We made it. After a long offseason, we finally have real college football games on Saturday.
The Week 0 slate kicks off in Dublin, Ireland, with the TCU Horned Frogs taking on the North Carolina Tar Heels in Year 2 of the Bill Belichick era.
Then, we come back stateside for a high-scoring affair on the West Coast between Lincoln Riley's USC Trojans and Ken Niumatalolo's San Jose State Spartans.
Finally, we'll close it out with a big ACC clash between the Virginia Cavaliers and NC State Wolfpack.
I broke down all three games and came through with at least one best bet for each, so let's dive into my college football picks and NCAAF predictions for the Week 0 slate on Saturday, Aug. 29.
College Football Picks, Predictions for Week 0
The team logos in the table below represent each of the matchups that Action Network senior writer Collin Wilson is targeting from Saturday's slate of Week 0 games. Click on the team logos for any of the matchups below to navigate to a specific bet discussed in this article.
| Game | Time (ET) | Pick |
|---|---|---|
  | 12 p.m. | |
  | 3 p.m. | |
  | 3:30 p.m. | |
Specific betting recommendations come from the sportsbook offering preferred odds as of writing. Always shop for the best price using our NCAAF Odds page, which automatically surfaces the best lines for every game. | ||
TCU vs North Carolina Pick
UNC Tar Heels
Billy Edwards Jr., formerly of Wisconsin and Maryland, was named starting quarterback by head coach Bill Belichick at the end of camp.
The super senior beat out Texas A&M transfer Miles O'Neill, redshirt freshman Au'Tori Newkirk and true freshman Travis Burgess.
Belichick's endorsement was blunt, saying Edwards "has more experience than all the other quarterbacks put together times five."
Edwards is the definition of a high-floor, mistake-limiting quarterback, a player whose stated mantra is "mitigating risk" and who said he made roughly 1,000 flash cards to master new coordinator Bobby Petrino's playbook.
That matters, because Petrino was hired to overhaul an offense that ranked among the nation's worst in Belichick's debut season.
Edwards' best season came in his last at Maryland during 2024, a 2,881-yard campaign with a 15:9 touchdown-to-interception line on roughly 423 attempts.
The highlight plays outnumbered the mistakes, generating an 18:12 big-time-throw-to-turnover-worthy-play ratio. The deep ball was a factor that season, as 17 big-time throws came over 20 yards.
The Tar Heels' secondary is the most vulnerable part of the defense. North Carolina will field a mix of returning starters and key transfers. The biggest issue is the absence of defensive coordinator Steve Belichick.
The son of head coach Bill Belichick has a tremendous record of creating Havoc-minded defenses that shut down opponents' passing games, dating back to his college football start at Washington.
TCU Horned Frogs
TCU walks into Dublin as the more settled, more physical team, even in a transition year.
Head coach Sonny Dykes handed the offense to new coordinator Gordon Sammis, who comes over from UConn, where his unit ranked 15th nationally in scoring at 36.9 points a game.
Sammis brings a run-first, physical-line identity that should lift a ground game that limped to just 131 yards per contest last season.
The new trigger man is Harvard transfer Jaden Craig, who comes in for Indiana transfer Josh Hoover. Dykes wants him used as a runner behind the improved front.
The one caveat for Week 0 could be weather, with a 40% chance of rain. That could limit Craig and Sammis in keeping the script vanilla early rather than airing it out.
The offensive line returns anchors in left guard Cade Bennett and Outland Trophy Watch List tackle Ben Taylor-Whitfield. Tackle Ryan Hughes is back after a season-ending knee injury in 2025 to provide depth to the Frogs' trench.
The defensive line is arguably the roster's biggest strength. Markis Deal, Ansel Din-Mbuh and Paul Oyewale bring a combined 89 games and 43 starts into Andy Avalos's 4-2-5, and the front returned essentially everyone from a year ago.
Against a rebuilding North Carolina team, TCU controlling the line of scrimmage on both sides is the straightest path to covering.
The one crack in the profile is the back end, and it widened late.
Reigning Conference USA Co-Defensive Player of the Year Jacob Fields, the Louisiana Tech transfer who was in line to replace second-round NFL Draft pick Bud Clark at safety, was dismissed on Aug. 18 for a violation of team rules.
It followed an Aug. 13 locker-room altercation with a teammate that campus police logged as a potential aggravated assault.
That thins a secondary that was already TCU's shakiest level. The free safety job now falls to redshirt junior Jordan Lester, who has just 18 career tackles. If UNC has any way to stress the deep middle early, that's the spot to attack.
TCU vs North Carolina Prediction
The trench advantage belongs to TCU on both sides of the ball.
The key to a Petrino offense is the ability to establish the run. Two running backs will look to create explosives for the Tar Heels, starting with Benjamin Hall.
However, the former Michigan Wolverine has been lackluster in open space, generating just 2.5 yards after first contact and forcing only 12 missed tackles a season ago.
Demon June will also be a ground component for North Carolina, but he struggled in 84 attempts last year, producing just 15 forced missed tackles.
The TCU defensive line has the size to limit Petrino's ground attack.
Look for the Horned Frogs' playbook to start conservatively under the Dublin sky, which could produce precipitation. North Carolina's vulnerability in coverage will give the Horned Frogs sustained drives and scoring opportunities.
As for UNC's offense, Edwards' chance to throw downfield will only come with successful rushing attempts that set up the play-action pass.
Pick: TCU -7.5 · 1H Under 24 -120 or Better
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USC vs San Jose State Pick
San Jose State Spartans
Late into camp, offensive coordinator Craig Stutzmann and head coach Ken Niumatalolo determined a starting quarterback for San Jose State.
Hawaii transfer Luke Weaver earned the job over redshirt freshman Robert McDaniel and true freshman Daniel Rolovich in a race Niumatalolo called "agonizingly tight."
Weaver won the position because of his ability to process on offense.
San Jose State looks to rebound after a 2025 season that saw its offense commit 10 fumbles and 17 interceptions.
Weaver was an early starter at Hawaii in 2025 against Sam Houston and Portland, but he ended the 2025 campaign with more turnover-worthy plays than big-time throws.
HAWAI'I GOES FOR IT ON 4TH DOWN TO ICE THE GAME WITH A 1ST DOWN AND INSTEAD LUKE "DREAM" WEAVER THROWS A BEAUTIFUL TOUCHDOWN!
WE LOVE YOU HAWAI'I pic.twitter.com/C6uqn20YAP
— Sickos Committee (@SickosCommittee) September 7, 2025
The one group genuinely rebuilt for the better is the receiver room, with Jordan Anderson, Anthony Ivey and Jerry McClure joining holdovers Tama Amisone and Cooper Hoch.
Wide receiver Malachi Riley also returned to practice after a lower-body injury ended his 2025 season in Week 1.
A fresh offensive line will have its first test of the season, as portal tackles Brian Tapu and Ikinasio Tupou draw their first live Power 4 pass-rush test in the Coliseum.
Coordinator Bojay Filimoeatu enters Year 2 of his scheme with a copious amount of questions on the defensive line after the unit generated just 17 sacks in 2025.
The linebacker unit will be the most credentialed group on the roster, with redshirt senior Ethan Powell and junior Naseri Danielson both carrying preseason All-Mountain West honors.
On a positive note, special teams continues to be a strength for Niumatalolo. Both kicker Trajan Sinatra and punter Trent Carrizosa earned preseason second-team All-Mountain West honors.
USC Trojans
USC will enter the 2026 season with Jayden Maiava under center once again, entering his third season with the Trojans.
The senior was dominant in 2025, posting 25 touchdowns to 10 interceptions and a low 2.6% turnover-worthy play rate in a clean pocket.
The supporting cast is loaded, led by a pair of running backs in Waymond Jordan and King Miller. Before an injury ended his season, Jordan was averaging more than five yards after first contact.
USC JC Transfer Waymond Jordan is an electric RB. Made for Lincoln Riley's offense pic.twitter.com/S7RtWSD3Ft
— Billy M (@BillyM_91) August 30, 2025
A new hire at defensive coordinator, Gary Patterson, certainly caught attention in the offseason. The former TCU head coach had aggressive top-five defenses in the past, as the USC defensive front is expected to be Havoc-minded.
The questions come on the second and third levels, where numerous names on the two-deep depth chart lack experience. Patterson's 4-2-5 scheme will depend on fast linebackers with correct tackling fundamentals.
Desman Stephens II will lead the group to start the season, but the defensive back group must produce in games beyond San Jose State.
USC vs San Jose State Prediction
The transfer portal continues to take the quality players from San Jose State, sending Niumatalolo into another season of rebuilding a roster.
The loss of wide receiver Danny Scudero will force the Spartans to start over in finding playmakers for the spread-and-shred offense.
Weaver does have game experience under center, but a beefed-up USC defensive line could have the quarterback scrambling from the first snap.
This is a game in which USC head coach Lincoln Riley can name his score. This isn't a lookahead spot for the Trojans with upcoming games against Fresno State and Louisiana taking place in the Coliseum.
Riley is no stranger to naming his offensive score, beating Missouri State and Georgia Southern by a combined 99 points last season. In the previous two seasons, USC plowed Utah State, 48-0, and Nevada, 66-14.
The Action Network Power Ratings suggest the spread should reside at USC -39.5, as the market has bounced between 38.5 and 40 through the week leading up to kickoff.
Using our key betting numbers in totals, the current number resides between the keys of 59 and 62. The best bet may be to avoid the unknown of the San Jose State skill-position players and the USC secondary.
Riley will be sure to get as many touches as possible for his running backs and a fresh litter of wide receivers needing targets.
Pick: USC Team Total Over 49.5 or Better
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Virginia vs NC State Pick
NC State Wolfpack
The weight of the NC State offense will fall on the shoulders of quarterback CJ Bailey. The junior is back on the Maxwell Watch List after a breakout 2025 after denying transfer suitors in the offseason.
Offensive coordinator Kurt Roper will work a second consecutive season with Bailey, as the pair look to identify help at all other positions.
Starting with the trench, East Carolina transfer Jimarion McCrimon is expected to protect Bailey's blindside. McCrimon allowed 28 pressures over the past two seasons, a data point that could give any opponent a Havoc opportunity.
The receiver room brings a large question mark to start the season after the Wolfpack lost their top four targets. Buffalo transfer Victor Snow joins after receiving 88 targets and posting 1.8 yards per route run out of the slot for the Bulls.
Miami transfer JoJo Trader is limited on experience, with just 19 career targets over the past two seasons.
The lone offensive bright spot outside Bailey is lead back Jayden "Duke" Scott, a tackle-breaker who averaged 3.5 yards after contact and forced 32 missed tackles a season ago.
Pack make a statement in Tampa 🐺
NC State takes down Memphis, 31-7, in the Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl!
CJ Bailey: 221 YDS, 2 TD + rush TD
Jayden “Duke” Scott: 108 RUSH YDS
Cade Fordham: 13 TKLS, INT@PackFootball | @PackAthletics | #GoPackpic.twitter.com/00nUFpSYSB— ACC Digital Network (@theACCDN) December 19, 2025
Defensively, NC State has to replace its entire defensive front six, a rebuild that could be a negative factor through September.
Portal additions such as Harvey Dyson and Joseph Adedire will recreate the pass rush up front, while tackle Isaiah Shirley and nose tackle Josiah Victor will be key leaders on the defense.
The defensive backfield may be on pause as Jamel Johnson's fifth year of eligibility awaits an NCAA ruling.
Virginia Cavaliers
ACC Coach of the Year Tony Elliott will look to repeat as a conference stronghold. The Cavaliers lost the conference championship game last year but put together a surprising 11-win season.
New quarterback Beau Pribula was expected to leave Missouri for his old coach, James Franklin, at Virginia Tech, but ultimately chose the Hoos before winning the starting job.
Virginia returns one of the most experienced offensive lines in the ACC, with five grad-student linemen led by All-ACC tackle McKale Boley.
The bigs in the middle will create holes for Middle Tennessee transfer Jekail Middlebrook, who averaged 4.1 yards after first contact and has climbed to the top of the running back depth chart. Tennessee transfer Peyton Lewis serves as a physical complement who scored 10 touchdowns across two years in Knoxville.
I can't wait to see RB Jekail Middlebrook in a Virginia uniform in 2026. 🔶⚔️🔷 #GoHoos#UVA#collegefootballpic.twitter.com/0N7UcOtQnp
— Matt Wilson (@CoachWilson66) July 18, 2026
The Cavaliers utilized the transfer portal to populate a defense that returns just a handful of starters.
The secondary and defensive line interior will lean on Group of 6 players, but the status of a key linebacker will be important for Virginia. Kam Robinson will be a game-time decision after rehabbing an ACL.
Virginia vs NC State Prediction
From an offensive perspective, there are more questions than answers for NC State. Bailey will look for new targets in the passing game, assuming a new blindside tackle can resolve pressure issues from previous seasons.
Virginia defensive coordinator John Rudzinski won't shy away from aggressiveness, as the Cavaliers finished top-25 in Defensive Havoc last season.
A veteran offensive line will help Pribula get comfortable with a new offense, as the all-grad student trench should boost the running game.
Running backs Peyton Lewis and Jekail Middlebrook may be the new thunder-and-lightning combination of all ACC backfield stables.
With the Wolfpack potentially missing a key component in the secondary and a nose tackle who has been ruled ineligible, the Wahoos should be able to sustain drives and create scoring changes.
The early projection from Action Network makes the game a pick'em, with home-field advantage making the Cavaliers a small favorite.
This spread has been on the move, but Virginia may have the upper hand in the first half with a roster that boasts more continuity.
Pick: Virginia 1H -2.5
