SI Betting Mailbag: College Football Week 0 Tips, Upset Pick and Heisman Thoughts

Eight college football games will kick off across the nation for today's Week 0 action, which means football is officially back!

With a new season comes a new article from us here at SI Betting. Throughout the season, we'll be doing a weekly mailbag to answer YOUR questions about betting on both the NFL and this year's college football season.

You have two ways to submit questions each week:

Send myself (@IainMacBets) or Peter Dewey (@peterdewey2) a DM on X or Instagram
Send me an e-mail at iain@si.com

Each week, we'll choose a few questions to answer in an article.

This week, we're keying in on both Week 0 and the college football season as a whole. Let's dive into the questions.

College Football Week 0 Mailbag Questions

Should we be fading UNC this season, including in Week 0 against TCU, or are people overreacting to what's been going on with the program?
Arthur F.

There's no denying the first season under Bill Belichick didn't go as planned. The Tar Heels finished the season with a 4-8 record, with some ugly losses to the likes of California, Wake Forest, and NC State. Things have unfortunately only gotten worse for the program. Michael Lombardi, the team's general manager, was placed on administrative leave in July; Steve Belichick, their defensive coordinator, has been placed on indefinite medical leave, and there still remains the controversy surrounding Bills' 25-year-old girlfriend.

It's pretty rare for a 74-year-old coach to turn things around, and I don't think that's going to happen here. The game has arguably passed Belichick by, even at the pro level, and then toss in all the recruiting that has to be done at the college level, and this just isn't a good fit for the legendary NFL coach.

As a cherry on top, North Carolina's quarterback this season is Billy Edwards, who had an average-at-best season the last time he was a starter when he played for Maryland in 2024. He doesn't exactly instill confidence in me that he can lead this Tar Heels offense to great success.

This is only going to end in disaster. As I wrote in my best bets article this week, I'm all over TCU to win and cover.

How good will Indiana be this season with Fernando Mendoza and a ton of other players having now moved on?
Kyle D.

First of all, I think Curt Cignetti has proven to us over the past few years that he might just be the best coach in college football right now, so I would be beyond shocked if the Hoosiers aren't one of the best teams in the Big Ten again this season.

With that being said, being a conference contender and a national championship contender are two different things. They're sixth on the odds list to win the National Championship at +900, and they have the fourth-shortest odds of making the College Football Playoff at -290, so expect them to be in the mix this season. Cignetti has an eye for talent, and while the roster may not be quite as loaded as it was last year, he has once again done his job of recruiting players to fill the gaps left behind by last year's stars.

Let's also remember he has some big-time players returning this year as well, including reigning Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year Carter Smith and wide receiver Charlie Becker. Last year wasn't a flash in the pan for the Hoosiers. They'll be in the playoff and likely be poised for another deep run.

What's your favorite upset pick for this week?
Raheem S.

You can find my favorite upset picks for this week in my Week 0 upset picks article, but my favorite moneyline underdog play is on Hawaii to take down Stanford for the second straight year:

Hawaii's quarterback, Micah Alejadro, 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.

Is Arch Manning the best Heisman bet?
Rich B.

I'm not going to disagree with anyone who says Arch Manning is going to win the Heisman Trophy this year, but if we're talking about this from a betting perspective, which we are, I would stay away from him at his +850 price tag. I know he looked impressive in the second half of last season, but there are still too many question marks surrounding him this season for me to pay that price. Let's also consider the fact that his name brand alone has led him to be overvalued in the betting market.

I think Josh Hoover is a great bet to place before the season begins at +1500. I know I already talked about Indiana once in this week's mailbag, but this is coming from a guy who was all in on Hoover last season when he played for TCU.

Josh Hoover will be an elite NFL QB some day.
— Iain MacMillan (@IainMacBets) November 16, 2025

He threw for 3,472 yards and 29 touchdowns for the Horned Frogs last season, and now he gets to play for a program that just produced a Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback last year.

Even if you're not a Hoover fan, I think there's plenty of better value on the board than Manning to win the Heisman Trophy. Julian Sayin (+1300), Jayden Maiava (+2500), and even Malachi Toney (+3500) are all bets I'd place before backing Manning.

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