College Football Week 1 Preview: 15 Stats to Know

College Football Week 1 Betting Preview: 15 Stats You Need to Know

College football is officially back.

Week 0 gave us our first taste of the 2026 season, but Week 1 brings the first full slate — and there is plenty to dig into before kickoff.

No. 11 LSU hosts Clemson in Lane Kiffin's debut. No. 9 Ole Miss faces No. 24 Louisville in Nashville. No. 2 Oregon opens against Boise State. No. 4 Notre Dame meets Wisconsin at Lambeau Field. Alabama looks to avoid another opening-week stumble. Miami begins its season across the country at Stanford.

There's no shortage of storylines.

Rather than trying to force a bet on every game, we've gone through the Week 1 slate and pulled out 15 stats and trends bettors should know before the weekend begins.

Some point toward potential matchup advantages. Others highlight questions that could determine whether a favorite separates or an underdog hangs around.

Here are 15 numbers that caught our attention.

1. Dante Moore completed 71.8% of his passes last season

Let's start with one of the best quarterbacks in college football.

Oregon quarterback Dante Moore completed 296 of 412 passes for 3,565 yards, 30 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in 2025.

His 71.8% completion rate ranked fourth nationally, and Moore helped Oregon reach the College Football Playoff semifinal.

Moore elected to return rather than enter the NFL Draft and now leads an Oregon team beginning the season ranked No. 2 in the country.

Week 1: Boise State at Oregon

Boise State has a legitimate program and enters as one of the favorites in the new-look Pac-12.

But stopping an Oregon offense that brings back Moore and a deep collection of offensive talent is an entirely different challenge.

2. Oregon held opposing quarterbacks to a 53.3% completion rate

Moore gets plenty of attention, but Oregon's defense deserves some too.

Across 15 games last season, opposing quarterbacks completed just 226 of 424 passes against Oregon — 53.3%.

The Ducks also intercepted 15 passes while allowing 19 passing touchdowns.

That's an interesting backdrop for Boise State quarterback Maddux Madsen, who returns after throwing for 2,334 yards and 18 touchdowns last season.

Oregon isn't just asking Boise State to keep up with its offense.

The Broncos have to solve one of the more difficult defenses on the schedule too.

3. Boise State averaged 42.2 points in its wins — and 7.6 in its losses

This might be one of the strangest splits on the entire Week 1 slate.

Boise State went 9-5 last season.

In its nine wins, the Broncos averaged 42.2 points per game.

In their five losses, they scored only 38 total points — an average of just 7.6 points per game. Boise State scored seven points in four of those defeats and 10 in the other.

Talk about feast or famine.

And now the Broncos open at Autzen Stadium against the No. 2 team in the country.

One of our biggest questions Saturday afternoon:

Which version of the Boise State offense shows up?

4. Notre Dame enters Week 1 on a 10-game winning streak

Notre Dame's 2025 season ended in one of the more unusual ways possible.

The Fighting Irish started slowly, then won 10 consecutive games to close the regular season, only to finish outside the College Football Playoff and decline a bowl opportunity.

That means No. 4 Notre Dame enters Sunday's matchup with Wisconsin having not lost a football game since September 2025.

Week 1: Wisconsin vs. Notre Dame at Lambeau Field

Notre Dame isn't easing into 2026 with a home tune-up.

Instead, it gets a Big Ten opponent at Lambeau Field.

And Wisconsin brings one of the more intriguing transfer quarterbacks in the country.

5. Wisconsin's new quarterback accounted for 34 touchdowns last season

Wisconsin added former Old Dominion quarterback Colton Joseph through the transfer portal.

His 2025 numbers:

2,624 passing yards
21 passing touchdowns

plus:

1,007 rushing yards
13 rushing touchdowns

That's 34 total touchdowns and more than 3,600 yards of total offense.

That mobility creates a completely different problem for Notre Dame than facing a conventional pocket passer.

Wisconsin has gone just 5-7 and 4-8 over the last two seasons, but Joseph gives the Badgers a potential difference-maker at the game's most important position.

6. Notre Dame rushed for 203.4 yards per game last season

The Irish finished 17th nationally with 203.4 rushing yards per game and tied for fifth nationally with 38 rushing touchdowns in 2025.

There's one major catch.

Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price are both gone to the NFL.

So although Notre Dame returns quarterback CJ Carr and plenty of strength in the trenches, replacing that backfield production is one of the biggest offensive questions surrounding the No. 4 team in the country.

That's worth remembering before assuming the 2026 Notre Dame offense will look exactly like the unit that ended last season on a 10-game winning streak.

7. Miami allowed just 13.8 points per game last season

The Hurricanes weren't simply good offensively during their College Football Playoff season.

They were elite defensively.

Miami finished the 2025 regular season allowing only 13.8 points and 277.8 total yards per game, both leading the ACC.

Opponents averaged only 86.8 rushing yards per game against the Hurricanes.

Week 1: No. 7 Miami at Stanford

Miami has to travel across the country for a Friday night ACC opener, but the talent mismatch remains significant.

The Hurricanes also scored 34.1 points per game last year.

That's a 20.3-point gap between their average scoring offense and scoring defense.

8. Miami completed nearly 74% of its passes in 2025

Miami's quarterbacks combined to complete 73.88% of their passes last season, while the Hurricanes led the ACC in passing efficiency.

Now the offense turns to Duke transfer Darian Mensah.

And his first matchup could be favorable.

Stanford finished 4-8 last year, and one preseason breakdown noted the Cardinal allowed nearly 300 passing yards per game while recording only three interceptions.

That makes Miami's new passing attack one of the more interesting units to watch Friday night.

9. Alabama allowed only 16.5 points per game during the 2025 regular season

Alabama finished last season with plenty of questions, but defense wasn't usually the problem.

The Crimson Tide allowed just 16.5 points per game during the regular season.

Week 1: East Carolina at No. 13 Alabama

That could create a difficult opening assignment for an East Carolina offense undergoing major turnover.

ECU finished 9-4 last year but enters 2026 breaking in 10 new offensive starters.

Tuscaloosa isn't exactly the easiest environment for that transition.

10. Alabama's 23-year season-opening winning streak ended last year

Here's the trend Alabama fans would probably rather forget.

Entering 2025, Alabama had won 23 consecutive season openers.

Then the Crimson Tide went to Florida State as a 15.5-point favorite and lost.

That result doesn't automatically mean anything for Saturday's matchup with East Carolina, of course.

But it does give Alabama an interesting motivation angle heading into the opener.

No one in Tuscaloosa will be overlooking Week 1 after what happened last season.

11. LSU held Clemson to 10 points in last year's matchup

These teams don't have to look very far for relevant head-to-head history.

LSU traveled to Clemson in last year's opener and came away with a 17-10 victory.

Clemson led 10-3 before LSU scored the final 14 points and shut the Tigers out after halftime.

Week 1: Clemson at No. 11 LSU

This time the game moves to Baton Rouge.

But both offenses look considerably different.

Clemson turns to Christopher Vizzina at quarterback, while LSU starts former Arizona State quarterback Sam Leavitt and begins the Lane Kiffin era.

We broke down the matchup in detail in our Clemson vs. LSU prediction and game preview.

Read the Full Clemson vs. LSU Preview →

12. LSU scored only 22.8 points per game last season

The Lane Kiffin hire becomes even more interesting when you look at what he's replacing.

LSU averaged only 22.8 points per game in 2025, ranking 101st nationally according to NBC's preseason breakdown.

That's certainly not the offensive standard LSU expects.

Kiffin now gets Sam Leavitt and a roster rebuilt aggressively through the transfer portal.

Saturday night's game against Clemson gives us our first indication of how quickly the new system has taken hold.

13. Trinidad Chambliss threw 22 touchdowns and only three interceptions

Ole Miss might have the most proven quarterback situation involved in one of Week 1's biggest games.

Trinidad Chambliss threw for 3,937 yards, 22 touchdowns and only three interceptions last season while helping Ole Miss make a College Football Playoff run.

Week 1: No. 24 Louisville vs. No. 9 Ole Miss

That's a huge advantage in an opening-week game.

Louisville is introducing a new starting quarterback.

Ole Miss is bringing back a quarterback who already produced nearly 4,000 passing yards and played postseason football.

14. Kewan Lacy rushed for 1,567 yards and 24 touchdowns

And if Louisville devotes too much attention to Chambliss?

Ole Miss can hand the football to Kewan Lacy.

Lacy returns after rushing for 1,567 yards and 24 touchdowns last season.

That's one of the more intimidating returning QB-RB combinations anywhere in college football.

Chambliss:

3,937 passing yards

Lacy:

1,567 rushing yards

Together:

46 passing/rushing touchdowns.

Louisville has enough experience to make this game interesting, but slowing both players at the same time is the challenge.

We've got a full breakdown in our Louisville vs. Ole Miss prediction and preview.

Read the Full Louisville vs. Ole Miss Preview →

15. Penn State and Marshall haven't played since 1930

We'll finish with a completely different kind of number.

Penn State and Marshall have met only twice.

Those games were played in 1929 and 1930.

Penn State won them by a combined score of 91-7.

Safe to say the personnel reports from those games aren't helping us much this week.

But the 2026 matchup begins a completely new era for Penn State.

Former Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell makes his Penn State debut, and former Iowa State quarterback Rocco Becht is expected to lead the offense.

Marshall, meanwhile, finished 5-7 last season and enters Year 2 under Tony Gibson.

The market has Penn State favored by more than three touchdowns, making this less about who wins and more about how quickly Campbell's new-look Nittany Lions come together.

College Football Week 1 Games We're Watching Most Closely

There's plenty more on the Week 1 schedule, but four games stand above the rest for us from a betting and information standpoint.

Clemson at LSU

The Lane Kiffin era begins in Baton Rouge, Sam Leavitt takes over at quarterback and Clemson gets its first major test with Christopher Vizzina running the offense.

Full Preview: Clemson vs. LSU Prediction, Stats & Score Pick →

Boise State at Oregon

The question isn't whether Oregon has more talent.

It's whether Boise State can generate enough offense to prevent Dante Moore and the Ducks from creating separation.

Wisconsin vs. Notre Dame

A 10-game Notre Dame winning streak meets one of the country's most productive transfer quarterbacks in Colton Joseph.

And it happens at Lambeau Field.

Louisville vs. Ole Miss

This might be the most competitive ranked-vs.-ranked matchup of the weekend.

Ole Miss owns the major advantage in proven quarterback production, but Louisville has enough veteran talent to make the Rebels work.

Full Preview: Louisville vs. Ole Miss Prediction, Stats & Score Pick →

What Do These Week 1 Stats Actually Tell Us?

This is where bettors can get themselves into trouble.

A good trend is information — not automatically a bet.

Dante Moore completing 71.8% of his passes doesn't mean Oregon automatically covers a massive spread.

Notre Dame winning 10 consecutive games doesn't tell us whether the Irish should be laying a particular number against Wisconsin.

Ole Miss returning a 1,500-yard running back doesn't automatically make the Rebels a good bet at -6.5, -7 or any other line.

Price matters.

Matchup matters.

Injuries matter.

Market movement matters.

And sometimes an excellent football team simply doesn't offer enough betting value at the available number.

That's why we use stats like these as the starting point of the handicap — not the end of it.

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Stats and rankings are based on available information entering Week 1. Betting lines can move throughout the week, so always verify the current price before placing a wager. KofSports promotes responsible sports betting and does not guarantee results.