When Notre Dame and Navy take the field in Ireland this weekend, the 2023 college football season will officially be underway! With games on Saturday this week, bettors can look forward to a weekend full of college football picks and parlays.
Only two ranked teams are playing and spreads range from 1.5 to 31 points (at DraftKings). Most games will likely not be too competitive, but they do not need to be for you to bet on them and win.
Here are a few of our favorite college football Week 0 picks and parlays for this weekend’s slate of college football games.
College Football Odds and Picks
UTEP (5-7 SU, 5-7 ATS) vs. Jacksonville State (9-2 SU, 7-3 ATS): Moneyline, Point Spread, and Total
Jacksonville State had one of the best run games at the FCS level last season, gaining over 250 YPG. But they were playing an FCS schedule. With a veteran offensive line coming back, a solid corps of running backs, and a talented quarterback in Zion Webb, the run game should still be potent this season.
But UTEP has a solid defense and will be challenging to run against. However, after losing several pieces of last year’s group, it remains to be seen what the Miners offense will look like. But Gavin Hardison is a solid quarterback, and UTEP may have the best offensive line in the conference.
Our Pick: Beating up on FCS teams does not necessarily equate to wins at the FBS level, but it will in this case. Jacksonville State’s run game will help the Gamecocks get off to a solid start and eventually pull out the win. Take the Gamecocks to win outright .
Hawaii (3-10 SU, 9-4 ATS) vs. Vanderbilt (5-7 SU, 5-7 ATS): Moneyline, Point Spread, and Total
Vanderbilt crushed Hawaii in the season opener last year, 63-10, and it didn’t get much better throughout the season. The Rainbow Warriors had one of the country’s worst scoring offenses (No. 114) and defenses (No. 122).
The Commodores went on to win five games, the most since winning six in 2018 (as many as the team had won the last three years combined). But the offense was unimpressive (No. 88 in scoring with 24.6 PPG), and the defense was one of the worst in the country (No. 124 in scoring with 36 PPG allowed).
Our Pick: Hawaii .
Vanderbilt has some experience coming back on defense and could slow down an improved Hawaii offense. But it will get little help, if any, from the offense. Hawaii has a bad history against Power 5 schools, but this game will be more competitive than expected.
FIU (4-8 SU, 5-7 ATS) vs. Louisiana Tech (3-9 SU, 6-6 ATS): Moneyline, Point Spread, and Total
Florida International got off to a promising start last season, going 4-4 in their first eight games. But then everything fell apart, and the Panthers finished with a 4-8 record. After losing many of the team’s best players to the transfer portal, head coach Mike MacIntyre may struggle to field a competitive team this year.
As for Louisiana Tech, the Bulldogs are coming off a 3-9 season that saw a defense struggle to slow down every team it played. As for the offense, it was not terrible. The passing game was decent and could be even better this season with former Boise State quarterback Hank Bachmeier at the helm.
Our Pick: Over .
Neither team has enough of an advantage over the other to warrant betting on one of them to win. But both offenses can put up some points on the other team’s lackluster defense.
College Football Parlays: Week 0
The advantage is with the house when it comes to parlays, but it is still fun to play a few occasionally as long as you are careful. You are more likely to lose a parlay than win, so do what you can to reduce the risk and increase your chance of winning.
So, keep them short (two or three legs). Let’s take a look at a few college football parlays and same-game parlays (odds via FanDuel):
Parlay No. 1: UTEP-Jacksonville State, Hawaii-Vanderbilt, and FIU-Louisiana Tech
- Jacksonville State +105
- Hawaii +17.5 -115
- FIU-Louisiana Tech Over 57.5 -110
- Parlay Odds: +632
Jacksonville-UTEP will be one of the better games of the weekend. We see the Gamecocks pulling out a win. While Vanderbilt probably will beat Hawaii, don’t count on the Commodores doing so by more than 17.5 points. The Rainbow Warriors will keep the game closer than that.
As for FIU-Louisiana Tech, both teams are lacking in so many ways it is hard to pick a winner. But those deficiencies will leave doors open for the other team to put points on the board, resulting in a relatively high-scoring game.
A $100 wager will result in a $732 payday, your stake plus $632 in winnings.
Parlay No. 2: Navy-Notre Dame and UMass-New Mexico State
- Navy-Notre Dame, Over 48.5 -110
- New Mexico State -7 -110
- Parlay Odds: +264
Notre Dame is a potential CFP team. Navy is transitioning from the Ken Niumatalolo Era to a new one under head coach Brian Newberry. The Fighting Irish could cover the spread. But it’s a big one, so we’re going with the Over for this parlay.
UMass has not won a road game in four years, and there is no reason to think that will change against a decent New Mexico State squad.
A $100 wager will result in a $364 payday, your stake plus $264 in winnings.
Read: Navy vs. Notre Dame odds and predictions | UMass vs. New Mexico State odds and predictions | College Football Championship odds
Parlay No. 3: San Jose State-USC and Ohio-San Diego State
- San Jose State-USC, Over 66.5 -105
- Ohio-San Diego State, Under 48.5 -110
- Parlay Odds: +273
San Jose State’s offense has too much potential to feel good about laying the points, but between the Spartans’ offense and USC, more than 66.5 points will get scored in this game.
The outlook for San Diego State’s offense is awful; there is no reason to think it will be better than it was last season (No. 113 in total offense and No. 107 in scoring), but the defense was solid and should keep the Ohio offense in check.
A $100 wager will result in a $373 payday, your stake plus $273 in winnings.
Read more: San Jose State vs. USC odds and predictions | Ohio vs. San Diego State odds and predictions | Heisman Trophy odds
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