All this week, we at the Action Network have been thinking about two of the most beautiful words in the English language: “We're back.”
That's right: play that Sam Ehlinger clip, grab your beverage of choice, and pull out your phone: for the first time since early January, you can place real, meaningful college football bets.
Our staff has gone all out to celebrate the return of our beautiful sport, and our college football writers have come up with six of the best bets for Saturday’s Week 0 seven games.
So, check your notes, whether you want to bet on the beautiful college football tradition in Dublin, Ireland or you're ready to sweat it out in the Hawaiian Islands, we've got you covered.
Check out all six of the best college football bets for Week 0 on Saturday, August 24 below.
Best College Football Bets
The team logos in the table below represent each matchup that our college football betting staff will be targeting starting with Saturday's Week 0 game: Clicking on the team logo for any matchup below will take you to the specific bet discussed in this article.
Florida State vs Georgia Tech is your best bet
Patrick Strollo
Georgia Tech has quietly reinvented itself as one of the ACC's most talented offenses just a few years after retiring from a lethargic option-based attack. The Yellow Jackets finished the 2023 season ranked fourth in scoring offense with an average of 31.1 points.
Georgia Tech returns nine starters on offense this season and will look to pick up where they left off.
Starting quarterback Haynes King should continue to improve after an outstanding first season with the Yellow Jackets. The 2023 Texas A&M product passed for 2,842 yards and 27 touchdowns while also rushing for 737 yards and 10 touchdowns.
King and Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels were the only two Power Five players in 2023 with at least 2,800 passing yards, 25 touchdown passes, 700 rushing yards and 10 rushing touchdowns.
Defense was a sore spot for the Yellow Jackets last year, as they allowed just 29.5 points per game and finished 13th in the ACC in scoring defense.
To address those shortcomings, the team added new defensive coordinator Tyler Santucci. Run defense is where the Jackets have struggled most and will be a key focus for Santucci. With nine transfers and five returning starters, the defense should be better, but not at an elite level.
Florida State comes into this season as a very talented team, but with a lot of new faces to factor into the team, and the Seminoles will likely experience some growing pains as their incoming players are only returning 56% of last season's production, according to SP+.
Florida State quarterback DJ Uiagalelei was inconsistent during the spring and will likely continue that way through the first few games of the season, making it a favorable matchup for Georgia Tech, which finished middle of the pack in the ACC's pass defense last year.
I’m backing Georgia Tech at +10.5 and looking for their burgeoning quarterback King to bring the offensive firepower to keep this game close.
Georgia Tech's new defense should have fewer gaps than last year, which is good news considering Florida State will likely rely on a more run-heavy gameplan. I recommend backing Georgia Tech with a hard stop at +10.
Pick: Georgia Tech +10.5 (play to +10)
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Florida State vs Georgia Tech is your best bet
By Thomas Schlarb
Florida State won't have to wait long to play its first game of the season looking to avenge last season's College Football Playoff loss.
The offense will be significantly improved from when it finished the season without Jordan Travis, but it may take some time for them to get back on track.
Quarterback DJ Uiagalelei, a transfer from Oregon State, returns to the ACC after finding his groove with the Beavers, but this will be his first official game with his third offense.
The Seminoles will be without offensive coordinator Alex Atkins for the first three games of the year, so expect Florida State to place a bit more emphasis on the ground game to get the clock moving.
Meanwhile, Georgia Tech quarterback Haynes King led the ACC in touchdowns last year, but he'll be facing one of the best Seminoles secondary in the country.
The Yellow Jackets also welcome new defensive coordinator Tyler Santucci back from Duke, who spent a full offseason preparing for the Blue Devils' opener last year, when he held Clemson to a season-low seven points.
The first game of the season usually comes with a bit of tension and nerves, plus an overseas tour means both teams may get off to a slow start. Things are likely to turn around in the second half, so it will be a game of first half totals.
Pick: 1H Under 27.5 (play until 27)
McNeese State vs Tarleton State is your best bet
Joshua Nunn
McNeese University will kick off the FCS college football season with a matchup against Tarleton State University, broadcast live on ESPN2 at 3:30 PM ET, that should provide viewers with plenty of offensive power to show off.
Tarleton returns 10 starters from an offense that averaged 42 points at home last year, and in fact, the Texans racked up 52 points and 554 yards of offense against the Cowboys last season.
Tarleton's offense should have a big win against a McNeese defense that allowed 418 yards per game last season and 41 points per game on the road.
The Cowboys only have four starters returning, so it's hard to expect any big improvements early in the season, but there's a chance the team will come together and perform better in the second half of the season.
Meanwhile, McNeese will be using former Montana quarterback Clifton McDowell, a talented dual-threat playmaker who should find great success in head coach Gary Goff's dynamic offense.
Prior to arriving at McNeese University, Goff's offenses enjoyed great success at the Division II level, leading the entire Division II rushing ranks at Valdosta State (527 yards per game) and during his time at Tiffin University.
The addition of a two-way player like McDowell is big for this offense and should unlock a lot of what offensive coordinator Adam Neugebauer has designed for this team. The backfield is solidified with the return of both experienced running backs, plus the addition of Miami transfer Trevonte Citizen. Additionally, the Pockets return their four top wide receivers from last season.
I believe they will be successful offensively in this matchup.
Tarleton State is the better team and should win by a few points, but I expect it to be an up-and-down game with explosive plays from both teams and minimal defensive resistance.
The weather forecast for Saturday afternoon is 90 degrees, light winds and no precipitation, so unlike the other games in Week 0, the weather shouldn't be a hindrance to scoring in this matchup.
We are confident that we can pick up plenty of points and are looking forward to an exciting start to the season.
Pick: 60.5 or over (play to 63)
Mark Harris
The third game on Saturday will be in Reno, with the Nevada Wolfpack taking on the SMU Mustangs on CBS Sports Network. BetMGM has the Mustangs as 24.5-point (-105) favorites, and those odds seem reasonable.
I think SMU is in a good position to cover that big spread.
Starting quarterback Preston Stone returns to the Mustangs after throwing for 3,197 yards and 28 touchdowns last year and will look to repeat his success this year in his third year under coach Rhett Lashlee.
SMU has had a great offensive run in 2023, scoring 38.7 points per game, and dominating a lot of teams with seven of their 11 wins coming by 20 or more points. This matchup against Nevada is a great opportunity for the Mustangs to put up a lot of scoring against a below-average team.
Nevada was awful last year, finishing the season 2-10. With the Wolfpack losing badly at almost every game and not getting many upgrades in the transfer portal, Nevada could be in a tough spot.
New head coach Jeff Choate seems like a good hire, but it remains to be seen how much of an impact he will have in the season opener.
I expect SMU to beat a weaker team again and the Mustangs to cover -24.5.
Pick: SMU -24.5 (played to -26)
Mike Calabrese
Rhett Lashlee is the type of coach who sees it all the way through, so let's take a look back at his first two seasons on the Hilltop.
In his first year, his Ponies scored 40 or more points in six games. This was while Tanner Mordecai was the QB1, leaving questions about the offense's caliber with a new quarterback at the helm. The Mustangs also lost Russie Rice to the NFL and were expected to take a step back offensively.
In their second year, they found a way to clear the 40-point barrier five times.
All offseason, SMU has been the subject of scorn from conference realignment commentators, who say the school paid its way into a Power Four conference, which is true, but belittles its performance over the past two seasons.
SMU might have been viewed as a better NY6 option than Liberty if quarterback Preston Stone hadn't suffered a foot injury late in the season.
This will be the Mustangs' first game as a member of the ACC, and Lashley won't waste the opportunity to make a statement in a solo game. His offense will be putting on a show.
In addition to Stone's return, the Ponies return six of their top seven wide receivers, who collectively filled in for Rice last season, and none of the receivers received more than a 13% target share last fall, according to Joe DiSalvo of the CFF site.
RJ Maryland also returns and is a great tight end, and the Mustangs have some depth in the backfield as well.
The question mark here is the offensive line, but Nevada didn't generate a pass rush last season (124 sacks) and doesn't have the edge talent to threaten Stone on Saturday night.
Excluding the loss at Oklahoma, the Ponies averaged 44.6 points per game last year with Stone as their QB1. They ranked in the top 15 in plays per game last season, and even if Stone plays the first half and Kevin Jennings the second, they will likely step up the tempo and score early and often. I predict they will post a 50-point burger in the future.
Pick: SMU team total over 40.5 (played to 42)
Delaware vs. Hawaii is the best bet
John Feltman
Find a better way to start the college football season than by betting on the island.
The Hawaii Rainbow Warriors will host the FCS Delaware State Hornets, who are already facing travel issues before kickoff.
The Hornets are coming off a terrible season in which they won just one game, a win over Division II University of Virginia at Lynchburg in 2023.
Their defense has returned some production, but they were 120th out of 122 in passing efficiency at the FCS level last season, and there's no reason to believe this Hornets' depth is capable of slowing down Timmy Chung's run-and-shoot attack.
Braden Shager returned as the Bows' quarterback and showed signs of improvement a year ago, and Hawaii finished the season winning three of its final four games thanks to Shager's stellar performance.
Some reports have suggested that Chang may play mediocre in the second half if the Bows hold a big lead going into next week's matchup against UCLA, but Hawaii's mediocre offense will be more than enough to take advantage of Delaware State's weak defense.
Even if the Warriors ease up late in the game, it will give the Hornets' offense some opportunities to score in garbage time.
Delaware State may be one of the worst FCS teams in the country, but I believe their returning experience on offense could help them find success during games.
Pick: 56.5 or higher (-115 to play to 57)
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