game of the weekend comes in Columbus, where No. 1 Texas visits defending champion Ohio State in the first ever 1 vs 2 matchup to open a season. The majority of our panel likes the Longhorns and the points, signaling confidence that Arch Manning and company can challenge the Buckeyes on their home turf.
Clemson also drew strong support to handle LSU at home in the battle of the Tigers (and the Battle of Death Valley(s), while Notre Dame was a clear choice to roll into Miami and knock off the Canes. And though Bill Belichick’s college coaching debut in Chapel Hill will draw plenty of attention, our panel showed little confidence in the Tar Heels to cover.
The Legends Picks will be here each week throughout the regular season, highlighting consensus, spotlighting disagreements, and giving you a clear look at how our group of voices, both human and digital, sees the week ahead in college football. Next week we’ll throw some NFL games into the fray as well. Enjoy Sandman Nation, and may your picks always be legendary.
Sandman Legend Picks - CFB Week 1
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bill Sanders | Eric Bierman | Patrick Klett | Brandon Lewis | Nate Blackstun | Hakan Yumusaklar | Mike Paston | Ken Wintermote | Keith | Jenny Butler | Robot Rob | |
| Boise State (-6.5) at South Florida | Boise St | Boise St | Boise St | Boise St | Boise St | S. Florida | S. Florida | Boise St | Boise St | Boise St | S. Florida |
| Georgia Tech (-4) at Colorado | Ga Tech | Ga Tech | Colorado | Colorado | Colorado | Ga Tech | Ga Tech | Colorado | Colorado | Colorado | Colorado |
| Auburn (-2.5) at Baylor | Baylor | Baylor | Baylor | Auburn | Baylor | Baylor | Baylor | Auburn | Auburn | Baylor | Baylor |
| Texas at Ohio State (-2) | Ohio St | Ohio St | Texas | Texas | Texas | Texas | Texas | Ohio St | Texas | Texas | Texas |
| Alabama (-13.5) at Florida State | Alabama | Florida St | Alabama | Alabama | Alabama | Alabama | Alabama | Alabama | Alabama | Alabama | Florida St |
| LSU at Clemson (-4) | Clemson | LSU | LSU | LSU | Clemson | LSU | LSU | Clemson | LSU | LSU | Clemson |
| Utah (-6) at UCLA | UCLA | UCLA | Utah | Utah | Utah | Utah | Utah | UCLA | UCLA | UCLA | Utah |
| Virginia Tech at South Carolina (-8) | S. Carolina | Va Tech | S. Carolina | Va Tech | S. Carolina | Va Tech | S. Carolina | S. Carolina | S. Carolina | Va Tech | S. Carolina |
| Notre Dame (-2.5) at Miami (FL) | Notre Dame | Miami | Notre Dame | Notre Dame | Notre Dame | Miami | Notre Dame | Notre Dame | Notre Dame | Notre Dame | Miami |
| TCU (-3) at North Carolina | UNC | TCU | TCU | TCU | UNC | TCU | TCU | TCU | TCU | UNC | UNC |
