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College football odds, picks, predictions for Week 0, 2026: Computer backs Virginia, New Mexico State
The Week 0 college football schedule takes place on Saturday, Aug. 29, and it will begin in Ireland before concluding in Las Vegas. Eight games involving FBS teams are on the slate, two of which are outliers when observing the Week 0 college football odds. No. 14 USC is the only ranked team in action, as they are 38.5-point favorites over San Jose State, while Florida State is favored by 31.5 points over New Mexico State. The other six games all have single-digit college football spreads as you have varying options to make college football bets on. Visit our DraftKings promo code review and get $150 in bonus bets as a new user after $5+ in wagers here :
UNC vs. TCU (-7.5) kicks off the 2026 college football season as Bill Belichick's Tar Heels will face the Horned Frogs in Dublin, Ireland. Another intriguing contest has FCS powerhouse, North Dakota State, which won 10 championships at that level, making its FBS debut as the Bison (-6.5) host the JSU Gamecocks. Before locking in any Week 0 college football picks, be sure to see the latest college football predictions from SportsLine's proven model .
The model simulates every FBS game 10,000 times. It is on a 31-19 run on top-rated CFB money-line picks since the 2024 season, and it has been upgraded for the 2026 season to even better factor in the transfer portal. Anybody following its college football betting picks at sportsbooks and on betting sites could have seen strong returns.
Now, it has turned its attention to the latest college football odds for Week 0 and locked in picks for every FBS matchup. Head here to see every pick .
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One of the top college football picks the model is recommending for Week 0: Virginia (-5.5, 53.5) covers against NC State in a 3:30 p.m. ET kickoff. UVA's 9 ATS wins last year were only topped in the ACC by national runner-up Miami. The Cavs should relish this game being relocated from Rio de Janeiro to Virginia, considering NC State's road woes. The Wolfpack went 0-4 ATS as a road underdog in 2025, making them the only Power 4 team to fail to cover as road dogs over at least four games. Add in that NC State is also on an 0-4 ATS run on season openers, while the Cavs are 6-1 ATS over their last seven season openers versus unranked squads, and the model has UVA covering well over 50% of the time.
Another Week 0 prediction: New Mexico State (+31.5, 53.5) goes on the road and covers at Florida State. FSU enters this season on a down note, as it went 2-7 over its last nine games of 2025, not only outright but also versus the spread. The team then added QB Ashton Daniels in the offseason, who is hoping the third school's the charm after struggles at Stanford and Auburn. Daniels is 5-18 as a starter and has the fourth-worst passer efficiency (116.5) in FBS since 2023. Meanwhile, NMST has covered in three straight as an underdog and is 5-2 ATS over its last seven when the other team is favored. The Aggies cover in nearly 70% of simulations, and the Under hits well over 50% of the time. See which other picks the model likes here .
The model has also made the call on who wins and covers in every Week 0 college football game, including an underdog that it says will win outright. You can only get every pick for every game at SportsLine .
So what college football picks can you make with confidence, and which underdog pulls off a shocking upset? Check out the latest college football odds below, then visit SportsLine to see which teams win and cover the spread, all from a proven computer model that is on a 31-19 run , and find out.
See full Week 0 college football picks, odds, predictions here
Saturday, Aug. 29 (odds subject to change)
North Carolina vs. TCU (-7.5, 47.5) San Jose State at USC (-38.5, 60.5) NC State at Virginia (-38.5, 60.5) Jacksonville State at North Dakota State (-6.5, 46.5) Sacramento State at Eastern Michigan (-9.5, 52.5) New Mexico State at Florida State (-31.5, 53.5) Hawaii at Stanford (-5.5, 49.5) Memphis at UNLV (-5.5, 57.5)
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