Dublin, Ireland will host the first game of the 2024 college football season as No. 10 Florida State faces Georgia Tech on Saturday at noon ET. It’s one of four matchups on the Week 0 college football schedule and the lone Power 4 contest. The other games you can make Week 0 college football bets on are New Mexico vs. Montana State (4 p.m. ET), SMU vs. Nevada (8 p.m. ET), and Hawaii vs. Delaware State (midnight ET).
The slimmest of the Week 0 college football spreads has Montana State as an 8.5-point favorite over New Mexico, while the largest has the Rainbow Warriors favored by 38.5 points over Delaware State. With the uncertainty that always comes with early-season football and not knowing what to expect from teams, it could be beneficial to seek out some college football betting advice. Before locking in any college football picks for Week 0 of the 2024 season, be sure to see the college football betting guide from legendary Vegas handicapper Bruce Marshall.
For years Vegas-based Marshall was synonymous with The Gold Sheet, the famed sports betting newsletter. With a background in play-by-play work and sports information while in college, Marshall joined TGS in 1981 when hired by the legendary Mort Olshan and served as executive editor for many years.
An in-demand guest on numerous sports talk radio and TV shows across the country, Bruce’s vast array of editorial work has been featured in the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the New York Post and many other outlets. He has won various handicapping titles and also is working on several book projects.
Now, using his Tech Corner technique that evaluates all the trends, Marshall has turned his attention to the latest college football odds for Week 0 and evaluated each matchup. Head here to see every pick.
Top college football predictions for Week 0
One of the top college football picks Marshall is recommending for Week 0: He says the trends point to SMU covering on the road against Nevada in an 8 p.m. ET kickoff on CBS Sports Network. SMU brings back 15 starters from last year’s team which was among the most balanced in the nation. The Mustangs were one of just five teams to rank in the top 12 in the country in both scoring offense and scoring defense, while Nevada was on the opposite end of those rankings. The Wolf Pack struggled on both sides of the ball last year and were one of just three FBS teams to rank in the bottom 16 in both scoring offense and scoring defense.
Just six teams in the nation allowed more than the 5.4 yards per carry that Nevada did in 2023, and the Mustangs return their top three running backs, who combined for 1,731 yards and 16 touchdowns in 2023. With SMU’s strengths going up against Nevada’s weaknesses, Marshall has the Mustangs covering the spread. Additionally, he likes the Under (57) given the fact that Nevada will struggle to contribute to the total, given that it had the same number of turnovers (20) as offensive touchdowns last year. See which other picks to make here.
How to make college football picks for Saturday, Aug. 24
Marshall has evaluated every other matchup and he’s found a critical 12-3 betting trend in the big FSU vs. Georgia Tech matchup. Get betting analysis for each matchup at SportsLine.
So what college football picks can you make with confidence, and what alarming trend do you need to know about in the week’s biggest game? Check out the latest college football odds below, then visit SportsLine to see which teams to back, all from the legendary Vegas expert who has won multiple handicapping titles, and find out.
College football odds for Saturday, Aug. 24
See full Week 0 college football picks, odds, predictions here
Saturday, Aug. 24
Florida State vs. Georgia Tech (+10.5, 55.5)
Montana State at New Mexico (+11.5, 54.5)
SMU at Nevada (+24.5, 56.5)
Delaware State at Hawaii (-40.5, 57.5)
