The Tarleton State Texans take on the Portland State Vikings in college football Week 0 on Saturday, Aug. 23. Kickoff is set for 4:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
Tarleton State is favored by 15.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -720. The total is set at 61.5 points.
Here’s my Tarleton State vs. Portland State prediction and college football picks for Saturday, August 23.
Tarleton State vs Portland State Prediction
- Tarleton State vs. Portland State Pick: Tarleton State Team Total Over 38.5 (FanDuel)
My Portland State vs. Tarleton State best bet is on Tarleton State to cover the spread. Find the best line available on our live NCAAF odds page.
Tarleton State vs Portland State Odds
| Tarleton State Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-15.5 -115 | 61.5 -110o / -110u | -720 |
| Portland State Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+15.5 -105 | 61.5 -110o / -110u | +500 |
Tarleton State vs Portland State Preview
Tarleton State Texans Betting Preview: Defense Staying Intact
Tarleton State comes into this season after a successful 2024 campaign that saw the Texans finish with a 10-4 record and their first-ever trip to the FCS playoffs.
They were led by quarterback Victor Gabalis, who enters his third season as the starter for the Texans after throwing for 2883 yards and 23 touchdown passes last fall.
The Texans will be breaking in new pieces around Gabalis, however, as top running back Kayvon Britten — along with several key receivers — depart.
I felt Tarleton State did a solid job using the transfer portal to bolster its offensive line and skill position room. That means they'll be suited to make a deep run in the United Athletic Football Conference and potentially slide into the playoffs yet again this season.
Defensively, Tarleton State returns 11 of its top 12 tacklers from a season ago and has a deep and talented linebacker room led by Bam Smith and AJ Owens.
The secondary is experienced, with three experienced players back, led by Kasyus Kurns and Dabari Hawkins.
The defensive line returns experience and talent, along with welcoming Angelo Anderson in from Tulane, where he played in 42 career games for the Green Wave.
Portland State Vikings Betting Preview: Who's Taking Snaps?
Portland State is coming off another rough season, as the Vikings posted a 3-8 record filled with mostly non-competitive losses.
The bright spot offensively was do-it-all quarterback Dante Chachere, who led the team in both passing and rushing last season. He since graduated and Portland State hasn't named a replacement for his position for the season opener.
The quarterback battle is just one of several position battles that need to be worked out for the Vikings, as this bunch is breaking in an entirely new offensive line and new running backs.
As for the quarterback position, six players, including John-Keawe Sagapolutele and the well-traveled CJ Jordan, are vying for the opportunity to take command of the Vikings' offense.
While the offense is sorting out who will ascend to the starting lineup, the stop-unit is going through a full rebuild, with just two starters returning from a bottom-five FCS defense that surrendered 527 yards per game and 40.1 points per game in 2024.
Portland State returns one starter along the defensive line in Slade Shufelt, but it'll be breaking in new faces to the platoon that struggled mightily last season (yielded 6.6 yards per carry on the ground and registered only 10 sacks).
The back seven also sees new faces come in. These units could use plenty of help, as the Portland State pass defense numbers were down at the bottom of FCS in 2024.
The Vikings' coverage units allowed 65% completions against them, with 29 touchdown passes given up. This defense was the worst in FCS last season by a wide margin and new defensive coordinator Bryant Thomas has his work cut out for him yet again this year.
Tarleton State vs Portland State Pick, Betting Analysis
I'm stunned that Portland State hasn't settled on a quarterback, and the most recent reports show it's still splitting reps between three players with the first team offense.
I have major concerns about Portland State and its ability to move the ball consistently against a Tarleton State defense that has experience and returning talent at all three levels.
I don’t see PSU being able to effectively replace the production lost by the graduation of Chachere, which is a problem when you have a defense that can't be relied upon to do anything well.
I look for Gabalis to shine here and start this season off with a bang against a defense that's used to being roughed up badly.
The Texans offense should exploit the weak defensive front of Portland State, which is incapable of stopping the run or generating a threatening pass rush.
I would expect Tarleton State to rotate carries between Braelon Bridges and Hawaii transfer Tylan Hines while also connecting on plenty of explosive passes downfield en route to a massive offensive day here.
I'll play Tarleton State's team total over at 38.5, which is listed at FanDuel
Pick:Tarleton State Team Total Over 38.5
