College Football Week 0 Picks: Three Best Bets for the Weekend

We’ve made it. College football is back… kinda. This weekend, we will have college football on our televisions, albeit a pretty small slate of games. I’ve never understood Week 0, especially in college football.

In a sport that prides itself on history and tradition, moving games to alternate sites has always felt like something the NFL would do, not the NCAA. That being said, it’s a pretty decent slate of games. Last season I finished above .500 on picks, and will hopefully keep that trend going. Here are picks from the three biggest games of the weekend.

UNC vs TCU -8.5 Total: 47.5

Billy Edwards Jr. won the quarterback battle for UNC, and that’s sort of alarming. He was injured and ineffective at Wisconsin, and couldn’t cut it at Maryland. TCU had to find a replacement for Josh Hoover after he transferred to Indiana, and I think they found a pretty fun option. Jaden Craig left Harvard as the leader in passing yards and touchdowns, and I think he can replace most of what they’re losing in Hoover. He’s a dual-threat option who will overpower UNC on the road. Most importantly, UNC might just be a disaster again.

Pick: TCU -8.5
Lean: o47.5

NC State vs Virginia (-4.5) Total: 52.5

Both of these teams are two of my favorites in a weaker ACC. I love CJ Bailey for NC State, and won’t be shocked to see him playing on Sundays next year. For Virginia, I like transfer Beau Pribula a heck of a lot less, but he’s entering a pretty great situation in Charlottesville.

Virginia is one of the most disrespected teams in the country, and I love them at home. Pribula is behind a veteran offensive line, and the defense is returning multiple key pieces as well. Also, as much as I like NC State, they’ve mostly hit their ceiling under head coach Dave Doeren. Until he proves he can get them over the hump, I’m not going to trust them to win a big game. I like Virginia in a bit of a shootout.

Pick: Virginia -4.5 and o52.5

Memphis vs UNLV (-4.5) Total: 56.5

It might sound crazy, but this game absolutely has playoff implications. Ryan Silverfield was somewhat underwhelming at Memphis, so Charles Huff might be a breath of fresh air after a so-so 8-5 finish last year. Dan Mullen was quite fun last year in his first season back as a head coach since 2021, and he’s got a very fun team again this year.

Both of these sides are loaded with names you might remember from their time elsewhere, and they’re also dealing with unsettled quarterback battles. Memphis is deciding between former Ohio State QB Air Noland and D2 transfer Marcus Stokes, who is better known for his off-field controversy. Their battle will end with a game-time decision, while UNLV plans to play both of its quarterbacks in its opener.

I’m leaning toward UNLV at home, but I hate a two-quarterback system, especially when the quarterbacks are so similar. Alex Orji and Jackson Arnold both fizzled out of their Power Four jobs because they were too inconsistent throwing it. They’re both great athletes, so I don’t get the point of playing both in a real game. That being said, I think both teams will lean on the run and keep the clock running and the score lower.

Pick: u56.5
Lean: UNLV -4.5