College football season is back, which means that our betting experts are as well. Every Thursday, our CFB experts -- Phil Steele, Stanford Steve and Chris Fallica -- will pick two common games and then as many wild-card games as they choose. It's all here in one file, for your perusing pleasure.
Here are the best bets for Week 1 of the college football season.
Note: Lines from Westgate SuperBook as of Wednesday morning.
Previews for Top 25 teams | Ultimate betting guide | Week 1 best bets
Common games
No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide (-7) vs. No. 3 Florida State Seminoles at Atlanta, Georgia
Steele: This is the highest-ranked matchup ever for an opening week with No. 1 versus No. 3, and I believe it will live up to its billing. The talent is stacked on both sides of the ball with NFL-caliber players, as all the units are ranked in my top 25 unit rankings. Alabama's biggest edge may be with the stronger offensive line; Florida State has the special teams edge. The Seminoles only lose three lettermen off last year's defense and get back Derwin James, who missed almost all of 2016 due to an injury. He may be the nation's top defensive player.
Nick Saban is 9-0 versus his former assistants, but he has yet to face one that has won a national title. This game could