The college football season begins with a wide range of activity, featuring matchups involving some top-25 teams, including one overseas in Ireland. With all the excitement leading up to another excellent year, don’t overlook the value in Week 0. There are a couple of areas with lesser-known teams where the spread or total simply doesn’t reflect the teams’ talent levels. There may only be two ranked teams playing this weekend, but that opens the door for smaller games with larger edges. Let’s dive into my college football parlay picks for Week 0, including a pick for UMass-New Mexico State and UTEP-Jacksonville State!
Looking for more 2023 college football predictions? OddsShopper’s experts are here to break down this college football season — make sure to check out the rest of our college football articles, including our best bets for Week 0. If you still need more picks, our market-based betting model might just be for you — or try it out now!
Best College Football Week 0 Parlay
Week 0 Parlay Pick: UMass-New Mexico State
The New Mexico State Aggies saw a significant jump on defense in head coach Jerry Kill’s first season. So much of that was because of efficient play from the linebacker position combined with some help up front. The middle of Kill’s defense lost a couple of key starters, and it’s just hard to give this unit any true benefit they will plug those holes by Saturday. Their secondary wasn’t strong enough to force enough turnovers, an area of attack for the Minutemen. Even the New Mexico State offensive line lost some key starters, and although this is their home opener, don’t expect them to blow out UMass.
The UMass squad saw Dom Brown take over and, despite a 1-11 record, the team made significant strides of their own on defense. They return eight starters from last year’s unit and should immediately show signs of continued growth by stopping a heavy dose of the run game from New Mexico State. The Minutemen get a boost of stability at the quarterback position and return nearly all of their starting offensive linemen. Those are major spots for continuity through the first week of the following season.
College Football Parlay Pick: UMass +7.5
Week 0 Parlay Pick: UTEP-Jacksonville State
The Jacksonville State Gamecocks open their season at home, but this is far from any typical home opener. Think of the magnitude behind a school’s entire population celebrating their arrival to their new home, Conference USA. Jokes aside, this is a major move for this school after they won the ASUN Conference last year. Rich Rodriguez loves offense, and the environment at home will call for some points. The offensive-minded head coach already has a knack for pushing the tempo and putting up tons of points on the scoreboard — add nearly all of his offense returning, and it’s a great recipe for scoring. The fact that the defense might be an issue or has been just flat-out neglected by Rodriguez will only help the over.
The UTEP Miners rely a bunch on their run game to move the ball downfield. They may look like a clock-chewing team, but it actually fuels points when UTEP is pushing for big gains on multiple plays each drive. They may have to throw the ball to keep up with Jacksonville State if the Gamecocks can get an early lead, but the heavier focus on the run game won’t eat into this total. Expect Gavin Hardison to be a little more comfortable in the pocket, as four top offensive linemen also return. UTEP did lose its leading rusher from last year but slides in veteran Deion Hawkins to take on the brunt of the role. The offense should pick up and push the Gamecocks to return fire. Expect Rodriguez to welcome the challenge.
College Football Parlay Pick: UTEP-Jacksonville State Over 53.5
College Football Week 0 Parlay Final Odds
UMass +7.5 -110
UTEP-Jacksonville State Over 53.5 -105
= +273 via FanDuel Sportsbook
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