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Mike's Week 0 college football betting picks against the spread for Saturday, August 29, 2026. Free CFB betting predictions, odds analysis, and ATS picks from RotoBaller.
We've waited months for this! College football is finally back! It has been a crazy eight months of free agency, court rulings, players breaching NIL contracts, players trying to breach NIL contracts, and even 2026-altering injuries in camp.
We can finally put all of that behind us. College football dropped the "Week 0" bit, but there are still some teams that technically play twice in Week 1. We are only going to cover the eight games going on this Saturday.
All eight games feature FBS vs. FBS matchups. The two newest FBS teams, Sacramento State and North Dakota State, are both in action. The Bison are even at home! Judging by the success of the teams that have recently moved up to FBS, we could be in for a treat right out of the gate!
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CFB Betting Picks for Week 0
I will pick every college football game every week. Not a top five. Not a top 10. All of them. Big deal, right? Lots of people make picks. Well, I do them all against the spread. I take the odds for each game, average them across all Vegas casinos, and round to the nearest half. There will be no ties here. Ties are for the other (European) football.
I think you should know who you're listening to. I've been doing this since 2014, and I have most of my record available for viewing here. This can help you determine which teams I usually pick correctly or incorrectly.
I have been having issues finding the articles from 2019 and 2020, so the page is still under construction. All of the picks from 2014-2018 and 2021-2025 are accurate and accounted for. The all-time totals are still under construction, but will omit 2019 and 2020 for now.
I came out 26 points ahead last year. Any year that you come out ahead is a good one.
North Carolina vs. TCU (-8.5) at Dublin, Ireland
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 4
Teams that lose in Dublin are usually in for a generationally bad year. Remember Nebraska in 2022? They blew an 11-point third-quarter lead against Northwestern, a team that would go 0-for-North America that year.
The win over Nebraska was Northwestern's only win that season. Nebraska coach Scott Frost was fired after a Week 2 loss to Georgia Southern. The Cornhuskers would go 4-8 that year.
How about 2024 Florida State? The Seminoles were coming off a 12-1 season, ranked in the top 10. They lost to Georgia Tech. It didn't end there.
Next came the "Solo Cup incident," where a fan claimed he would eat a Solo Cup full of dog poop if Boston College beat Florida State in a Twitter post. BC beat the Seminoles, and the guy disappeared.
A cursed Florida State won just two games that year. Last year, Farmageddon moved to Dublin. Kansas State lost the game, QB Avery Johnson's father and brother got in a fistfight in the streets of Dublin, and the Wildcats lost to Army at home.
Kansas State finished 6-6, and coach Chris Klieman retired. What fate will the loser of this game face in 2026? North Carolina had enough issues last year. Will they fire legend Bill Belichick if he loses and goes 2-10?
In college football, just like baseball, curses are real. Want proof? It's already begun.
NEW: North Carolina DC Steve Belichick is not expected to be with the team to open the season Saturday in Dublin vs. TCU, @PeteNakos and @InsideCarolina report.
The son of head coach Bill Belichick has been on indefinite medical leave since early August.… pic.twitter.com/H79Bmevw8P
— On3 (@On3) August 27, 2026
This line has actually fallen a little bit. It opened at -10, but is down to -7.5 in places. I doubt it drops more, and I wouldn't be surprised if it goes back up to where it opened. Get it now if you want the TCU side.
Pick: TCU -8.5
San Jose State at (14) USC (-38.5)
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3
San Jose State has a chance to become the first team in college football history to go 18-0 this season.
The Spartans play a 13 game regular season. If they go undefeated and win their conference they’ll be 14-0 then could win up to 4 playoff games to finish 18-0. pic.twitter.com/6Uaiyh0H2X
— College Football Zone (@CollegeFBonX) August 26, 2026
This line is on the rise, probably because of what a similarly hyped USC did to Missouri State in Week 0 last year. The Bears would go on to a bowl game, despite having 73 points hung on them by the Trojans.
I like Ken Niumatalolo, but the Spartans' offense lost both its star QB (Walker Eget to Duke) and star WR (Danny Scudero to Colorado). The Spartans are left to pick up the pieces.
2025 Hawaii QB Luke Weaver will be the starter this year, but this is a lot to ask of him. The USC offense is at least as good, if not better, than the 2025 version at this point in the season.
Pick: USC -38.5
North Carolina State at Virginia (-4.5)
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 5
I don't get this line at all. Yeah, the Pack lost Hollywood Smothers. Star QB CJ Bailey returns. I watched enough of Bailey and returning RB Duke Scott last year to know that this team will be fine.
North Carolina State has won at least eight games in seven of the last 10 seasons. I don't trust that Beau Pribula (Missouri) or Eli Holstein (Pittsburgh) are as good as Chandler Morris.
Getting RB Jekail Middlebrook from Middle Tennessee State and WR Rico Flores Jr. from UCLA are solid pickups. When it's all said and done, I still like Bailey more than anyone else on the field. This line is backward. I like the Pack outright.
Pick: North Carolina State +4.5
Jacksonville State at North Dakota State (-6.5)
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2
I don't trust this line. NDSU has won 10 national championships since 2011 at the FCS level...under four different coaches. There is a culture and a system there that should carry over to the FBS level.
The ‘Thunderdome’ is now part of the FBS ?
Since the Fargodome opened in 1993 NDSU has a home record of 144-24, including a 38-2 record in the FCS playoffs.
Excited to see how the Bison will do in the Mountain West in 2026 & beyond. https://t.co/AVyFzfFxRP pic.twitter.com/k35X3Mjzvx
— College Football Campus Tour (@cfbcampustour) February 8, 2026
The issue is that Jacksonville State has won at least eight games in all three FBS seasons. They aren't some team that the Bison can just push around. Coach Charles Kelly is one of the best.
The Bison reloaded from within after losing the starting QB, leading rusher, and leading receiver from last year's team that was upset in the first round of the FCS Playoffs.
Jacksonville State has to replace the leading rusher in FBS (Cam Cook), but QB Caden Creel is back and as good as ever. NDSU might win, but I don't think it's by a touchdown.
Pick: Jacksonville State +6.5
Sacramento State at Eastern Michigan (-9.5)
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 4
This is too much. The Hornets lost to a who's who of FCS last year and nearly beat Nevada. Is Eastern Michigan better than Nevada? Offensively, yes. Defensively? Not a chance.
Carson Conklin, who starred at Sacramento State as a freshman in 2026 before going to Fresno last year, is back to lead the team. RB Jamar Curtis was a top-5 RB in FCS before he got hurt last year.
The Hornets will score some points. Even if they don't win, EMU isn't winning by double figures.
Pick: Sacramento State +9.5
New Mexico State at Florida State (-30.5)
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3
This line is falling. I'm not sure why. I have a hard time believing that the offense is a problem. QB Ashton Daniels struggled at Stanford last year, but he has a lot around him this year.
Ousmane Kromah and Texas transfer Quintrevion Wisner are a formidable backfield. WRs Micahi Danzy, Duce Robinson, and Jayvan Boggs were all good last year. The FSU offense is going to show off in this one.
Pick: Florida State -30.5
Hawaii at Stanford (-4.5)
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3
Hawaii returns star QB Micah Alejado, who shined as a freshman in this offense, and star WR Pofele Ashlock. The Warriors brought in a gaggle of castoff receivers along with RB Cam Barfield, who was strong behind Landon Sims last year.
The offense has a lot left. The defense hasn't been great. It's still better than Stanford's right now. Micah Ford will get his yards, but he may not get the win.
Pick: Hawaii +4.5
Memphis at UNLV (-4.5)
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 1
This is going to be a battle of great coaching wits with new Memphis coach and rising star Charles Huff against offensive guru Dan Mullen of UNLV. Once again, Mullen's QB battle in camp has carried over into the regular season.
He has stated that both Alex Orji and Auburn transfer Jackson Arnold will both play in the opener. That usually doesn't turn out well, especially against a team like Memphis.
Memphis had its own QB battle with West Florida transfer Marcus Stokes beating out former phenom Air Noland. RB Dallan Hayden will be a force against UNLV's Jai'Den Thomas.
This is going to be a fun way to end our first college football Saturday of 2026. I'm going to enjoy it, but I'm not going to bet much on this.
Pick: Memphis +4.5
With only eight games this week, I stayed heavy in the middle with three three-point bets and two for four points. I have one each for one, two, and five points. Good luck out there!
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