College Football Week 0 Best Bets (Expect a Defensive Battle in NC State vs. Virginia)

The wait is finally over, the college football season is upon us!

16 teams are in action across eight games for Saturday's Week 0 slate. This will serve as a perfect appetizer to the full season, while also giving us bettors a chance to get our feet wet before diving into the Week 1 slate.

In this article, I'm going to give you my top three bets for Week 0, including a bet on a favorite, an upset, and a bet on a total.

College Football Week 0 Best Bets

TCU -9.5 (-108) vs. North Carolina via DraftKings
NC State vs. Virginia UNDER 52.5 (-110) via Caesars
Hawaii +160 vs. Stanford via DraftKings

North Carolina vs. TCU Prediction

In my Week 0 against the spread picks article, I broke down why I like TCU to win and cover in this spot:

I wouldn't be surprised if Bill Belichick doesn't last the year in Chapel Hill. There has been nothing but negativity and controversy coming out of the program since he was hired, and he has the odds stacked against him in 2026.

Keep an eye on TCU's new quarterback, Jaden Craig, who was fantastic in FCS play for Harvard last season, racking up 2,869 yards, 25 touchdowns, and seven interceptions. The Horned Frogs cruised past the Tar Heels last season, and I expect a similar result this time around.

Pick: TCU -9.5 (-108)

NC State vs. Virginia Prediction

Instead of betting on a side in this game, I'm going to look at the total and bet the UNDER. I think the number is a bit inflated based on last year's offensive shootout between these two teams, which ended 35-31 in favor of NC State.

Virginia was carried by their defense last year, and they are returning 62% of their production from 2025, so I expect their defense to once again be the highlight of the team. With that being said, I need to see some improved decision-making from their new quarterback, Pribula, before I can trust their offense.

I'm going to trust both defenses in this game and bet the UNDER.

Pick: UNDER 52.5 (-110)

Hawaii vs. Stanford Prediction

I gave out two underdogs to win outright in my Week 0 upset picks article. One of them was the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors to beat the Stanford Cardinal for the second straight year:

Hawaii's quarterback, Micah Alejandro, is poised for a huge season. The sophomore was beyond impressive as a freshman. He threw for 3,106 yards, 24 touchdowns, and nine interceptions. He gets to open his season against a Stanford defense that significantly struggled last year, ranking 96th in opponent EPA.

Stanford didn't do enough this offseason to fix its defense with 62% of its production from last year returning. That means that for the Cardinal to win, its offense is going to have to match the production that'll be put forward by Alejandro and the Rainbow Warriors.

There's a big question mark at quarterback for Stanford. Davis Warren will begin the season as their starter. The former Michigan quarterback missed the entire 2025 season with an injury, but his 2024 numbers were less than impressive. He threw seven touchdowns but nine interceptions in 209 attempts that year, so he's going to have to improve for the Cardinals to be a threat offensively.

I'll back the Rainbow Warriors to take down Stanford in Week 0 for the second year in a row.

Pick: Hawaii +160

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