College Football Week 1 Recap: Looking Back at Top Covers & Bad Beats From Opening Week

Week 1 has come to a close, and college football bettors were treated to plenty of reminders of why we love this sport.

From huge blowouts like Auburn and Alabama's shutout wins to upset bids that just missed (ummm… Oregon?), our favorite game is fully back in swing.

Plenty of players across all of college football earned their helmet stickers this week -—Colorado's Travis Hunter (three receiving touchdowns) and Arizona's Tetairoa McMillian (304 yards, four receiving touchdowns) come to mind.

But what about the players and coaches who saved the day for us bettors? It's time to honor some of the most memorable moments and performances that had major betting ramifications in Week 1.

College Football Week 1 Recap

Army RB Jake Rendina

5 Carries, 23 Yards, 1 TD

Helmet Sticker Moment: Scored game-sealing rushing touchdown with 19 seconds remaining (with a 28-point lead) to cover the spread and cash the over.

Army opened as a 31.5-point favorite at home against Lehigh, and thanks to a quiet first quarter (7-7 at the end of the first), Army backers were sweating until the very final seconds.

With a 35-7 lead and 2:58 remaining in the game, Army began a drive at its own 44-yard line. At the time, it was 3.5 points short of covering and 5.5 points short of hitting the over.

On first down, the Black Knights dialed up a pass play ([) and went on an eight-play, two-minute drill type of drive, resulting in Rendina's three-yard touchdown run with 19 seconds remaining.

If you had Army -31.5 and the over 47.5, you're very thankful for Rendina.

Rutgers RB Antwan Raymond

6 Carries, 49 Yards, 1 TD

Helmet Sticker Moment: Scored game-sealing rushing touchdown as time expired (with a 31-point lead), covering the opening spread and hitting the opening over.

When lines came out, Rutgers opened as a 36.5-point favorite over Howard with a total of 49.5.

After a turnover on downs from Howard with 15 seconds left in the game and a 31-point lead, a simple kneel would have ended things. Instead, Rutgers ran two plays starting at its 31-yard line, resulting in Raymond's 11-yard run for a score.

Depending on the number they got, some bettors were thanking Raymond, and others were cursing him. With no time on the clock, the Scarlet Knights didn't even attempt an extra point after the touchdown, giving them a 44-7 victory.

The lines closed at Rutgers -38 and an over/under of 51.5 points.

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Stanford K Emmet Kenney

2-2 FGs (Long 45), 3-3 XPs

Helmet Sticker Moment: Nailed a 45-yard field goal with 36 seconds left to trim TCU's lead to seven points, covering the 8.5-point spread for Stanford backers and hitting the over.

This marks another play with massive implications on both the spread and total.

Stanford led TCU for much of this game before giving up 14 points unanswered in the fourth quarter. Down 10 with just 1:46 remaining,

Stanford began a drive from its own 25-yard line and marched into TCU territory. Facing a fourth-and-4 at TCU's 27-yard line with just 36 seconds left, Stanford brought on the kicking unit to make it a one-score game rather than going for it on fourth down.

Kenney nailed the 45-yarder, cementing a TCU win, 34-27, while hitting the over 58.5 and giving Cardinal +8.5 backers a cover.

Indiana RB Elijah Green

5 Carries, 82 Yards, 1 TD

Helmet Sticker Moment: 51-yard rushing touchdown on second-and-22 with 1:06 left in the fourth quarter (while leading 24-7), covering the opening spread of Indiana -18.5.

Curt Cignetti has quite the history of blowout wins in home openers, and thanks to Green's heroics, his streak of covering the spread in his team's home debut continues.

After scoring just three points for the first 29 minutes of the second half, Indiana could essentially sit on the ball with its 17-point lead and ice the game.

On first-and-10 at their own 39-yard line, the Hoosiers ran and fumbled for a 12-yard loss. Then Green exploded for a house call with just over a minute left on second down, covering the spread for Hoosier backers in dramatic fashion.

UNC K Noah Burnette

4-4 FGs (Long 52), 1-1 XPs

Helmet Sticker Moment: Game-winning field goal from 44 yards out with 1:44 remaining in the game — his fourth of the day — to cash North Carolina -1.5.

College kickers, am I right? Sometimes a full-game performance is more worthy of a helmet sticker than any individual moment, and North Carolina backers will certainly tell you that Burnette was the best player on the field in the Tar Heels' win at Minnesota.

Burnette was automatic on Thursday night, and after North Carolina quarterback Max Johnson left the game with a broken leg, they needed every make.

Kicking was truly the difference, as UNC won, 19-17, behind Burnette's 4-for-4 performance. Meanwhile, Minnesota kicker Dragan Kesich went just 1-for-3 (with a 27-yard miss… yikes).

North Carolina closed as a 1.5-point favorite, and UNC bettors can thank Burnette for their winning tickets.

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