Week Zero of college football is upon us! Week Zero is notoriously hard to predict and bet on. We will take a dive into some things to keep in mind for the year and some sharp bets we think will help you start the year off in the green!
Three Things To Keep In Mind!
Week Zero is Christmas morning to most college football fans and sports bettors. We get to look at betting on something other than baseball for the first time in months! We see the lines, we start doing our homework and reading about teams we’ve never heard of just so we can convince ourselves there’s a lopsided line to bet on. Here are a few things to keep in mind when betting week zero college football.
#1 Vegas Always Wins
Vegas made a whopping $4.3 Billion in 2021 from sports betting. We don’t want to give them all our money right away. It is best to look at your finances and determine a “unit” to bet. In sports betting terms, a “unit” is a measurement of the size of a given bet. So setting up a standard bet size should help you not dig yourself into a hole if you lose a few bets early on. On plays you are more confident in you can adjust how many units you have on the bets. You always want to gamble responsibly! When you look at a bet to try and dig yourself out of a hole, remember how big and shiny the casinos and hotels are in Vegas.
#2 Quality Over Quantity
Betting on every single game is NOT a winning strategy. There are zero ranked teams playing the first day of college football. It is a lot easier to narrow your bets down so you can get as much information on that game as possible. If not, you have to spend hours and hours digging up how teams like Idaho State and Florida A&M do in road games to open the season. The more information you can gain on a single game, the better you are to make a winning bet! So, with that in mind, pick a few games and stick with it!
#3 Remember This Is The First Game For Them Too
The schools that are playing week zero mainly don’t get the benefit of starting training camp at a normal time. They get less time to practice and get acclimated with their new team. You also have to think about the coaches! College football is a carousel of constant change at every coaching position. For many, this will be their first game in their new coaching roles. With this in mind, we have something we can use to our advantage. We want to look at teams that have some continuity in their teams. Returning starters and returning head coaches, looking to make a statement (and for some to keep their jobs) are the teams we should focus on. With the returning starters and coaches, you can look and see what they did in the past to help you make an educated and more informed bet!
With all that in mind here are some bets I am looking at for Week Zero!
Nebraska Vs Northwestern
The Scott Frost lead Nebraska team needs a winning season and they need it badly. Scott Frost is on his last straw this year and if he doesn’t produce a solid season he will be fired. He knows it, Nebraska fans know it, and the team knows it. With that, Frost went out and capitalized big this offseason and took advantage of the transfer portal. Nebraska managed to finish with the #6 ranked transfer portal additions in all of college football. With key additions of Quarterback Casey Thompson (previously at Texas) and Defensive End Ochaun Mathias (previously at TCU), the Cornhuskers made a splash.
Northwestern, led by Pat Fitzgerald had a rough year last year. Finishing at 3-9, the team 2 years removed from finishing 7-2 is looking for a bounce back year. Pat Fitzgerald is viewed as a college football staple of how you can make your team better if they buy into a winning culture. That being said, Northwestern needs players to play the game. With no key additions of note for the Wildcats, I think this will be another year of rebuilding for the team.
The Pick: Nebraska Spread -13 (-110)
UCONN VS UTAH ST
UCONN is coming off one of the worst statistical seasons in college football history. Their one and only win last year was a rock fight against Yale that finished 21-15. That being said, they went out and got a coach with some credibility in Jim Mora Jr. Coach Mora has had success in the past at UCLA and in the NFL with the Seattle Seahawks. With the new addition at Head Coach also came a new starting Quarterback in Ta’Quan Roberson from Penn State. With the new additions, I believe UCONN will be more competitive this year with a new-look team and offense.
Utah State shocked the college football world last year, going 11-3 and making it to the Mountain West Championship game. They brought back their Quarterback in Logan Bonner and Running back in Calvin Tyler Jr. They, however, lost their #1 Wide Receiver in Deven Thompkins to the NFL draft. With their offense being the star last year, their defense was horrible. Allowing almost 400 yards per game and not doing anything to help fix that in the offseason. With that in mind, I think UCONN loses but keeps it close in a shoot out.
The Pick: UCONN +27 (-110) and Game Total Over 60.5 (-110)
What teams are you looking to capitalize on this year? Which side of these bets are you on? Comment below with your favorite picks for week zero of the college football season!
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