Best College Football TD Scorer Picks for Week 1 – Friday, September 4

Week 1 of the college football season got underway on Thursday night, and the action heats up on Friday, September 4. Tonight’s slate features eight matchups, starting with San Jose State vs. Eastern Michigan on ESPN at 6:30 p.m. ET, while Fresno State travels to #14 USC at 9 p.m., which will air on FOX.

There are plenty of big-name players on display, but which ones have the best opportunities to hit paydirt and score a touchdown for their teams tonight?

Let’s look at our best college football TD scorer picks for Friday night, keying in on three players who can get their seasons off to a strong start with a Week 1 visit to the end zone.

Make your college football TD scorer predictions on PrizePicks now!

{{cfb_offer_banner="/style-system/ui-components-playbook"}}

Best College Football TD Scorer Picks for PrizePicks – Friday, September 4

The slate for Friday has some big names taking the field for the first time. Three ranked teams will feature in action, helping to kick off the long Labor Day weekend football feast.

Let’s enjoy this Friday night by targeting three players for our best college football TD picks for PrizePicks.

‍Player TDs on PrizePicks include rushing, receiving, recoveries, and returns. PrizePicks often list player TDs as Demons and Goblins, meaning users can only select "More." For standard projections, users can select “More” or “Less.”

Demons are more difficult to win but are the only way to get higher than standard payouts. Meanwhile, Goblins are lower than a standard projection, meaning they are easier to win with a lower payout.

UTEP vs. #10 Oklahoma TD Scorer Prediction – 8 p.m. ET

Oklahoma QB John Mateer: 0.5 Player TDs (Goblin)

• John Mateer was causing serious problems with his legs last season before injuring his hand against Auburn, averaging 47.5 yards on the ground in the first four outings.
• Including the game against the Tigers, Mateer scored a TD with his legs in each of those four contests as well. This included a pair of rushing scores against Michigan.
• Mateer’s scrambling ability, especially in the red zone, makes him a threat to score anytime. According to Pro Football Focus, he scrambled on 75 designed pass plays over the past two seasons and last year scrambled for 186 yards on 28 of them.
• The Oklahoma QB also had 16 runs of 10+ yards in 2025. One of those was a 51-yard scamper against Temple in the non-conference schedule.
• Last season in non-conference play, UTEP’s defense allowed a rushing TD to Utah State QB Bryson Barnes. Texas QB Arch Manning also ran for 51 yards and a pair of scores against them on just 9 carries.   

Add John Mateer to your PrizePicks lineup now.

Toledo vs. Michigan State TD Scorer Prediction – 8 p.m. ET

Michigan State RB Cam Edwards: 0.5 Player TDs (Goblin)

• Michigan State’s new head coach Pat Fitzgerald has been raving about transfer RB Cam Edwards all fall and this week said the room has been the “most consistent” unit. 
• It makes sense that the former UConn back is going to see a heavy workload behind an offensive line Fitzgerald also praised heavily. Edwards proved he can handle it, as he carried the ball an average of 20.8 times per game over UConn’s last 11 contests.
• Edwards is a home-run threat anytime he touches the ball. PFF credits him with 13 runs of 15+ yards a season ago, and breakaway runs accounted for 440 of his 1,118 yards on the season, ranking him 21st in breakaway yards among all backs.
• He can also punish poor tackling as well. Edwards racked up 703 yards after contact a campaign ago, forcing 49 missed tackles in total.
• Toledo’s defense was very good against the run last season but lost a ton of key pieces up front, including third-team All-MAC DT Esean Carter and DE Malachi Davis. The biggest loss was LB K’Von Sherman, a first-team All-MAC player who was one of six defenders who followed coach Jason Candle to UConn.
• Edwards found paydirt 15 times last season and aims to do the same against this depleted Toledo front seven. 

Add Cam Edwards to your PrizePicks lineup now.

{{cfb_offer_banner="/style-system/ui-components-playbook"}}

#7 Miami (FL) vs. Stanford TD Scorer Prediction – 9 p.m. ET

Miami WR Malachi Toney: 0.5 Player TDs (Goblin)

• Stanford played against Hawaii in Week 1 and struggled to contain WR Kainoa Carvalho and WR Tama Uiliata. The two combined for 134 yards and a TD on 11 catches, as the Rainbow Warriors notched 0.14 EPA/dropback per Game On Paper. 
• Tonight’s matchup against Miami’s offense, especially WR Malachi Toney, will be a much tougher test. Toney ranked fourth in PFF WR grad in 2025.
• Despite an average depth of target of just 6.4 yards, Toney picked up 992 yards on 89 catches while scoring 8 TDs. He also finished the season strong, catching a TD in each of Miami’s final four games and notching 5 TD in total during that span. 
• Stanford’s pass defense was prone to getting punished last season. The Cardinal ranked in the 53rd percentile in explosive pass rate allowed and the 23rd percentile in yards/dropback, in addition to 20th in EPA/dropback.
• Toney could be targeted downfield often by Duke transfer QB Darian Mensah. He threw for nearly 4,000 yards and 34 TDs last season, and his 86 throws of 20+ yards downfield led all passers in FBS.

Add Malachi Toney to your PrizePicks lineup now.

Make College Football Picks for Week 1 on PrizePicks

There are some terrific players taking the field in college football on Friday, and they present a strong threat to find the end zone. Oklahoma QB John Mateer will want to make an early statement in the Heisman race, while Miami WR Malachi Toney aims to prove he’s the best receiver in the nation.

Pick More or Less on player stats on PrizePicks to earn real money if you're right, or predict College Football Playoff qualifiers, win totals, and more on PrizePicks Team Picks — available in 36 states! 

Keep it here with the Playbook for continued college football picks, predictions, futures, and more as we jump into the 2026 season.