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

College football kicks off on Saturday with a four-game slate that begins in Ireland. Florida State vs. Georgia Tech will take place in Dublin and has FSU as 10.5-point favorites per the latest Week 0 college football odds. The day will end in Honolulu as Hawaii hosts Delaware State. The DSU Hornets will make the 5,000 mile journey to the Aloha State, where the Rainbow Warriors are favored by 40.5 points, according to the Week 0 college football spreads.

Given the large number, and with Delaware State being an FCS school, this contest could be more of a Hawaiian vacation for DSU than a competitive game. However, 40.5 is a huge number, so how confident should you feel in backing Hawaii with Week 0 college football predictions? 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 at Mackey Stadium.

The Mustangs boast a high-octane offense that ranked eighth in college football with 38.7 points per game last season. The focal point of that offense is QB Preston Stone who led the AAC in both passer rating and passing yards per attempt a year ago. Stone has won each of his last eight starts with 22 total touchdowns versus three interceptions over that stretch. Now, he and SMU get to face a Wolf Pack defense which allowed 33.4 PPG last season, ranking 118th out of 133 FBS programs.

Nevada also lacks the offensive firepower to counter SMU's attack as the Wolf Pack were even statistically worse on offense than defense. Nevada posted the fifth-worst scoring offense in 2023 with twice as many interceptions (12) as TD passes (six). SMU should jump out to an early lead and then coast to an easy victory, which is why Marshall likes the Mustangs (-24.5) to cover and for the Under (55.5) to hit, considering Nevada's lackluster offense. 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, 55.5)

Delaware State at Hawaii (-40.5, 57.5)