Although the 2026 college football campaign begins devoid of a Texas-Ohio State clash as we saw in Week 1 a year ago, we still have some stellar interconference battles on the Saturday Week 1 college football schedule.
Baylor and Auburn will complete their home-and-home series at Jordan-Hare, and a new era for the Tigers begins under head coach Alex Golesh, who was hired from South Florida and brought a familiar face with him.
Expectations are sky-high in Baton Rouge as Lane Kiffin’s plane drama resulted in this new job, and the much-maligned coach has stretched the transfer portal to its limits to try to turn LSU into a contender. They’ll host a Clemson squad that begins an era without longtime quarterback Cade Klubnik.
Plus, we’ve got high-scoring barnburners like Boston College vs. Cincinnati, Tulane vs. Duke, and UCLA vs. Cal on the docket.
Get the yard mowed and get ready; the first full Saturday of the college football season begins in earnest. Below, we'll bring you our top CFB DFS picks for PrizePicks, where you can predict More or Less on college football player stats to earn real money!
Make your Week 1 college football predictions and picks on PrizePicks!
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Week 1 CFB DFS Picks for PrizePicks – Saturday, September 5
Here are the top Week 1 CFB DFS picks to target on PrizePicks Player Picks for Saturday, September 5. Today’s CFB picks include Byrum Brown, Gi'Bran Payne, Anthony Brown-Stephens, T.J. Moore, and Nico Iamalaeva.
For the first time ever, you can now combine players with game winners, spreads, and totals for even higher payouts on PrizePicks this college football season! Build your college football lineup on PrizePicks here!
Auburn QB Byrum Brown vs. Baylor: 327.5 Pass + Rush Yards
On the periphery of Heisman contention, Auburn QB Byrum Brown is a major reason why Auburn fans are excited about this recent coaching change.
Brown is a dynamic USF transfer who popped onto the national radar with early-season upsets of Boise State and Florida a year ago. He posted 263.2 passing yards and 84.0 rushing yards per game with 42 total touchdowns, which trailed only Fernando Mendoza in all of college football.
Questions remain about how that’ll translate to SEC competition, but Baylor is an easier start — the Bears ranked 11th out of 16 teams in our Big 12 power rankings. The Bears struggled defensively a year ago, allowing 7.0 passing yards per attempt (YPA; 55th in FBS) and 5.1 rushing yards per attempt (116th in FBS).
Add Byrum Brown to your PrizePicks lineup now!
Cincinnati RB Gi'Bran Payne vs. Boston College: 42.5 Rushing Yards
Before losing an NFL Draft-caliber quarterback, Cincinnati posted a 51.9% rushing rate (66th in FBS). Now that Brendan Sorsby is gone and out of college football, expect the Bearcats to pound the rock this year.
Gi'Bran Payne figures to have one of the better roles in a committee that also includes returning tailback Zion Johnson and transfer Cole Tabb. Head coach Scott Satterfield said the team was "leaning on G Payne" because "he has a little more burst" on Tuesday.
Boston College was seventh-worst in the country on a YPC basis against the run last year, allowing 5.3. There should be openings.
Add Gi'Bran Payne to your PrizePicks lineup now!
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Tulane WR Anthony Brown-Stephens vs. Duke: 3.5 Receptions
Anthony Brown-Stephens led the Green Wave in target share a year ago (17.7%), and his primary competition is gone, as Shazz Preston (15.5%) transferred to Indiana.
Houston transfer Zeon Chriss-Gremillion will start at quarterback for Tulane. Even as a dual threat, Chriss-Gremillion tossed at least 18 pass attempts in five of his seven starts for Houston during his last extended action in 2024.
Expect Tulane — a 7.5-point underdog at PrizePicks — to be forced to air it out at points against a Duke defense that ranked 122nd in passing YPA allowed (8.1) a season ago.
Add Anthony Brown-Stephens to your PrizePicks lineup now!
Clemson WR T.J. Moore vs. LSU: 45.5 Receiving Yards
The Clemson Tigers have major quarterback questions in 2026.
Christopher Vizzina won the job and completed an inconclusive 63.6% of his 71 attempts a year ago in limited mop-up duty. We know the Tigers’ duo of wide receivers, T.J. Moore and Bryant Wesco, is strong, but this could affect their production.
Moore is likely the WR2 here. In the six full games they played together, Wesco ran 28 more routes and drew 5 more targets, per Pro Football Focus.
LSU was 26th in passing YPA allowed last year. Even losing Mansoor Delane to the NFL Draft, they reloaded with five-star recruit DJ Pickett and three upperclassmen in the secondary.
Add T.J. Moore to your PrizePicks lineup now.
UCLA QB Nico Iamaleava vs. Cal: 40.5 Rush Yard
The quarterback often forgotten in the 2027 NFL Draft class is UCLA’s Nico Iamalaeva, who is looking to build on the momentum he gained after UCLA changed head coaches last year.
Iamaleava's completion rate jumped 5.0 percentage points, and he averages 5.0 yards per carry on the ground compared to 4.6 against easier opponents before the swap.
Last season, Cal was 35th in passing YPA allowed, but ranked 108th in rushing YPA allowed. Iamalaeva should turn a few more dropbacks into scrambles if the Golden Bears’ secondary remains a point of strength under new head coach Tosh Lupoi.
Add Nico Iamaleava to your PrizePicks lineup now!
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Make Week 1 College Football Picks on PrizePicks
Labor Day weekend marks the official arrival of the 2026 college football season. Which players will get their 2026 seasons off to a hot start and shine in CFB DFS?
Ahead of today’s action, it's time to lock in your CFB picks on PrizePicks to win real money if you're right. Just pick your players, predict More or Less on their stats, and cash in on your predictions when you're right.
With PrizePicks Team Picks, make your predictions on game winners, spreads, and over/unders — or combine one with players for even higher payouts.
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