College Football Week 0 Predictions, Odds and NCAA Best Bets

• Date:  Saturday, August 26, 2:30 PM EDT
• Location: Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland
• TV: NBC
• My best bet: ⭐Notre Dame -20.5 (-110) at BetMGM

No. 13 Notre Dame opens its season in Dublin against Navy. It's a new era for Navy with head coach Brian Newberry making his debut after taking over for Ken Niumtalolo. 

We're going with Notre Dame to cover -20.5 (-110) at BetMGM. The Fighting Irish return 11 starters and 31 letter winners off a team that went 9-4 in Marcus Freeman's first year as head coach. 

Expect more from Notre Dame's offense this year with Sam Hartman arriving to take over QB duties. At Wake Forest last season, Hartman completed 63% of his passes for 3,701 yards and had 38 touchdowns to just 12 interceptions. 

Navy is expected to still be a run-heavy team with Newberry as the team's new coach. With Notre Dame facing Navy in the opener, the Fighting Irish will have more time to prepare for the option-style football Navy plays with, instead of having to get ready for the run-blocking schemes in the middle of the season. Getting a full offseason to prepare for an option football team should give Notre Dame an advantage on defense.

Offensively, we expect plenty of points from Hartman and the Notre Dame offense. 

College Football Best Bets Today: Notre Dame -20.5 (-110) at BetMGM

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⭐  Vanderbilt -17 (-110) at bet365

This opening matchup was close early on in 2022. Hawaii led early 7-0 before Vanderbilt eventually scored 49 unanswered points to record a 63-10 win. Hawaii was unable to match the Vanderbilt's size and athletics along the offensive line, as the Commodores gained 404 yards rushing and scored five touchdowns. 

We expect more domination out of this year's matchup and like  Vanderbilt -17 (-110) at bet365. We saw a massive talent gap in last year's game, which showcased just how different a bottom-feeder in the SEC can look against one of the worst teams in the Mountain West. 

There's no reason to think Hawaii can mitigate the difference in size and ability along the offensive and defensive lines, where Vanderbilt will still have a clear advantage. 

Expect more from Vanderbilt quarterback A.J. Swann, who took over the starting job in the middle of the season and threw for 1,274 yards, 10 TDs and had just two interceptions. With Swann entering more experienced and a veteran offensive line, we like a big Vanderbilt win. 

Recommended Bet: Vanderbilt -17 (-110) at bet365

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⭐  Over 64.5 (-110) at FanDuel

When USC takes the field for its season debut against San Jose State, all attention will be on the 2023 Heisman Trophy winner, Caleb Williams, who is also projected to be the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. 

For this matchup, we're going to take over of 64.5 (-110) at FanDuel. USC might be able to hit this over by itself. The Trojans return 60% of their receiving yards and offensive line snaps. 

On the other side is an inexperienced San Jose State defensive group that returns just 35% of its snaps from last season. A year ago, San Jose State ranked 73rd in tackling and 62nd in coverage and that was last year with a more experienced group. 

We expect plenty of points from USC to get this total over 64.5, but San Jose State could also help in the scoring department. San Jose State returns sixth-year QB Chevan Cordeiro and all of its offensive line from last season. 

With the amount of talent and experience returning on both sides of the ball, we like the over here. 

Recommended Bet: Over 64.5 (-110) at FanDuel

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