X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

College Football Betting Picks: Results Against The Spread (Week 0) and 9/3 spread picks

Mike Marteny's CFB bettings picks against the spread for Week Zero. He has every FBS college football game graded against his NCAA betting picks.

Week 0 means the week doesn't count, right? Overall, it wasn't that bad. After all, I didn't get one "week 0" pick right in 2019. I ended up going heaviest on the UTEP spread and under on Saturday morning. It's a good thing I did. Week 0 is a week for learning things, and learn we did.

First off, when your game starts like this, you know where it's heading. At least I did.

What did this tell me? Well, I knew in this moment that my Nebraska pick, the highest of the week, was doomed. It was the same errors by the same players and the same coaching staff getting outcoached. Bret Bielema remembered the game plan from nine years ago and ran toss sweeps left more than half the plays. If he had any backs the caliber of Melvin Gordon or James White, this Illinois team would have hung 70 on Nebraska too.

We learned that Michigan transfer Zach Charbonnet was a really good player in a really bad system and that he might just be UCLA's missing link. We learned that UConn's offense is painful to watch, but that defense has some heart. They're gonna bust some big spreads against over-hyped offenses this year. We also learned that New Mexico State is the worst FBS team and it's not close. In all fairness, I told you that before the games began.

I promised transparency this year, and you will get it, warts and all. I don't like to be wrong, but I will admit when I am. Here are the results from week 0. Winners against the spread will be in bold. My result will follow.

Want some CFB DFS tools? If you like what you see here, don't forget to sign up for your RotoBaller CFB DFS Premium Pass. Use code MARTENY and receive 10% off your purchase! You'll love the College Football DFS Lineup Optimizer, DFS Cheat Sheets and Premium Slack Chatrooms to help you out in real-time.

CFB Betting Pick Results Week 0

Nebraska (-7.5) at Illinois: MISS!

Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 4

I made most of my complaints above, but it doesn't make me any less pissed off. Half the people in my town are on suicide watch. The other half are being monitored by the FBI for the sheer number of death threats made to Scott Frost, Adrian Martinez, and Cam Taylor-Britt. Football is that important in Nebraska and this kind of play is unacceptable. The fans were starting to turn on the prodigal son. There may be no coming back from this for Frost.

Connecticut at Fresno State (-27.5): HIT!

Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3

This was easy money. No, I'm not going to sit here and bag on UConn. I was impressed with the defense, but when the offense is a comedy of errors, it wears on you and wears them down. Don't lose sight of the fact that Fresno could very well be a top-25 team. They are that good.

Hawaii at UCLA (-17.5): MISS!

Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2

It's a good thing I didn't put too much on this. Dorian Thompson-Robinson had a pedestrian game, but the Hawaii defense that allowed an average of 211 rushing yards per game last year is back. They allowed 244 on the ground in this one.

UTEP (-9.5) at New Mexico State: HIT!

Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3

I should have changed this because I ended up hammering it in my Saturday bets. Gavin Hardison threw for 249 yards, 158 of them to Jacob Cowing. Why is this important? It's not. I just figured the guys should get some respect because they may not be mentioned again this season.

 

Now is the time of the week when we tally up the scores. I went 2-2 against the spread and netted a total of 0 points on my picks. So week 0 truly was a zero. Things will start to get interesting this week, starting on Thursday!

The weekly totals follow the bet. Season totals are in parentheses.

1. 0-0 (0-0) = 0
2. 0-1 (0-1) = -1
3. 2-0 (2-0) = 6
4. 0-1 (0-1) = -4
5. 0-0 (0-0) = 0

I still have the 28 points that I started the season with. Whenever the house doesn't have your money, it's a win!

Now we will move on to the pre-Saturday picks. Labor Day Weekend is the one weekend that college football has to itself, and it takes full advantage of it. We have a game on Wednesday, 16 on Thursday, eight on Friday, 57 on Saturday and one each on Sunday and Monday to close out the weekend. That's 84 total games and if you have a good cable package, you can watch most of them.

Unfortunately, only 46 of those 84 are FBS vs. FBS teams. Those 46 are the ones that I will be picking. Ten of those are on Thursday and Friday. Let's get started!

CFB Betting Picks September 3-4 2021:

Temple at Rutgers(-14.5):

Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2

This feels high, but I don't know how many points Temple can score. Greg Schiano is building Rutgers back to where he had it before the NFL came calling. He's the guy that got Ray Rice to go to school there. Schiano has done a similar job, stocking the offense with former UCF and Nebraska QB transfer Noah Vedral and former Wisconsin WR Aron Cruickshank. Isaih Pacheco is also an underrated back. This offense is going to be good, and I see a lot of question marks for Temple. Give me Rutgers, but I'm lowering the bet because of the half.

Boise State at Central Florida(-5.5):

Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2

I have zero confidence in the UCF defense, but Boise heading to the heat and humidity of the Bounce House over Labor Day weekend is going to be quite a shock to the system. Everyone else must be thinking the same thing because the line is slowly creeping upward. Boise returns every skill player from a team that scored 237 points in just seven games. UCF loses Greg McRae, Otis Anderson, and Bentavious Thompson and replaces them with Northwestern transfer Isaiah Bowser. Auburn running backs Mark-Anthony Richards and R.J. Harvey followed Gus Malzahn to Orlando as well. I expect to see a better UCF team this fall, but Boise has three running backs that all run well. I still like the Broncos outright.

South Florida at North Carolina State(-18.5):

Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3

That's a lot of points, but USF only won their opener against the Citadel last year. They only held one other opponent (Cincinnati) under 30 points and lost five of those eight by more than 20 points. This line isn't unwarranted. NC State loses Bailey Hockman, but Devin Leary looked good when he played last year. Running backs Ricky Person and Zonovan Knight are back. So is leading receiver Emeka Emezie. This is a good NC State team. They aren't going to roll USF like the Irish did in last year's FBS opener, but I'll say they still win by 20. Give me the Wolfpack.

East Carolina at Appalachian State(-10.5):

Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2

The line dropped three points and I can't think of a good reason why. Duke transfer Chase Brice will take the reins from Zac Thomas, but the real bread-and-butter of the Mountaineers offense is the run game. Both Camerun Peoples and Daetrich Harrington are back for Appalachian State (though Harrington wont play until conference play opens). That alone is enough to make me take them. Leading receiver Thomas Henningan returning is just a bonus. ECU returns most of the offense that closed 2020 with wins over Temple and SMU, but I think that App State defense will be a little too much. Give me the Mountaineers.

(4)Ohio State(-13.5) at Minnesota:

Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3

I will tell you right now this is too many. I want to pick Minnesota to win outright, but they still have some kind of mental block when it comes to the Buckeyes. Justin Fields is the only guy that threw a pass for the Buckeyes last year. Master Teague returns, but he was beaten out by Oklahoma transfer Trey Sermon (who is also playing on Sundays) in the middle of last season. Jameson Williams transferred to Alabama. That's a lot of moving pieces to replace on offense starting against a team like Minnesota. Mohamed Ibrahim might be the best back in the Big Ten(14). Now for the mental part: Minnesota hasn't beaten Ohio State since 2000. The last time before that was 1981. The Gophers have only lost three of the ten games since 2000 by less than 14 points. For those reasons, I wont take Goldy outright, but I do think Ohio State gets tested. Give me the Gophers.

Bowling Green at Tennessee(-35.5):

Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 1

Bowling Green is straight up awful, but the Vols almost populated the transfer portal by themselves. Michigan transfer John Milton beat out Virginia Tech transfer Hendon Hooker for the QB job. It's still going to be an ugly game. Tennessee couldn't get out of their own way much of the year, but I'm pretty sure Bowling Green wont score. I want no part of this one. I feel much better about the under than the spread. Give me BGSU, only because I'm not sure Tennessee can score five touchdowns, even against this defense.

(10)North Carolina(-5.5) at Virginia Tech:

Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 5

We all know what the Tarheels lost, but Tennessee transfer Ty Chandler is a very good back. He just played for a bad team. I'm more concerned about what Tech lost. Khalil Herbert is with the Bears and Hendon Hooker is with the Vols. Those were the two leading rushers. The Hokies were plagued by offensive inconsistency last year and that will be the case again. Give me the Heels for my lock before Saturday.

Duke(-6.5) at Charlotte:

Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2

Every Duke player that threw a touchdown pass is no longer on the roster. Mataeo Durant is a solid back, and he'll need to be. Gunnar Holmberg did not look good last season. Duke has a couple of good receivers, but I want to see if the QB can get the ball there. Tre Harbison was the best player Charlotte had last year and he's in the NFL. This is going to be an ugly and depressing game (but I'll watch it anyway. I'm an addict. Don't judge). I'm not big on either team, but when in doubt, go with the better coach. That is far and away David Cutcliffe. Give me Duke.

Old Dominion at Wake Forest(-31.5):

Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2

Ouch. That's a lot of points. However, Wake returns QB Sam Hartman, leading rusher Christian Beal-Smith, and Jaquarii Roberson, who is the best receiver you've never heard of. When we last saw the Monarchs, they were riding an 11-game losing streak to end 2019. We don't know much about this team, but I know it isn't any better. I have to take Wake here.

Michigan State at Northwestern(-3.5):

Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2

This line has dropped off a cliff. The Wildcats opened at -7.5, but the bettors are looking at the same thing I am. Michigan State returns experience. Northwestern has South Carolina transfer Ryan Hilinski at QB and leading rusher Cam Porter. Behind that, they have a lot of questions at receiver. Both teams are well coached and I do think that Mel Tucker is going to lead the Spartans to wins in a couple of games that they shouldn't win this year. I just think it's a lot to ask in week 1. Give me Northwestern at home.



Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App

Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy football app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, rankings, starts/sits & more. All free!

More College Football Analysis

More Betting Picks

POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Sacramento Kings

Jake LaRavia Lands with Lakers
Laviska Shenault Jr.

on the Bubble
Orlando Magic

Tyus Jones Signs One-Year Deal With Magic
Raheem Blackshear

to Work Mostly As Special-Teamer
Golden State Warriors

Kevon Looney Heads to New Orleans
Rico Dowdle

Trevor Etienne to Split Carries?
Chuba Hubbard

Should See Majority of Touches in 2025
Milwaukee Bucks

Jericho Sims Staying in Milwaukee
Denver Nuggets

Tim Hardaway Jr. Joins Nuggets
Willson Contreras

Avoids Structural Damage on Hand After HBP
Detroit Pistons

Duncan Robinson Lands With Detroit
Charlotte Hornets

Tre Mann Remaining in Charlotte
Josh Naylor

Scratched From Tuesday's Lineup Against Giants
Kevin Yu

a Near Must-Play at TPC Deere Run
San Francisco Giants

Giants Exercise Bob Melvin's 2026 Option
PGA

J.T. Poston Returns to John Deere Classic Looking for Another High Finish
Josh Naylor

Back in Action on Tuesday
Yordan Alvarez

Suffers Setback
Thriston Lawrence

a Decent Fit For John Deere Classic
Tom Kim

Not Finding Much to be Happy About Ahead of John Deere Classic
Nolan Arenado

Dealing with Finger Sprain
ANA

Mikael Granlund Moves to Anaheim on Three-Year Deal
Jacob Wilson

Scratched With Hamstring Soreness
NJ

Jake Allen Signs Five-Year Extension With Devils
VAN

Brock Boeser Remains in Vancouver on Seven-Year Deal
Conor Garland

Signs New Six-Year Deal with Canucks
Thatcher Demko

Signs Three-Year Extension with Canucks
Brandon Woodruff

Ready for Season Debut
Martin Fehérváry

Martin Fehervary Agrees to Seven-Year Extension with Capitals
Garrett Mitchell

Out for the Rest of the Season
MLB

Brewers-Mets Postponed on Tuesday
MLB

Tigers-Nationals Postponed on Tuesday
Zach Neto

Returns to Tuesday's Lineup
Milwaukee Bucks

Gary Harris Inks Deal With Bucks
MLB

Padres-Phillies Postponed on Tuesday
Charlotte Hornets

Mason Plumlee Heading Back to Charlotte
Si Woo Kim

is a Prohibitive Fade at John Deere Classic
Hunter Goodman

Back Behind the Dish on Tuesday
Jakob Poeltl

Agrees to a Contract Extension With Raptors
Ben Griffin

is the Appropriate Favorite at TPC Deere Run
Jason Day

is a Fine Play With Limited Upside at John Deere Classic
Vasilije Micić

Vasilije Micic Dealt to Bucks on Tuesday
Daniel Suarez

and Trackhouse Racing Parting Ways After 2025 Season
Luke Clanton

Looks to Have Another Strong Week at TPC Deere Run
Pat Connaughton

Traded to Hornets
Atlanta Hawks

Luke Kennard Lands in Atlanta
Breece Hall

Aiming to Prove He is "Still One of the Best in the League"
T.J. Watt

Steelers Not Planning to Trade T.J. Watt
Sacramento Kings

Dennis Schroder Set to Join Sacramento
Bo Bichette

Out Again on Tuesday
Trent Grisham

Likely Heading to Injured List
Boston Celtics

Luke Kornet Agrees to Contract With San Antonio
Jonas Valančiūnas

Nuggets Trade for Center Jonas Valanciunas
Royce Lewis

Twins Activate Royce Lewis
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Signs Massive Extension With Oklahoma City
Corbin Carroll

Eyeing Return Before All-Star Break
New York Knicks

Knicks Pick Up Guerschon Yabusele
Yordan Alvarez

Could Return Early Next Week
NFL

Negotiations on 18-Game Season Not Expected Until Next Year
Indiana Pacers

Myles Turner Leaves Indiana, Signs With Milwaukee
Kerry Carpenter

Shelved with Hamstring Issue
Tyler Boyd

Steelers Have Talked With Tyler Boyd
Milwaukee Bucks

Damian Lillard Waived By Milwaukee
Darren Waller

Coming Out of Retirement to Play for Dolphins
Alexander Romanov

Islanders Retain Alexander Romanov on $50 Million Contract
Andrei Kuzmenko

Signs Up for One More Year with Kings
Morgan Geekie

Signs Long-Term Extension with Bruins
Ivan Provorov

Stays in Columbus on Seven-Year Deal
Alex Pietrangelo

Stepping Away From Golden Knights for Health Reasons
Matias Maccelli

Maple Leafs Bring in Matias Maccelli
Evan Bouchard

Inks $42 Million Contract with Oilers
Vladimir Tarasenko

Wild Acquire Vladimir Tarasenko From Detroit
Patrick Kane

Signs New One-Year Deal with Red Wings
Brad Marchand

Lands Six-Year Extension
Aaron Ekblad

Remains a Panther on Eight-Year Deal
Mitchell Marner

Heads to Vegas
Randy Arozarena

Homers Twice, Plates Four Monday
Philadelphia 76ers

Trendon Watford Lands in Philadelphia
Jalen Ramsey

Could Move Around in Pittsburgh
Jonnu Smith

to be Used in Hybrid Role
Terry McLaurin

Commanders, Terry McLaurin Not Close on Contract Extension
Michael Mayer

Raiders Not Interested in Trading Michael Mayer
Aldrich Potgieter

Wins Rocket Mortgage Classic
Thorbjorn Olesen

Finishes Tied for 41st at Rocket Mortgage Classic
Denny McCarthy

Finishes Tied For 12th at Travelers Championship
Chris Kirk

Finishes Tied For Second at Rocket Mortgage Classic
Michael Kim

Finishes Tied for 26th at Rocket Mortgage Classic
Max Homa

Misses Cut at Rocket Mortgage Classic
Lucas Glover

Finishes Tied For Ninth at Travelers Championship
PGA

Nico Echavarria Finishes Tied For Sixth at Rocket Mortgage Classic
Pittsburgh Steelers

Rumors Still Swirling Around Potential T.J. Watt Trade
Ilia Topuria

Becomes The New Lightweight Champion
Charles Oliveira

Knocked Out At UFC 317
Kai Kara-France

Alexandre Pantoja Submits Kai Kara-France
Kai Kara-France

Submitted At UFC 317
Joshua Van

Extends His Win Streak
Tyler Boyd

Interested in Playing for Steelers
Miami Dolphins

Dolphins Now Looking to Acquire a Tight End
Brandon Royval

Drops Decision
L'Jarius Sneed

Says he's Healthy
Renato Moicano

Loses Back-To-Back Fights
Beneil Dariush

Gets Back In The Win Column
Felipe Lima

Suffers His First UFC Loss
Payton Talbott

Bounces Back
Minkah Fitzpatrick

Heading Back to Miami
Jonnu Smith

Shipped to Pittsburgh
Alex Bowman

Competitive Run Ends With Third-Place Finish at Atlanta
Erik Jones

Secures A Top-Five Finish After Adversity In Atlanta
Tyler Reddick

Collects A New Career-Best Finish At Atlanta
Jalen Ramsey

Steelers Acquiring Jalen Ramsey
Jonas Brodin

Expected to Miss Start of Next Season
TB

Conor Sheary Placed on Waivers for Contract Termination
Dante Fabbro

Stays with Blue Jackets on Four-Year Deal
Chase Elliott

Ends Winless Skid With Atlanta Victory
Brad Keselowski

Falls Short of Atlanta Victory
NFL

NFL Won't Hold Supplemental Draft This Year
Carson Hocevar

Recovers From Big One to Finish 10th at Atlanta
William Byron

Caught up in Atlanta Big One but Retains Points Lead
Denny Hamlin

Top In-Season Challenge Seed Denny Hamlin Eliminated in Lap 70 Crash
Ty Dillon

Bottom Seed Ty Dillon Upsets Denny Hamlin to Advance in In-Season Challenge
Kyle Larson

Don't Expect Kyle Larson to Win First Drafting Track Race on Saturday
Christopher Bell

Unlikely to Complete Atlanta Sweep
Brad Keselowski

Seeks Another Clutch Win for Hail-Mary Playoff Bid
Chris Buescher

Unlikely to Lead Enough to Have Much DFS Value
Alex Bowman

Qualifies Best Among Non-Fords but Unlikely to Contend at Atlanta
Ryan Preece

Will Probably Run Better Than Usual at Atlanta
Austin Dillon

Consistently Mediocre at Atlanta
Ty Gibbs

Slightly Faster Lately but Unlikely to be a Factor at Atlanta
Erik Jones

a Low-Key Strong DFS Option
Noah Gragson

Could Have DFS Value as One of the Lowest-Qualifying Fords
Riley Herbst

Unlikely to Replicate February Atlanta Finish
Charles Oliveira

Can Become A Two-Time Lightweight Champion
Ilia Topuria

A Favorite At UFC 317
Kai Kara-France

Can Become The New Flyweight Champion
Alexandre Pantoja

Set For Fourth Title Defense At UFC 317
Joshua Van

Looks To Extend His Win Streak
Brandon Royval

Looks For His Third Win In A Row
Renato Moicano

Returns At UFC 317
Beneil Dariush

An Underdog At UFC 317
Payton Talbott

Looks To Bounce Back
Felipe Lima

Set To Open Up UFC 317 Main Card
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF