The Boston College Eagles and Cincinnati Bearcats play on Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026, at Nippert Stadium in Cincinnati, in a game on the college football Week 1 schedule.
Which team will win the college football Week 1 game?
Check out these college football Week 1 picks and college football Week 1 predictions for the game, which can be seen at 12:30 p.m. MST on FOX (stream with FUBO).
Cincinnati is a 7.5-point favorite over Boston College in college football Week 1 odds for the game, according to BetMGM Sportsbook.
The Bearcats are -295 on the moneyline, while the Eagles are +240. The over/under (point total) for the game is set at 49.5 points.
Watch Cincinnati vs Boston College on FUBO (free trial)
The Arizona Republic: Cincinnati 27, Boston College 17
Jeremy Cluff writes: "The Bearcats have the longest
odds to win the Big 12, but they are playing a team that went 2-10 last season. Cincinnati gets a very important win in Week 1."
Sports Illustrated: Bet Cincinnati to beat Boston College in Week 1
Russell Heltman writes: "Cincinnati shouldn't drop its opening game of the season against a Boston College team rated as easily the worst group in the ACC (-2.7 FPI to UC's 4.4 mark). There may be some early growing pains for the offense, but Cincinnati's defense could feast against the lowest projected roster budget for any program in the nation."
Dimers.com: Cincinnati 28, Boston College 24
It writes: "After extensive simulations, our model gives Boston College a win probability of 38%, while Cincinnati has a win probability of 62%."
ESPN: Cincinnati has a 76.8% chance to defeat Boston College on Saturday
The site gives the Eagles a 23.2% shot at winning the college football Week 1 game.
Sports Betting Dime: Cincinnati 30.5, Boston College 23.9
The site's formula predicts that the Bearcats will beat the Eagles in the Week 1 college football game.
Sports Chat Place: Bet Cincinnati with the points vs Boston College
It writes: "I’ll stick with Cincinnati but I’m probably staying away from this one. I’d like to see the Bearcats get a few games under their belt and develop an identity. The team does have a few known strengths, especially on the offensive line. That’s a great place to start, as Cincinnati allowed only eight sacks last season. The Bearcats otherwise will be relying on a big group of transfers to help them fight through a difficult upcoming schedule. Three of their last four games are on the road, and Cincinnati’s performance in those could very well decide their bowl eligibility fate."
Reach Jeremy Cluff at jeremy.cluff@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter @Jeremy_Cluff.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Cincinnati vs Boston College picks, predictions, odds for Week 1 game
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