Opening weekend of college lacrosse is here and I have best bets for five of the games this weekend. Let’s take a look at which totals, underdogs and favorite I’m betting to start the college lacrosse season!
Note: The odds presented below are those at the time when Hutton sends his picks out to DubClub subscribers and are subject to change. Subscribe to Hutton Jackson’s lacrosse picks on DubClub so you never miss out on the best odds for these picks. As soon as Hutton places a bet, you’ll immediately get a notification with both the pick and brief analysis. Picks are sent out at least 20 minutes in advance of articles published on Bet On Lacrosse.
Navy at High Point
 Navy Moneyline/Spread | -120 / -1.5 |
 High Point Moneyline/Spread | +100 / +1.5 |
| Total | 23.5 |
| Time | Saturday · 12 p.m. ET |
| TV | ESPN+ |
Odds via BetMGM
Only five of Navy’s 16 games last year went over 23.5—the total for their season opener against High Point—and the Midshipmen saw a large amount of offensive production depart via graduation. Navy’s starting goalie Dan Daly is solid and posted a .53.5% save percentage last season. I trust the Navy defense to disrupt High Point and keep this game low-scoring.
As for the Panthers, first-time head coach John Crawley has taken over and will be tasked with helming an offense that lost its top-four goal scores in Jack Vanoverbeke, Brayden Mayea, Jack Sawyer and Nick Rizzo. I also expect High Point to play at a much slower pace this season. Johns Hopkins ranked fifth-slowest in pace last season with Crowley as their offensive coordinator and High Point should play a similar style.
Bet this game to stay under the total of 23.5 at -115 on BetMGM.
Pick: Under 23.5
Richmond at Maryland
 Richmond Moneyline/Spread | +520 / +5 |
 Maryland Moneyline/Spread | -850 / -5 |
| Total | 22.5 |
| Time | Saturday · 12 p.m. ET |
| TV | Big Ten+ |
Odds via DraftKings
Richmond travels to College Park to face a Maryland team they lost to last season by just one goal in double overtime. This year, the spread isn’t far from what it was in 2024 and I think five points is too much for Maryland to have to lay against another Top 20 team. Another thing to note from last season’s matchup was that Richmond’s All-American goaltender Zach Vigue didn’t even play in the Maryland game and the Spiders still only lost by a goal. While the Spiders lost some key offensive players, their strength lies in their defense, which was the most efficient behind only Notre Dame last year.
As for Maryland, they’ll be dealing with some turnover on offense themselves and it could take some time for this offense to find its stride early on similar to last season. Ultimately, this is just too many points for a team with upset potential. Bet Richmond +5 at -115 on DraftKings.
Pick: Richmond +5
Utah at Ohio State
 Utah Moneyline/Spread | +310 / +3.5 |
 Ohio State Moneyline/Spread | -400 / -3.5 |
| Total | 23.5 |
| Time | Saturday · 12 p.m. ET |
| TV | Big Ten+ |
Odds via BetMGM
Utah and Ohio State meet to open the season again and I’m expecting another lower-scoring game. The Buckeyes ranked ninth in defensive efficiency last year and their close defense headlined by Bobby Van Buren should thrive again regardless of which of their equally capable goaltenders Caleb Fyock or Henry Blake starts. While I expect the Ohio State offense to better, I think they could have a tough time against a Utah defense that was 22nd in adjusted defensive efficiency and is returning 80.7% of their defensive production according to Lacrosse Reference
On the flip side, While Utah’s leading scorer Ryan Stines returns, he’ll be without the Utes’ other three top goal scorers Tyler Bradbury, Jordan Hyde and Jared Andreala. Last year this game only saw 19 goals scored between these two teams and I’m expecting a similar total this year. Bet this game to stay under 23.5 at -110 on BetMGM.
Pick: Under 23.5
Colgate at Penn State
 Colgate Moneyline/Spread | +400 / +4.5 |
 Penn State Moneyline/Spread | -550 / -4.5 |
| Total | 25.5 |
| Time | Saturday · 1 p.m. ET |
| TV | Big Ten+ |
Odds via BetMGM
I already gave this pick out to DubClub subscribers and discussed it in some detail on the Bet On Lacrosse Podcast, but I’m very surprised to see Colgate be a 4.5-point underdog against a Penn State team they beat a year prior. You could claim the Raiders had everything go right for them in their 13-12 win last year—the normally strong Penn State netminder Jack Fracyon only stopped 35% of the shots he saw.
Still, the majority of the roster that Colgate had last year is returning, while Penn State lost several starters, including recent PLL Rookie of the Year TJ Malone, to graduation. I expect this to be another close game and would not be surprised to see Colgate prevail again. Bet Colgate +4.5 at -115 and also bet 0.25 unit on their moneyline odds of +400 on BetMGM.
Picks: Colgate +4.5, Colgate ML (0.25 unit)
VMI at St. Bonaventure
 VMI Moneyline/Spread | -145 / -1.5 |
 St. Bonaventure Moneyline/Spread | +120 / +1.5 |
| Total | 22.5 |
| Time | Sunday · 11 a.m. ET |
| TV | GoBonnies.com |
Odds via DraftKings
My favorite bet of the weekend is on the lone Sunday game. Last year, VMI destroyed St. Bonaventure, 17-9, and nothing about this year’s matchup suggests the result should be much different. VMI’s top five goal scorers all return, including star attackman Luke Rusterucci, who recorded 68 points last year. His 4.53 points per game was good enough for 15th overall in all of Division I and he and Charles Hunt combined for 12 points against the Bonnies last year.
VMI faceoff specialist Jack Rogers also returns and he was monumental in last year’s victory, winning 70% of his faceoffs and allowing VMI to build and maintain a lead. This spread of 1.5 is far too few points for the favored Keydets. Bet two units on VMI -1.5 at +105 on DraftKings to cap of the opening weekend in college lacrosse.
Pick: VMI -1.5 (2 units)
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