Week 1 of the 2026 college football season is underway, with eight games set for on Friday night. Last season’s College Football Playoff runner-up, Miami travels west to the Bay Area for its ACC opener against Stanford, who defeated Hawaii in Week 0.
Elsewhere, a pair of Top-15 teams are heavy home favorites in non-conference action. USC looks for its second win in less than a week as the Trojans welcome Fresno State.
Oklahoma takes on UTEP in Norman as the Sooners seek a rebound after their meltdown against Alabama in last year's College Football Playoff.
We’ll break down the top player picks for CFB DFS on Friday, September 4, including PrizePicks picks on Miami WR Malachi Toney vs. Stanford and Oklahoma QB John Mateer vs. UTEP.
Make your Week 1 CFB picks on PrizePicks now — including players, winners, and spreads!
{{cfb_offer_banner="/style-system/ui-components-playbook"}}
Week 1 Friday CFB DFS Picks for PrizePicks – September 4, 2026
Here are the top college football picks to target on PrizePicks Player Picks on Friday, September 4. Today’s college football picks for PrizePicks include John Mateer, Malachi Toney, Alessio Milivojevic, King Miller, and Micah Ford.
Make picks on NCAAF players on PrizePicks to earn real money if you're right; or combine with game winners, spreads, and totals for even higher payouts.
Oklahoma QB John Mateer vs. UTEP: 235.5 Passing Yards
- John Mateer eclipsed the 270-yard passing yards mark in his first four games before his hand injury against Auburn in 2025.
- After missing one game, the former Washington State standout averaged 208.7 passing yards in the final eight contests.
- UTEP allowed at least 253 passing yards in each of its final three games of 2025, along with 10 touchdown passes.
- Mateer posted an EPA of -6.19, while the Miners ranked 1st in defensive EPA/Play among Conference USA squads.
Add John Mateer to your PrizePicks CFB picks now!
Miami WR Malachi Toney vs. Stanford: 74.5 Receiving Yards
- Toney hauled in 109 receptions along with 1,211 receiving yards in his freshman campaign.
- He posted at least 75 receiving yards in eight games, including 122 yards in the National Championship loss to Indiana.
- Last season, Stanford allowed 13 wide receivers to put up more than 75 yards. Seven of those players posted 100+ receiving yards.
- Toney’s EPA was an incredible 66.81, ranking 10th among wide receivers nationally.
Add Malachi Toney to your PrizePicks CFB picks now!
{{cfb_offer_banner="/style-system/ui-components-playbook"}}
Michigan State QB Alessio Milivojevic vs. Toledo: 236.5 Passing Yards
- Milivojevic started the final four games of last season, throwing for at least 255 yards three times.
- His best outing came in his initial start at Minnesota, posting 311 passing yards in an overtime loss.
- According to Game on Paper, Toledo’s defense ranked third in EPA/Pass and 14th in EPA/Rush, while owning the sixth-highest defense success rate. However, the Rockets lost their top five tacklers from 2025.
- The sophomore compiled an EPA of 5.77 or higher in two starts, but had a negative EPA in losses to Iowa and Penn State.
Add Alessio Milivojevic to your PrizePicks CFB picks now!
USC RB King Miller vs. Fresno State: 74.5 Rushing Yards
- King Miller closed his freshman season with 972 rushing yards, averaging 6.2 yards per carry.
- In the season-opening win over San Jose State, the Los Angeles native led the Trojans with 63 yards on 15 carries. USC attempted 40 rushes for 164 yards and averaged 4.1 yards per carry.
- He closed 2025 with at least 75 rushing yards in six of his final eight games, including four performances of more than 120 yards on the ground.
- Fresno State ranked 40th nationally in expected points added allowed per rush, while allowing five players to rush for more than 75 yards.
Add King Miller to your PrizePicks CFB picks now!
Stanford RB Micah Ford vs. Miami: 49.5 Rushing Yards
- Ford missed last season’s matchup vs. Miami due to a leg injury. Stanford ran for just 55 yards in the 42-7 loss.
- In last Saturday’s victory over Hawaii, the junior posted 99 yards and 3 TDs, falling just one yard short of his fourth career 100-yard rushing output.
- The New Jersey native owns an EPA of higher than 3.00 in his last two games against Hawaii and the 2025 finale against Cal.
- The Hurricanes allowed four running backs to eclipse 50 rushing yards in the college football playoff alone.
Add Micah Ford to your PrizePicks CFB picks now!
Make 2026 College Football Picks Today on PrizePicks
Week 1 of the 2026 college football season is finally here with plenty of big names taking the field on Friday night for CFB DFS. Will Miami struggle at Stanford and can USC pick up its second straight win out of the gate?
Ahead of today’s NCAAF games, it's time to lock in your college football picks on PrizePicks to win real money. Just pick your players, predict More or Less on their stats, and cash in on your predictions when you're right.
With Team Picks, you can make predictions on game winners, spreads, and over/unders on every college football game!
Stay locked in on PrizePicks Playbook for daily college football predictions, expert picks, and news every day all the way through the National Championship.
Team Picks and Culture Picks are event contracts offered by Performance Predictions II, LLC d/b/a PrizePicks Predict, a CFTC-registered FCM and NFA Member. All event contract customers must be U.S. residents and 18+. Some event contracts may not be available in every state.Event contract trading carries significant risk and is not appropriate for everyone. No guarantee against loss is offered. Past results are not necessarily indicative of future results.Void where prohibited by law. Restrictions apply. For full terms of service see prizepicks.com/predict-regulatory. Team and Culture Pick Early Payouts subject to market liquidity. The content provided is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice, or a recommendation to trade any commodity interest.
