Our expert college football betting staff went all-in to celebrate the return of our beautiful sport, with six college football best bets for Saturday's seven-game Week 0 slate — and as the clock bleeds toward midnight, there's one last NCAAF pick to make before we call it a night.
Hawaii. Delaware State. There's nothing like a midnight ET kickoff out on the island, especially on a day that started with a big-time upset on the Emerald Isle. So without wasting another moment, let's get to our last best bet of the evening, featuring our Hawaii vs Delaware State best bet to cap Week 0 of college football.
Hawaii vs Delaware State Best Bet, Pick: Over 53.5 (Bet to 56.5)
| Game | Time (ET) | Pick |
|---|---|---|
  | 11:59 p.m. | |
  | 12 p.m. | |
| 12 p.m. | |
  | 3:30 p.m. | |
  | 8 p.m. | |
| 8 p.m. | |
Specific betting recommendations come from the sportsbook offering preferred odds as of writing. Always shop for the best price using our NCAAF Odds page, which automatically surfaces the best lines for every game. | ||
| Delaware St Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+39.5 -110 | 53.5 -115o / -105u | +2400 |
| Hawaii Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-39.5 -110 | 53.5 -115o / -105u | -10000 |
Hawaii vs Delaware State Best Bet
By John Feltman
I challenge you to find a better way to kick off the college football season other than betting an over on the island.
The Hawaii Rainbow Warriors host FCS Delaware State Hornets, who are already having travel issues before kickoff.
The Hornets are coming off a horrific season, winning only one game in 2023: a victory over Division II Virginia University of Lynchburg.
Their defense returns some production, but they ranked 120th out of 122nd in passing efficiency at the FCS level last season. There's no reason to believe this Hornets roster has the chops to slow down Timmy Chang’s Run-and-Shoot offense.
Brayden Schager returns at quarterback for the Bows, and he showed signs of progression a year ago. Hawaii finished the season winning three of its last four games, and it was thanks to great production by Schager.
There are reports that Chang may go vanilla in the second half if the Bows have a big lead with UCLA on deck next week. But a vanilla Hawaii offense is more than enough to take advantage of a weak Delaware State defense.
Even if the Warriors let up late in the game, that will give the Hornets offense an opportunity to put up some garbage time points.
Delaware State might be one of the worst FCS teams in the country, but the returning experience on offense makes me believe it might be able to find success at some point during the game.
Hawaii vs Delaware State Pick: Over 53.5 | Bet to 56.5
Florida State vs. Georgia Tech College Football Best Bet
Just a handful of years after divesting from the lethargic option-based offense, Georgia Tech has quietly reinvented itself as one of the more competent offenses in the ACC. The Yellow Jackets finished the 2023 campaign ranked fourth in scoring offense, averaging 31.1 points per game.
This season, Georgia Tech looks to pick up where it left off after returning nine starters on offense.
Starting quarterback Haynes King should continue to improve after an impressive first season with the Yellow Jackets. In 2023, the former Texas A&M product threw for 2,842 yards and 27 touchdowns while adding 737 yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground.
King and Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels were the only two Power 5 players with at least 2,800 passing yards, 25 touchdown passes, 700 rushing yards and 10 touchdown runs in 2023.
Defense was a sore spot for the Yellow Jackets last year. They finished the season ranked 13th in the ACC in scoring defense, giving up 29.5 points per game.
To address the deficiencies, they added new defensive coordinator Tyler Santucci. Defending the run is where the Jackets struggled the most and will be a point of emphasis for Santucci. After bringing in nine transfers and returning five starters, the defensive unit should be improved but not elite.
Florida State enters the season as a very talented squad but has a lot of new faces to integrate into its scheme. The Seminoles will likely have some growing pains with their matriculated talent, as they return only 56% of last season’s production, per SP+.
Florida State quarterback DJ Uiagalelei struggled with consistency during spring ball, and that will likely continue into the first couple of games this season. This presents a favorable matchup for a Georgia Tech that finished in the middle of the pack in pass defense in the ACC last year.
I like backing Georgia Tech at +10.5 and expect an ascending quarterback in King to generate enough offensive gusto to keep this game close.
A new-look Georgia Tech defensive front should be less porous than last year, which is good news considering Florida State will likely resort to a more run-heavy game plan. I recommend backing Georgia Tech with a hard stop at +10.
Pick: Georgia Tech +10.5 (Play to +10)
Florida State vs. Georgia Tech College Football Best Bet
Florida State doesn’t have to wait long to avenge its College Football Playoff snub from a season ago, playing in the first game of the season.
The offense will be much improved from the one that finished the year sans Jordan Travis, but it may be a little slow to find its groove.
Oregon State transfer quarterback DJ Uiagalelei returns to the ACC after a bit of a return to form with the Beavers, but this will be his first official game in what is now his third offense.
The Seminoles will also be without offensive coordinator Alex Atkins for the first three games of the year, so I expect Florida State to lean slightly more on the ground game to keep the clock moving.
On the other side, Georgia Tech quarterback Haynes King led the ACC in touchdowns a year ago, but he’ll be facing a Seminoles secondary that's one of the best in the country.
The Yellow Jackets also welcome new defensive coordinator Tyler Santucci from Duke, which held Clemson to a season-low seven points last year when he had a full offseason to prep for the Blue Devils’ first game.
There’s usually a bit of rust and jitters in the first game of the season, and combined with international travel, both teams could be slow to get out of the gates. Things will likely open up in the second half, so the first-half total is the play to make.
Pick: 1H Under 27.5 (Play to 27)
McNeese State vs. Tarleton State College Football Best Bet
By Joshua Nunn
McNeese takes on Tarleton State at 3:30 p.m. ET live on ESPN2 to open the FCS college football season in a game that's sure to provide plenty of offensive firepower for those tuning in.
Tarleton returns 10 starters from an offense that averaged 42 points per game at home last year. In fact, the Texans racked up 52 points and 554 yards of offense in their matchup with the Cowboys last season.
The Tarleton offense should feast against a McNeese defense that gave up 418 yards per game last season and surrendered 41 points per game on the road.
The Cowboys return only four starters, and I don't expect much improvement from them early on — although they could gel and put up better numbers later in the year.
On the other side, McNeese turns to former Montana quarterback Clifton McDowell, a talented dual-threat signal-caller who should find plenty of success in head coach Gary Goff’s dynamic offense.
Before arriving at McNeese, Goff’s offenses experienced tremendous success at the Division II level, leading all of D-II while at Valdosta State (527 YPG) and Tiffin.
The addition of a dual-threat like McDowell is huge for this offense and should unlock a lot of what offensive coordinator Adam Neugebauer has designed for this group. And with both experienced running backs returning, plus the addition of Miami transfer TreVonte' Citizen, the backfield is loaded. Plus, the Pokes bring back four of their top wide receivers from a season ago.
I fully expect them to find success offensively in this matchup.
Tarleton State is the better team and should win by a couple of scores, but I look for an up-and-down game with big-time explosive plays and minimal defensive resistance on both sides.
The weather forecast for Saturday afternoon is 90 degrees with a mild breeze and no precipitation, so weather shouldn't impede the scoring in this matchup like it could for other Week 0 games.
I fully expect points aplenty and look forward to an exciting game to open the season.
Pick: Over 60.5 (Play to 63)
SMU vs. Nevada College Football Best Bet
By Mark Harris
Saturday's third game of the day takes us to Reno, where the Nevada Wolf Pack host the SMU Mustangs on CBS Sports Network. The Mustangs are favored by 24.5 points (-105) at BetMGM, and that line seems fair.
I think SMU is well-positioned to cover that large spread.
Starting quarterback Preston Stone is back with the Mustangs after throwing for 3,197 yards and 28 touchdowns last year, and he should be well-suited to succeed again in his third year under head coach Rhett Lashlee.
SMU was great on offense in 2023, scoring 38.7 points per game. It also blew a ton of teams out, with seven of its 11 wins coming by at least 20 points. This matchup against Nevada is the perfect opportunity for the Mustangs to score in bunches against a below-average team.
Nevada was horrible last year and finished the season 2-10. The Wolf Pack were blown out in almost every loss, and the transfer portal didn't bring many upgrades, so Nevada could be in a rough position.
New head coach Jeff Choate seems like a good hire, but I don’t know how impactful he’ll be in the season opener.
Expect SMU to beat up on a bad team again and take the Mustangs to cover -24.5.
Pick: SMU -24.5 (Play to -26)
SMU vs. Nevada Best Bet
Rhett Lashlee is a run-it-up kind of coach. Let’s examine his first two seasons on the Hilltop.
In Year 1, his Ponies scored 40 or more points in six games. That was with Tanner Mordecai as his QB1, so there were questions about the offense with a new quarterback running the show. The Mustangs also lost Rashee Rice to the NFL, and the expectation was that they’d take a step back on that side of the ball.
Well, in Year 2, they still found a way to clear the 40-point bar on five separate occasions.
All offseason, SMU has been a throwaway joke for commentators on conference realignment. SMU paid its way into a Power Four conference, and while this is true, it’s disrespectful to how good it's been in the past two seasons.
Had it not been for a late-season leg injury to quarterback Preston Stone, SMU very well may have viewed as a better NY6 option than Liberty.
This is the Mustangs' first game as an ACC member, and Lashlee isn’t going to waste the opportunity in a standalone game to make a statement. His offense is going to put on a show.
In addition to the return of Stone, six of the Ponies’ top seven wideouts return. They replaced Rice in the aggregate last season. No single receiver received more than a 13% target share last fall, according to Joe DiSalvo of theCFFsite.
RJ Maryland returns as well, and he's a fantastic tight end. The Mustangs also have a deep backfield.
The question mark here is the offensive line, but Nevada couldn’t generate a pass rush last season (124th sacks) and doesn't have the talent off the edge to threaten Stone on Saturday night.
If you take out their loss at Oklahoma, the Ponies averaged 44.6 points per game with Stone as their QB1 last year. They were top-15 in plays per game last season, and whether it’s Stone for a half and Kevin Jennings for a half, they’ll push the tempo and score early and often. I foresee a 50-burger in their future.
Pick: SMU Team Total Over 40.5 (Play to 42)
College Football Odds for Week 0
- Delaware State vs Hawaii: Hawaii -40
- Florida State vs Georgia Tech: Florida State -10.5
- McNeese State vs Tarleton: -17.5
- Montana State vs New Mexico: Montana State -13.5
- North Alabama vs Southeast Missouri State: Southeast Missouri State -7.5
- Florida A&M vs Norfolk State: Florida A&M -14.5
- SMU vs Nevada: SMU -27.5
