College football officially returns this weekend.
The Week 0 schedule, however light, features a ranked opponent and a conference matchup right from the jump. We’ll see Florida State and Georgia Tech facing each other in Dublin, Ireland. We’ll also see SMU, which will look to follow up an American Conference championship last season with a strong debut showing in the ACC.
FCS teams take on FBS schools from the Mountain West in 2 of the 4 games.
Here’s an early primer for the weekend ahead.
(All odds via DraftKings)
No. 10 Florida State vs. Georgia Tech
- Spread: Florida State -11.5
- Over/under: 55.5
- Moneyline: Florida State -455, Georgia Tech +350
Florida State is 2-5-0 against the spread in its season-opening game over the last 7 seasons. That includes a 16-13 straight-up loss to Georgia Tech to open the 2020 campaign.
In what’s a very, very light Week 0 schedule, this FSU-Tech game will have every eyeball on it. Maybe Florida State is able to use last year’s slights as fuel. Maybe there’s a hangover coming. We’ll find out pretty quickly; Brent Key’s Georgia Tech squad is legit.
The Yellow Jackets have the No. 33 offense in the country, per Bill Connelly’s SP+. And it’ll be led by quarterback Haynes King, who last season became just the fourth ACC player since 2000 with 2,800 passing yards, 25 touchdown passes, 700 rushing yards, and 10 rushing touchdowns in a season.
Florida State had an elite defense a season ago, but this will be the Seminoles’ first game without Jared Verse, Braden Fiske, Tatum Bethune, Renardo Green, and Jarrian Jones — all of whom were drafted in the 2024 NFL Draft. While there’s optimism about what that unit can become, this will still be the first game for so many in new roles.
Georgia Tech went 5-4 as an underdog last season. The Jackets went 7-2 against the spread as a dog. The over hit in 9 of their 12 regular-season games.
Florida State went 6-5 against the spread last season as a favorite. The over hit in 7 of the Seminoles’ 12 regular-season games.
21+ and present in NY, NJ, PA, CT, AZ, CO, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, MI, NC, NH, OH, OR, TN, VA, WV, WY. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER.
CLAIM OFFERNew Mexico vs. Montana State
- Spread: Montana State -9
- Over/under: 53.5
- Moneyline: Montana State -325, New Mexico +260
The Bobcats are a rare favorite in an FCS vs. FBS matchup. They went 8-4 last year — a dip from the 12-2 mark they posted in 2022 en route to a semifinal appearance in the FCS Playoffs. Montana State opens the season fourth in the FCS Top 25, and it did garner 1 first-place vote.
The Lobos went 4-8 last year and 2-6 against other Mountain West teams. They lost by more than 20 points 4 times and went 6-6 against the spread. The over hit 9 times in 12 games.
New head coach Bronco Mendenhall hit the transfer portal heavy to rebuild the secondary — a significant issue last season when the Lobos gave up 8.8 yards per pass attempt (129th out of 133 FBS teams).
But they weren’t any better against the run and that’s where Montana State will press the issue. Quarterbacks Sean Chambers and Tommy Mellott threw 209 passes last season for 1,960 yards. They ran the ball 172 times for 1,360 yards and 19 touchdowns. Chambers is gone, but Mellott returns for his senior year. Each of the top 4 running backs return as well.
Still, Montana State hasn’t fared well recently when jumping up to the FBS level. Since the start of the 2014 season, the Bobcats are 0-6 against FBS teams with an average margin of defeat at 23.2 points. Four of the 6 have been non-competitive.
The defense has given up an average of 499.7 yards a game and 6.8 yards per play. The offense won’t be an issue (preseason No. 1 ranking in Connelly’s SP+); the defense is the liability for the Bobcats.
Nevada vs. SMU
- Spread: SMU -27.5
- Over/under: 58
- Moneyline: SMU -2800, Nevada +1300
SMU begins the most anticipated season in recent school history by taking on a Wolf Pack team that is expected to barely muster a whimper. According to NSN’s Chris Murray, the 27-point spread is the second-largest Nevada has faced at home since the start of the 2000 season.
The largest spread happened last season, when Nevada was a 28-point home dog to Kansas. Nevada lost that game, but it was tied at 24-all in the fourth quarter.
This is a new team, however. Jeff Choate replaces Ken Wilson, who went just 4-20 in 2 years on the job. Nevada had been to 4 consecutive bowl games prior to Wilson taking the job and now Choate takes over with a lengthy rebuild staring him in the face.
Still, there are some pieces to work with and the Wolf Pack did go 9-10 against the spread as an underdog over the last 2 years.
But SMU will stress Nevada where it is weakest — defending the pass. The Mustangs return quarterback Preston Stone after a season in which he threw for 3,197 yards and 28 touchdowns while leading all AAC passers in Total QBR. SMU was one of the most prolific teams in the country last season when it came to producing chunk plays through the air, and there’s no reason that shouldn’t continue in 2024.
After hitting just 1 over in the first 6 games last season, the Ponies went over the expected total in 5 of the final 6 regular-season games. They were 8-6 against the spread, including a 7-4 mark as the favorites.
21+ and present in NY, NJ, PA, CT, AZ, CO, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, MI, NC, NH, OH, OR, TN, VA, WV, WY. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER.
CLAIM OFFERHawaii vs. Delaware State
- Spread: Hawaii -38
- Over/under: 55.5
- Moneyline: N/A
Connelly’s SP+ has this game as a 39-point Hawaii win. The Hornets went 1-10 last season and haven’t posted a winning record since 2012. They have played 8 FBS teams since, and they’ve scored a total of 45 points. Opponents have averaged 56.6 points a game against them. Delaware State has endured a 57-0 loss to Army, a 68-0 loss to Western Michigan, a 79-0 loss to Missouri, and a 59-0 loss to Temple.
Hawaii, per Connelly’s SP+, is sixth nationally in returning production. The defense brings back 83% of last year’s production — the fourth-highest in the country. This would be a nice game to show some improvement year-over-year for the Rainbow Warriors.
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
