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Opening College Football Week 0 Odds, Lines, Spreads & Predictions

John Perrotto

by John Perrotto in College Football

Aug 7, 2023 · 10:30 AM PDT

Notre Dame quarterback Sam Hartman warms up
Notre Dame quarterback Sam Hartman (10) warms up during the Notre Dame Blue-Gold Spring Football game on Saturday, April 22, 2023, at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend. Nd Football Blue Gold Game
  • The college football season starts Aug. 26 when Notre Dame and Navy play in Dublin, Ireland
  • Seven games involving two FBS schools are on the schedule that day
  • A look at the Week 0 opening odds and spreads can be found below with analysis

College football season is fast approaching.

There will be seven games involving two FBS schools on Aug. 26 to start the season. Just two of those games will involve Power Five programs as Notre Dame goes across the Atlantic Ocean to face Navy in Dublin, Ireland while USC and reigning Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams hosts San Jose State.

The Fighting Irish are 20-point favorites over the Midshipmen and the Trojans are 28.5-point picks over the Spartans in the college football odds.

College Football Week 0 Opening Odds

Game Time (Eastern) Team Spread Moneyline
Saturday, Aug. 26 Navy +20 +800
2:30 p.m. Notre Dame -20 -1300
Game Time (Eastern) Team Spread Moneyline
Saturday, Aug. 26 UTEP Pk (-110) -110
5:30 p.m. Jacksonville State Pk (-110) -110
Game Time (Eastern) Team Spread Moneyline
Saturday, Aug. 26 Massachusetts +8 (-110) +260
7 p.m. New Mexico State -8 (-110) -325
Game Time (Eastern) Team Spread Moneyline
Saturday, Aug. 26 Ohio +3.5 (-110) +140
7 p.m. San Diego State -3.5 (-110) -166
Game Time (Eastern) Team Spread Moneyline
Saturday, Aug. 26 Hawaii +18.5 (-110) +675
7:30 p.m. Vanderbilt -18.5 (-110) -1050
Game Time (Eastern) Team Spread Moneyline
Saturday, Aug. 26 San Jose State +30.5 (-110) +2500
8 p.m. USC -30.5 (-110) -6000
Game Time (Eastern) Team Spread Moneyline
Saturday, Aug. 26 FIU +10 (-110) +285
9 p.m. Louisiana Tech -10 (-110) -360

Odds as of August 7th at DraftKings Sportsbook. Grab the DraftKings promo code to bet on college football Week 0.

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Irish, Fittingly, Head to Ireland

Notre Dame starts off its second season under coach Marcus Freeman. The Fighting Irish hope to smooth out some of the bumps from last year in a 9-4 season that included losses to Marshall and Stanford.

Wake Forest transfer Sam Hartman takes over at quarterback and should give the offense a significant boost. He is the ACC’s all-time leader in passing yards and touchdown passes. However, offensive coordinator Tommy Rees left for the same job at Alabama at the end of last season and Freeman promoted tight ends coach Gerard Parker to OC.

Navy has 17 starters back from a 4-8 team, but Ken Niumatalolo was fired as coach after 15 seasons and replaced by defensive coordinator Brian Newberry. Niumatalolo was also the Midshipmen’s OC for five seasons.

Long a run-heavy option team, Navy is switching to a spread-option under new offensive coordinator Grant Chesnut, who comes from Kennesaw State. Xavier Arline and Tai Lavatai both saw action at quarterback last season and are vying for the starting job.

Notre Dame has a big edge at QB with Hartman and that makes them the play over Navy, which will be playing its first game in a new offensive system.

Pick: Notre Dame -20 (-110)

Don’t Sleep on New Mexico State

New Mexico State opens its season by hosting Massachusetts and is an eight-point favorite after being one of the biggest surprises in college football in 2022. The Aggies went 7-6 under first-year coach Jerry Kill and beat Bowling Green in the Quick Lane Bowl after winning seven games combined in the previous three full seasons.

Quarterback Diego Pavia is one of nine returning starters on offense. The defense lost five of its six leading tacklers from a year ago, but Nate Dreiling is rapidly building a reputation as one of the top young defensive coordinators in the game.

UMass has gone 3-37 over the last four seasons and was 1-11 last season in Dan Brown’s first year as his second stint as the Minutemen’s coach.

The defense should be solid with eight returning starters. Transfer Taisun Phommachanh takes over at quarterback after failing to live up to his four-star reputation coming of high school during three seasons at Clemson and one season with Georgia Tech.

This line seems light but should be higher up by gameday as the oddsmakers seem to question whether New Mexico State’s breakout season was real.

 

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