2024 college football Week 0 picks against the spread, odds, lines, trends: Top Vegas expert makes picks

The 2024 college football schedule kicks off with four games on Saturday, Aug. 24, and this season we'll see a high-profile ACC matchup during Week 0. No. 10 Florida State will take on Georgia Tech in Dublin, Ireland, with kickoff scheduled for noon ET. Meanwhile, other Division I college football matchups include SMU vs. Nevada , New Mexico vs. Montana State and Hawaii vs. Delaware State.

The Seminoles are 12.5-point favorites over the Yellow Jackets while the over/under is listed at 56.5 in the latest Week 0 college football odds. So who wins the 2024 Aer Lingus College Football Classic in Dublin, and what other Week 0 college football lines should you be targeting? 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 against Nevada in that 8 p.m. ET kickoff at Mackey Stadium on CBS Sports Network.

The Mustangs are coming off an 11-3 season where they finished ranked at the end of the season for the first time since 1984. Now head coach Rhett Lashlee takes on a new challenge with SMU officially joining the ACC. The program returns its four leading receivers from last year's squad as well as leading rusher Jaylan Knighton , and starting quarterback Preston Stone is on the Davey O'Brien watch list as one of the nation's top returning quarterbacks.

Meanwhile, Nevada is coming off back-to-back two-win seasons under Kevin Wilson and has now turned to former Texas assistant and Montana State head coach Jeff Choate. The Wolfpack failed to cover the spread in three of their last four games in 2023 while SMU was 6-3 against the number over its last nine and is 6-1 ATS in its last seven against Mountain West opponents. 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 (+12.5, 56.5)

Montana State at New Mexico (+8.5, 53.5)

SMU at Nevada (+26, 57)

Delaware State at Hawaii (-37.5, 55.5)