Kickoff is here! College football is officially back and it is gracing our tv sets once again.
Week 0 features seven FBS games. Notre Dame and USC and two notable teams that are beginning their seasons on Saturday.
For this edition of Brendan’s Best Bets, we are taking a look at the Week 0 slate. Odds are provided by FanDuel Sportsbook.
Jacksonville State moneyline (-105)
The Gamecocks are playing their first game as an FBS program. They are hosting a UTEP team that went 5-7 last year. This is a conference game in the CUSA and should feature the best atmosphere of the entire Week 0 slate. Jacksonville State went 9-2 at the FCS level last season and return nine starters on offense including 7th year QB Zion Webb.
Jacksonville State has won 11 straight home openers and UTEP is just 4-24 straight up on the road in CUSA play. These two teams are pretty comparable talent wise as well. The experience of Webb and the defensive line talent for the Gamecocks will be the difference here against a QB in Gavin Hardison that struggled with accuracy last year. I like Jacksonville State to win this game outright.
FIU +10.5 (-105)
Florida International travels to Louisiana Tech for a primetime meeting in the CUSA. This spread should be closer to a touchdown. In last year’s meeting, FIU beat Louisiana Tech in double overtime. The Bulldogs had an awful defense last season and don’t return a ton of experience on the defensive line. On offense, Louisiana Tech landed QB Hank Bachmeier out of the portal from Boise State. Bachmeier struggled in the air raid offense last year for the Broncos and comes into an air raid offense at Louisiana Tech. I don’t think this offense will click on all cylinders right away.
The weather in Ruston for this game could reach 100 degrees. I favor Louisiana Tech to win outright but only slightly. FIU +10.5 is my favorite against the spread play on the Saturday slate. I also think there is great value in a moneyline bet at +340 if you are willing to roll the dice.
To recap, here are the bets we are making:
Jacksonville State moneyline (-105)
FIU +10.5 (-105)
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