College Football Best Bets for Week 0: Picks & Predictions

The last Week 0 is upon us. Beginning in 2027, the college football season will no longer begin with this abridged slate, doing away with chances for teams like North Dakota State, Eastern Michigan and Hawai’i to demand the national spotlight.

These college football best bets for Week 0 indeed focus on the FBS debut for the Bison and the Rainbow Warriors’ chance to snag a mainland upset.

🏈 College football best bets & expert picks: Week 0

See all of our experts' college football picks for Week X based on the latest college football odds.

Total wagered: 4.19 units | Max profit: +5.14 units

North Dakota State -7 (-108)

Chances to beat the market on the North Dakota State Bison will be few. As North Dakota State excels at the FBS level, the market should quickly catch up.

Walloping the Jacksonville State Gamecocks will warrant only so much praise, but it should catch some attention.

As long as this spread clings to a touchdown, do not hesitate. The Bison should be double-digit favorites thanks to having better offensive and defensive line play. A casual fan may be surprised by that declaration as North Dakota State comes up from the FCS level, but a devoted college football fan knows the Bison are already distinctly better than at least half of the FBS level.

Hawai'i Moneyline (+164)

One team returns its quarterback and a head coach who has rebuilt the program with astonishing quickness.

The other has turned to a quarterback who has not seen significant action since minimal duties at Michigan in 2024 and a first-time head coach who knows he has been given a long runway to attempt a rebuild.

While those overarching thoughts extend well beyond this weekend, they also make it clear why the Hawai’i Rainbow Warriors could upset the Stanford Cardinal. The combination of Micah Alejado and Timmy Chang knows what works, while Davis Warren and Tavita Pritchard very much do not.

USC Team Total Over 49.5 (-111)

Lincoln Riley has avoided significant concern over his job status in no small part because he takes control of the narrative when he has the chance to early in the season. USC has gone just 35-18 in four seasons under Riley. There should be some more speculation about the temperature of his seat.

But when playing distinctly inferior competition in August and September, Riley runs up the score, creating a narrative cushion each season, the seat temperature never increasing early enough in the fall to garner genuine conversation.

In nine games against Group of Six opponents or Stanford — sure, let’s knock Stanford some more — Riley has averaged 56.7 points at USC. Remove the Cardinal and that climbs to 59 points per game.

This is less about the San Jose State Spartans returning zero defensive starters and more about Riley pressing the gas when he has the rare chance to.

Jai'Den Thomas 2+ Touchdowns (+165)

If you can find UNLV running back Jai’Den Thomas to score 2+ touchdowns and the price is no lower than +150, take it.

He will be the motor behind UNLV’s offense, and with some uncertainty around quarterbacks Jackson Arnold and Alex Orji, leaning on Thomas where it matters most will make sense against the Memphis Tigers.

Arnold should find his rhythm in Dan Mullen’s offense before too long, but it may not be Saturday night. That will be to Thomas’s benefit.