Best College Football TD Scorer Picks for Week 1 – Thursday, September 3

Rejoice, the college football season has arrived with Week 1 kicking off on Thursday, September 3. Tonight’s slate features 11 matchups, beginning with UMass vs. Rutgers at 6:00 p.m. ET, while Colorado vs. Georgia Tech is taking the spotlight on ESPN at 8:00 p.m. ET.

Players will look to begin their season with a bang by finding the end zone on Thursday, but who truly possesses a favorable matchup to score a touchdown for Week 1’s Thursday lineup?

Let’s highlight our best college football TD scorer picks for Thursday night, circling three players who could begin Week 1 by scampering into the end zone.

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Best College Football TD Scorer Picks for PrizePicks

As mentioned, Thursday, September 3, has a monster 11-game schedule for Week 1. This is to kick off the festivities, as next week’s Thursday slate features only one matchup on the docket. 

With that said, let’s take advantage of the special occasion by breaking down three players for our best CFB 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.

UA-Pine Bluff vs. #25 Missouri TD Scorer Prediction – 8:00 p.m. ET

Missouri WR Cayden Lee: 0.5 Player TDs (Goblin)

• Heading into tonight’s bout vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff, #25 Missouri is a whopping favorite, with UA-Pine Bluff carrying a 33.33x payout to win outright, per PrizePicks.
• The Tigers even carry a 1.36x payout to go over 51.5 points tonight, showcasing a potential positive scoring environment.
• Focusing on the passing game, WR Cayden Lee is listed as a starter in the slot, while WR Naeshaun Montgomery is listed as OR alongside WR Caleb Goodie Sr. on the initial depth chart. With a clear role ahead, this narrows our focus on Lee.
• The transfer from Ole Miss posted 874 receiving yards and 2 TDs in 2024, followed by 635 receiving yards and 3 TDs last season.
• Keep in mind Arkansas-Pine Bluff is an FCS program that gave up 33.3 PPG and a dangerous 8.3 yards per passing attempt in 2025. 
• The Golden Lions opened the season with a 35-15 win vs. Morehouse College last week, but they still allowed 286 passing yards in the victory. 

Add Cayden Lee to your PrizePicks lineup now.

Colorado vs. Georgia Tech TD Scorer Prediction – 8:00 p.m. ET

Georgia Tech RB Justice Haynes: 1.5 Player TDs (Demon) 

• Over seven games as a Michigan Wolverine in 2025, RB Justice Haynes was a force with 122.4 rushing yards and 1.4 rushing TDs per game. 
• Pro Football Focus gave Haynes 7.1 yards per rushing attempt (15th) last season, and Georgia Tech’s offensive line finished with a 65.9 rush block grade (69th percentile). This could be a match made in heaven.
• The Yellow Jackets deploy a physical run game under head coach Brent Key—who is a former Georgia Tech offensive lineman. That’s proven by 2025’s 53.7% rush-play rate (63rd percentile) and 5.4 yards per carry (92nd percentile).
• After logging 17.3 carries per game last season, another hefty role likely awaits Haynes—proven by tonight’s 16 rushing attempts projection on PrizePicks.
• In 2025, Colorado’s rush defense struggled by allowing 5.2 yards per carry (seventh percentile) and 0.11 EPA per rushing attempt (32nd percentile), per Game On Paper.
• The Buffaloes’ defensive line is expected to be outsized tonight, as Tech’s entire O-line is above 300 pounds. That should help give Haynes extra oomph for potential goal line carries.

Add Justice Haynes to your PrizePicks lineup now.

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UAB vs. Illinois TD Scorer Prediction – 9:00 p.m. ET

Illinois WR Collin Dixon: 0.5 Player TDs

• Following three seasons at Illinois, the Fighting Illini are replacing QB Luke Altmyer. The Illini landed a notable transfer portal addition in QB Katin Houser, who racked up 3,300 passing yards and 19 passing TDs at East Carolina last season.
• While the jury is out at QB, Houser should benefit from a strong receiving group. Florida Atlantic transfer WR Jayshon Platt recorded 720 receiving yards a season ago and is even on the Biletnikoff Award Watch List—given to the nation’s most outstanding wide receiver. Plus, WR Collin Dixon brings returning experience after totaling 548 receiving yards with the Illini last season.
• With that said, this unit is likely fully capable of exposing a UAB defense that gave up 0.32 EPA per passing attempt (fourth percentile) a year ago.  
• PrizePicks gives the Fighting Illini a 1.33x payout to go over 34.5 points on Thursday night. That certainly aids Dixon’s ability to score—who posted 5 receiving TDs in 2025.

Add Collin Dixon to your PrizePicks lineup now.

Make College Football Picks for Week 1 on PrizePicks

Who will find the end zone in Thursday’s games that are kicking off Week 1? Cayden Lee and Collin Dixon are two targets who could reel in a TD, while Justice Haynes is likely preparing for a significant role as a Yellow Jacket.

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 CFB picks, predictions, futures, and more as we jump into the 2026 season.