Updated NCAAF Odds & Betting Lines for Week 0

Real NCAAF games that count in the standings are getting underway Saturday with Week 0 competition on seven fronts. Two top-25 squads are in action.

In Dublin, Ireland, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish are taking the field against the Navy Midshipmen in one of college football’s oldest rivalries as 20.5-point favorites. The #5-ranked USC Trojans are the 31-point chalk at home to the San Jose State Spartans.

Which games are showing the most significant line movement in the NCAAF odds? Let’s check out where the action is going. First, though, a look at the latest NCAAF Week 0 betting lines.

NCAAF Week 0 Odds

Odds as of August 25th at Caesars Sportsbook. Grab the Caesars promo code to bet on college football Week 0.

Miners Mining For Points

As they face the UTEP Miners in a game marking the Conference USA debut for both schools, everything is new for the Jacksonville State Gamecocks. They’re moving up the NCAAF ladder to FBS following a successful run as an FCS school. So it was a little bit surprising that this game’s opening line was set as a pick.

Bettors were quickly betting on the established FBS team in UTEP and that line grew to 1.5-points in favor of the Miners. UTEP was just 5-7 last season, but is returning seven starters on offense. That group of veterans includes redshirt senior quarterback Gavin Hardison. Even with this line movement, this contest maintains the shortest spread of any Week 0 game.

At the other end of the spectrum, expectations are that the #5 USC Trojans will have their way with the San Jose State Spartans. Favorites in the Pac-12 and a top contender in NCAA Championship odds at a betting line of +1000, USC is a 31-point pick over San Jose State. That number offers the largest spread in the Week 0 NCAAF betting markets.

Big Number Expected From USC

The Trojans were 11-3 last season and have Heisman Trophy-winning QB Caleb Williams back under center. Seeking to join Archie Griffin as the only two-time winner of the award, Williams is a the early chalk in the Heisman Trophy odds. He threw for 4,537 yards and 42 touchdowns last season and is expected to light up the Spartans defense. The USC-San Jose State game is set with the highest total for Week 0 at 66.5 points.

UMass is 3-37 over the school’s last 40 games and shows losses as a road underdog by an average margin of 33.7 points per game during this span. That being the case, the Week 0 smallest total of 45 points in the game between the Minutemen and New Mexico State Aggies, a 2022 bowl team, seems somewhat low.

Irish, Trojans Showing NCAAF Top-25 Line Movement

USC and #13 Notre Dame are the only schools among the NCAAF top 25 taking the field during Week 0. Both are displaying slight line movement in their games.

Traveling to Dublin, Ireland to face longtime rival Navy, the Fighting Irish have seen their spread over the Midshipmen grow from 20 to 20.5 points. This even though Navy is 6-3 against the spread in the last nine games against Notre Dame.

USC’s expected advantage over San Jose State also lengthened a touch from 30.5 to 31 points. The Spartans are 0-7 ATS in their last seven games. San Jose State is also 0-5 straight up against the Trojans.