It's official — Johnny Manziel is part of the Action Network family. And every week this 2024 college football season, Manziel will be sharing his college football picks and previewing the biggest games on the slate, as well as joining the "Big Bets on Campus" college football expert betting podcast, when it airs live on Saturday mornings before the day kicks off.
And in Week 1, we get a double dose of Money, as Johnny is also on ESPN's College GameDay as the guest picker. But before his Aggies take on Notre Dame amid a stacked college football Week 1 schedule, Manziel sat down with Stuckey to talk about his college football Week 1 picks, including his thoughts on the three nationally televised games in the biggest windows of the day: Clemson vs. Georgia, Ohio State vs. Akron and, of course, Texas A&M vs. Notre Dame.
For more college football betting analysis as Week 1 Saturday continues, check out NCAAF Best Bets, Picks & Predictions for Saturday Afternoon’s Week 1 Games.
Johnny Manziel's College Football Week 1 Picks
| Game | Time (ET) | Pick |
|---|---|---|
  | 12 p.m. | |
  | 3:30 p.m. | |
  | 7:30 p.m. | |
Specific betting recommendations come from the sportsbook offering preferred odds as of writing. Always shop for the best price using our NCAAF Odds page, which automatically surfaces the best lines for every game. | ||
Johnny Manziel's Week 1 College GameDay Picks
- LSU
- FSU
- Boise State
- Virginia Tech
- Oklahoma State
- Northwestern
- Penn State
- Miami
- Georgia
- Texas A&M
Johnny Manziel's Clemson vs. Georgia Week 1 Pick, Prediction
| Clemson Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+10.5 -104 | 49.5 -104o / -118u | +375 |
| Georgia Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-10.5 -118 | 49.5 -104o / -118u | -500 |
Manziel: I really like Georgia in this game. From the offensive line to quarterback and really, just an all-around team standpoint, they're ready for this game.
I really, really do like Clemson throughout the year, especially in conference play. But this game, I think, is just going to be too much Dawgs, too much Georgia. I think it's going to be a physical kind of game, and in the grand scheme of things, Georgia is going to do what they do best: run the ball, use really good play-action and really come out and pound it down the field.
PICK: Georgia to cover
Johnny Manziel's Akron vs. Ohio State Week 1 Pick, Prediction
| Akron Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+48.5 -110 | 57.5 -105o / -115u | |
| Ohio State Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-48.5 -110 | 57.5 -105o / -115u | |
Manziel: Stuckey asked how you prepare as a player at a bigger school when you face a smaller-name opponent in a situation like this, and it's a good question. I think really on early in the season, this is an internal type of thing that you're dealing with here. You're trying to make sure you're right. You want to make sure, you know, all those practice routes and everything you've been doing through training camp, through spring ball, it's all working. This is your first chance to go against somebody else that isn't your practice squad.
So, it's really more of an internal thing that you're dealing with, trying to make sure you and your guys are on the same page going against real competition, no matter the level of competition. These early games, we didn't have much of a script of how much we were going to play or anything like that. So what I'm looking for in this game, truly, is to see how a new quarterback coming in at Ohio State is going to mesh with his guys, how this offense runs. New offensive coordinator, obviously, it's your first time to get out on the field and get a chance to see the cohesiveness of your offense, your defense, your special teams, how that all really is going against the live opponent.
That said, I think I would go ahead and take the points there. You know, it's one of those games that has to be played almost so perfectly to hit that huge spread number.
PICK: Akron to cover
Johnny Manziel's Notre Dame vs. Texas A&M Week 1 Pick, Prediction
| Notre Dame Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+2.5 +100 | 47.5 -115o / -105u | +126 |
| Texas A&M Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-2.5 -122 | 47.5 -115o / -105u | -152 |
Manziel: Another question Stuckey asked was what I thought it would be like as a QB to go up against your former defensive coordinator, and who has the advantage in that situation — the QB or the coach. That's of course the case here, with Riley Leonard and Mike Elko.
I think it's the coach in this setting, just simply because there are new wrinkles that can be added as a coach that the QB won't know about until you get on a field. This is also a different group of talent that Elko has here at A&M compared to what he had at Duke. I think it obviously does still add a familiarity aspect for the QB going into this, going into a game where he has lined up against these fronts, seen these coverages. But there's always plenty of things, especially on the defensive side of ball, of the ball, that you can, you know, throw in there that really, you know, looks, disguises coverage, things that he may never have seen before.
I do like the Aggies here, though — a rowdy home crowd here at Kyle Field gives them a good opportunity to have some home field advantage. I really like our defensive front at Texas A&M and, on the offensive side of the ball, this is a Conner Weigman, bounce-back game after being injured last year. I think it'll be a close game, but I think A&M ends up pulling away from it, you know, just a little bit late and winning by score.
PICK: Texas A&M to cover
