The first big weekend of college football betting is here and thanks to the College Football Playoff system, national title contenders are lining up marquee matchup right out of the gate to boost their chances of making the cut.

Week 1 is loaded with big-name games and here’s an in-depth look at those ncaa football betting lines and the best ways to bet them:

Washington Huskies vs. Auburn Tigers (-2.5)
These Power 5 members are meeting in Atlanta Georgia, with the Huskies originally opening as a 2.5-point favorites before offseason action pushed this spread over the fence to Auburn -2.5. Washington does bring plenty to the table, including Heisman hopefully Jake Browning and a dynamic scoring attack, but the Huskies are crossing the country and taking on a seasoned SEC school.

Auburn has a pretty solid option at quarter as well, with Jarrett Stidham under center. He’s primed to improve on a 3,000-plus yard campaign in 2017 in which he passed for 18 touchdowns and six interceptions. On the other side of the ball, War Eagles has one of the most stout defenses in the country – notably up front - so this game could be won in the trenches.

Saturday’s total opened at 50.5 and has since dropped to 48.5.

Michigan Wolverines at Notre Dame Fighting Irish (-1)
The Wolverines and Fighting Irish pick their rivalry back up after a brief break in scheduling. The last time these storied programs met, Notre Dame jammed a 31-0 butt-kicking down the throats of the Maize and Blue back in 2014. The pressure is on Jim Harbaugh to erase that embarrassing loss and finally put Michigan back in the nation title conversation.

The Wolverines actually opened as 1.5-point road favorites in South Bend, with much of that opinion based on just how good this defense is. Last season, the Wolverines were among the stingiest units in the country and maintain much of that talent in 2018. And it may finally look like UM has a proven passer to lift the offense up, starting Ole Miss transfer Shea Patterson in Week 1.

Notre Dame is no softy on that side of the ball either. The Irish did lose their defensive coordinator but will still owe their identity to the defense. The big knock against Notre Dame may be a depleted rushing attack and a questionable quarterback in Brandon Wimbush, who will likely be on a short leash Saturday.

The Over/Under for this game is set at 46.5 points – the third lowest total of the weekend.

Miami Hurricanes vs. LSU Tigers (+3)
Two great defenses do battle at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas Sunday night. Miami and LSU are built on the backs of their respective stop units, with the Hurricanes boasting an opportunistic group that were among the best in creating turnovers in 2017. Louisiana State invested heavily in its defense, backing up the Brinks truck for defensive coordinator Dave Aranda, and has superstars in defensive back Greedy Williams and linebacker Devin White.

It’s on offense where Louisiana State could come up short. The Tigers head into another season without a stud quarterback at the helm – going with Ohio State transfer Joe Burrow - and for the first time in a long time, don’t have a bell cow back in the running game. Miami at least knows what it’s getting with QB Malik Rosier, who will be the starter for Week 1 but can’t afford to fall off like he did at the end of last season. There’s no excuse for Rosier - not with the group of talent targets the Canes have walking to the line each snap.

The total for Sunday’s game is set at 46.5 points.