The SportsChump and I are running it back. Although, that’s not what a couple of old guys like us would have said in their prime. A Gen X’er like me would have said “let’s take it from the top”, I think. Or “let’s do it again”. Perhaps, it was “please be kind, rewind”? No wait, that was just when visiting Blockbuster Video. Maybe we should just stick with “run it back”? Although, the kids today would say “BET”… I believe. Not to be confused with sports bet, which takes us straight into our Week 1 Football Betting Picks.

For the newbies (for crying out loud, KP… no one says newbies anymore), let’s present you our year-long contest that can result in amazing cash and prizes that are up for grabs. No wait, that phrasing was in Let’s Make a Deal – or perhaps from the The Price is Right.

Don’t worry, I won’t be asking to have your pets spayed or neutered, but I might add in some present day generational slang throughout this post (in caps). Now, whether I use it in the correct context… no promises.

In fact, highly unlikely.

Contest Deets (No One Says That Anymore Either, KP)

This is a season long contest with potential prizes going out to our winners, so if you want to join in on the fun, drop a comment here or over at the land of the SportsChump.  We take our top five games of the week against the spread (in both the NFL and College Football). If you beat us and go undefeated, that leads to fun prizes and/or heaps of praise on our websites.

With that said, here are our TOP FIVE picks for the week, including my Week 1 Football Betting Picks. The list is ranked in order of confidence, from 50 “dollars” down to $10.

Week 1 Football Betting Picks – The Slang Edition

KP’s Picks: The Wife Hates Sports

$50: Washington Commanders at Philadelphia Eagles (-4.5)

Let’s kick off the season by rolling with a heated NFC East rivalry. Seems wise, right? I honestly like the moves that Washington made during the offseason. Jayden Daniels is immensely talented, but will he be able to stay healthy for the entire season? The injury to Laremy Tunsil is a killer for the Commanders and leaves Washington’s offensive line COOKED. On the flip side, Philly is physical and downright nasty in the trenches. I expect Saquon Barkley to have a bounce back season (and drafted him in Fantasy, accordingly). Rivalry or not, I don’t expect this game to be all that close. Eagles cover at home.

$40: Penn State Nittany Lions (-23.5) at Temple Owls – Lincoln Financial Field

It’s been one measly game against a mediocre Marshall team, but the vibe surrounding Penn State is incredibly different and unbelievably refreshing. NO CAP. Matt Campbell brings boatloads of accountability, positivity, and energy. QB Rocco Becht brings experience and efficiency. Becht has a plethora of offensive weapons at his disposal, including WR Koby Howard, who was severely underutilized by James Franklin. D’Anton Lynn’s defense is explosive. The game will be played at “The Linc” (home of the NFL’s Eagles). Considering PSU’s alumni presence, this will feel like a home game. Also, Philly won’t even paint the field for the Owls. If that ain’t a sign of what’s to come, I don’t know what is. Nittany Lions cover.

$30: Chicago Bears (-2.5) at Carolina Panthers

I ended last season picking the Bears as 2 1/2 point favorites in the $30 slot. I’ll pivot and note that only three teams in the NFC had a better record at home than the Panthers in 2025. Despite their MID 8-9 record, Carolina plays better in front of its home crowd. It’s still quite hot in the Carolinas and not sure if that will have any major impacts. But overall, despite Carolina’s recent success at home, I believe in Ben Johnson and his offensive scheme. The combination of Williams, Swift, Odunze, Burden, and Loveland should be difficult for any defense to handle. Despite the home field advantage, with the line as it is, I like the talent of the Bears more, especially with the season kicking off. Bears cover on the road.

$20: Western Kentucky Hilltoppers at Georgia Bulldogs (-40.5)

There was a small part of me that was tempted to roll with a block of five 30-plus-point favorites in College Football, as there is a significant list of those this week – and many that I’ll likely bet on. But that doesn’t really move the needle when it comes to top confidence picks and getting readers intrigued. You need the BOUJEE picks. Most of you guys don’t care about this SEC team beating “Barnyard State” and that SEC team trampling Popcorn A&M. People want high visibility games, so I settled on one. This one. Western Kentucky lost 49-14 on the road against Nevada last week. That’s 35 points. Now, they get Georgia on the road. Do I really need to list players and other reasons? Eh, no. Georgia covers at home.

$10: Ohio State Buckeyes (+2) at Texas Longhorns

Go big or go home, as they say. No reason to shy away from the biggest game of the week, right? The Buckeyes and Longhorns are extremely talented – we all know that. The NIL dollars are flying! It’ll come down to coaching and quarterback play. Julian Sayin opened 2026 with no rust, posting an 84% completion percentage, 3 TD and 320 yards passing vs Ball State. Pure RIZZ. Last year, he posted 77% completion percentage 32 TD’s and 8 INT. As for Arch Manning, he had 4 TD, 1 INT, 305 yards passing, and 74% completion percentage vs Texas State. In 2025, 61.4% completion percentage and 36 total TD’s. Plain and simple, OSU has been winning games like this for years now. Give me Ohio State and the points.

 

On the Outside Looking In (Others I Considered):

  • Memphis Tigers at Boise State Broncos (-8.5): Broncos gave Oregon all it could handle last week
  • Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns at USC Trojans (-30.5): Fans in the stadium or not, Trojans are legit
  • Louisiana Tech Bulldogs at LSU Tigers (-35.5): Drama aside, Tigers wiped the floor with Clemson
  • Georgia Southern Eagles at Clemson Tigers (-20.5): Clemson can’t really be this bad, can they?
  • Oklahoma Sooners (+2.5) at Michigan Wolverines: Michigan is 0-1 (sorry, not sorry)
  • New Orleans Saints at Detroit Lions (-6.5): Lions dealt with a lot of injuries in 2025
  • Denver Broncos (+3) at Kansas City Chiefs: Bo Nix maybe the most underrated in the NFL
  • Cleveland Browns at Jacksonville Jaguars (-7.5): Still can’t believe Deshaun Watson is starting

 

Week 1 Football Betting Picks: SportsChump

$50 on David Montgomery Any Time TD (-125)

The Texans begin their season at home against another AFC powerhouse, the Buffalo Bills.  It’ll undoubtedly be one of the best games of the week, dare I say even, an AFC Championship Game preview?  The Bills ranked tops in the league last season in yards allowed through the air.  You know where they suffered?  Against the run, where they ranked bottom five.  Ironically, Houston’s weakness last season was their run game.  So, what did they do?  They went out and landed David Montgomery in the off-season.  And boy are they going to use him. You’re not going to buy a new car and not kick the tires on it, right?  The Bills will know what’s coming.  If you agree with this logic, you can get Montgomery over 15 rush attempts at plus money.  The Texans are going to want to open the season with a statement that the conference championship will not run through Buffalo but rather through Houston.  Montgomery will be key in accomplishing that goal.  Look for him to carry the load and reach pay dirt in Week One.

$40 on Dallas Cowboys (-3) at New York Giants

I read that the Dallas Cowboys will be missing offensive guard Tyler Smith thanks to thumb surgery.  Normally, I don’t like teams having to jockey around offensive linemen before the season starts but they’re playing the Giants.  I expect big things out of Dallas this season.  I’ve drafted both Dak Prescott and Javonte Williams on my fantasy team.  I’ve even considered placing a small nut on a Dak for MVP future.  Last year, the Cowboys came out of the gate strong.  With so much offensive firepower, there’s no reason to think that won’t happen again.  Meanwhile, all we heard from Giants camp this offseason was drama and disruption.  New coach John Harbaugh will want to win his home opener, but the G-Men have too many question marks, including whether Malik Nabers is 100% and how high on the numbskull rankings can we find Jaxson Dart and Cam Skattebo.  I’m not entirely convinced the Giants can keep up with what Dallas will be putting down.  Cowboys cover the three on the road.

$30 on Washington Commanders at Philadelphia Eagles (-4.5)

What are we to make of the Commanders?  Is Jayden Daniels everything we thought he’d be in his rookie campaign or was his second season far more an inkling of what we’re going to get from here on out.  Starting his season off in Philadelphia will test what he’s made of.  A year older, the Eagles seem to be flying under the radar.  They are unquestionably an NFC title contender, and we’ve heard very little from them in the off-season, which is probably a good thing.  That’s a veteran team for you.  Washington has too many moving parts for my liking, including a key offensive line injury.  Meanwhile, Philadelphia appears ready to go about their business like they always do.  Not flashy but effective.  Give me the birds at home to cover the four-and-a-half.

$20 on Tampa Bay Buccaneers/Cincinnati Bengals (Over 50 ½)

Bucs-Bengals is the highest over/under (50 ½) on the board for a reason.  Not only do these two quarterbacks love to air it out but their defenses are woeful.  Last year, Bengals were third to last in the league in points allowed per game and the Bucs were bottom six in yards allowed in the air.  This should be a fun game to watch, especially if you are starting any of these players in your fantasy leagues.  Baker Mayfield just signed a new contract.  He’ll want to earn his keep against a guy many believe to be the most talented in the league playing across from him.  I like fireworks in this one with Baker and Burrow both trying to whip it out to see which one is bigger.  Bucs-Bengals over 50.5.

$10 on New Orleans Saints at Detroit Lions (-7)

The Lions cannot be happy about the way last season ended.  Between injuries and dysfunction, this uber-talented Lions team missed the playoffs and finished dead last in their division.  That won’t happen again this year.  As long as they stay healthy, the Lions should still be able to put up plenty of points.  A healthy, loaded defense should come out guns-a-blazin’.  A lot of people are high on New Orleans, but Tyler Shough is going to have to prove he can do it all season long, against difficult road teams like Detroit, before I’m ready to sign off on a successful Saints season.  Covering a touchdown spread shouldn’t be all that difficult for a team that can score at will, in front of a crowd that once again has high expectations for its team.  Lions cover the seven at home.

 

The SportsChump Wrinkle

Note: We’re going to add a wrinkle this year.  It’s what I like to call… my parity test.

For a league that touts its own parity and unpredictability, we’re going to track how many underdogs win outright.  We will place a flat, $10 wager on every dog money line to see if we end up plus, or minus, on the season.

  • Patriots (+155) at Seahawks (-$10)
  • 49ers (+170) at Rams (+$17)
  • Buccaneers (+175) at Bengals
  • Browns (+350) at Jaguars
  • Ravens at Colts (+155)
  • Bills at Texans (+100)
  • Bears at Panthers (+140)
  • Falcons (+150) at Steelers
  • Saints (+260) at Lions
  • Jets (+105) at Titans
  • Commanders (+195) at Eagles
  • Packers (+100) at Vikings
  • Dolphins (+155) at Raiders
  • Cardinals (+400) at Chargers
  • Cowboys at Giants (+130)
  • Broncos (+120) at Chiefs

 

Oh, and if you need help with current slang, this is a pretty good reference. I’m sure those young whippersnappers would love to hear some of us spewing out these terms.

I know, I know… no one says whippersnappers anymore.

“Whatever, Russ… whatever”.

Chime in with your top picks for the week. Thank you for visiting The Wife Hates/Loves Sports!

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