In Week 1 of the 2025 college football season, the SEC will take part in some truly massive games. We’ll get a game in Tallahassee between a team that probably should have made the College Football Playoff 2 years ago and the team that took their spot. Up north, we’ll get a battle between the preseason No. 1 and No. 3 teams in the AP poll. And, in Death Valley (the real one or the copy?), we’ll get another top-10 battle involving an SEC contender.
Every week is a big one in the SEC, but the matchups on the docket for college football’s opening weekend are just outstanding. So, we’ve put together a player to target on the DFS scene from each of the 3 biggest games from the weekend.
Week 1 DFS predictions
Below are 3 DFS picks from the Week 1 college football slate that can all be found on Underdog Fantasy. If you’re new to Underdog, grab Saturday Down South‘s exclusive Underdog Fantasy promo code that will help you earn up to $1,000 in bonus cash when you sign up!
Florida State QB Tommy Castellanos higher than 0.5 interceptions
Over his final 5 games with Boston College before being benched, Tommy Castellanos had 3 interceptions, took 14 sacks, and averaged an 18.0 QBR. His 38.3 Total QBR for the season was among the 25 worst seasons by a qualified ACC quarterback in the last 20 years. Then he told the Alabama defense this offseason that Nick Saban wasn’t around to “save them.” Poking one of the best secondaries in the country seems like a sub-optimal strategy.
Especially when you consider that Castellanos has been loosey-goosey with the football throughout his career. With Boston College in 2023, Castellanos had 14 picks and 22 turnover-worthy plays. According to PFF, he had a turnover-worthy play rate of 5.2% — one of the highest rates in the country for a passer with at least 300 dropbacks. Last fall, he cut his interceptions from 14 to 5 and he cut his TWP rate down to 3.4%, but he had almost 200 fewer dropbacks. Florida State is hoping to rely on him this season. The receivers are all new. The offensive line is all new. And everyone is learning from a new offensive coordinator. I don’t like that composition in Week 1, particularly against a defense as sound as Alabama’s.
LSU RB Caden Durham higher than 18.5 receiving yards
Particularly late in the season, tailbacks catching passes out of the backfield became a bugaboo for the Clemson defense. The Tigers had a hard time containing running backs all year, but once Pitt’s Desmond Reid went off, more teams looked to that option as a way to generate an extra splash play here and there.
Reid caught 10 passes for 108 yards against Clemson. Then South Carolina bruiser Rocket Sanders caught 3 for 48 yards. SMU’s Brashard Smith had 6 catches for 34 yards in the ACC title game. Then Texas tailback Jaydon Blue caught 2 for 31 in the College Football Playoff first round.
Durham flashed upside as a receiving threat out of the backfield for LSU last fall, when he caught 28 passes for 260 yards. He had 89 yards receiving against South Alabama early in the season, then 56 against Texas A&M and 32 against Oklahoma. With Clemson’s collection of stars on the defensive line and LSU replacing 3 starters on its offensive line — including both tackles — some early heat for LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier seems likely. Durham can hit this receiving total with 1 well-timed screen play against a defense with questionable team speed throughout the unit.
Ohio State TE Max Klare higher than 3.5 receptions
The quarterback on the other side of this matchup is getting all the attention for his unofficial debut, so it’s easy to forget Ohio State will have a quarterback making his first career start as well. Julian Sayin takes over from Will Howard after a redshirt year to sit and learn. He has one of the most advantageous jobs in the country this fall — just throw the ball somewhere close to Jeremiah Smith or Carnell Tate — but he’ll still need some help in the opener. That’s where I think Max Klare, the transfer from Purdue, comes into play early.
Texas has some questions in its secondary following the departure of Jahdae Barron to the NFL. The Longhorns have strong safeties and they return a pair of experienced corners, but neither Jaylon Guilbeau nor Malik Muhammad had particularly strong seasons last fall. Muhammad gave up almost 14 yards a reception and Guilbeau gave up receptions nearly 3-quarters of the time he was targeted. As Texas constructs a plan to slow down Smith, I expect to see a ton of variance. Texas won’t be able to guard Smith 1-on-1, and it won’t be able to stick to a static coverage plan. Coverages will be mixed, doubles will be sent, attention will be paid. Smith’s orbit is massive. And that will free up space for Klare underneath.
At Purdue last year, Klare was targeted at least 5 times in 9 of his 12 appearances, and he made at least 5 receptions in 6 games. Among FBS tight ends with at least 50 targets, his 2.2 yards per route run ranked as the seventh-most. He can line up all over the formation, giving Ohio State the ability to try and hunt matchups, and his experience should help the young Buckeye quarterback when it comes to finding soft spots in coverages and sitting down. I like him as an outlet for Sayin in a pinch or as a featured option for the Buckeyes as a counter to whatever Texas is sending at Smith. Klare was one of the most sought-after transfer players of the offseason. He’s going to find life next to Smith quite enjoyable this season. I think that shows itself right away.
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
