The 2026 college football season is about to crash land, and it’s starting with a bang across the Atlantic! Bill Belichick’s Tar Heels are set to kick things off against TCU in Dublin, Ireland, this Saturday, August 29th. Get ready for some wild Week 0 action that wraps up all the way out in Las Vegas.
Big Spreads, Wild Underdogs, and FCS History!
This Week 0 slate is giving us a real mixed bag right off the bat, isn’t it? We’ve got No. 14 USC coming in as an absolutely monstrous 38.5-point favorite over San Jose State. I mean, 38.5 points! That’s not just a spread, that’s practically a whole separate game on top of a game. Florida State is also laying down a massive 31.5 points against New Mexico State. These are your two *major* outliers, where the oddsmakers aren’t even pretending it’ll be close. They’re basically saying, “Don’t even bother.” But hold up, because the other six games? Those are all sitting with single-digit spreads. That’s where the real drama, the real nail-biters, are gonna be. Who doesn’t love a close game to kick off the season, right? And speaking of wild cards and making history, North Dakota State, an FCS powerhouse that has stacked up *ten* championships at that level, is officially making its FBS debut! The Bison are hosting the JSU Gamecocks, and they’re favored by 6.5 points. Can you imagine the buzz around that campus? Talk about a statement game right out of the gate! It’s gonna be fascinating to see how they handle the jump.
The SportsLine Model Is Screaming ‘Virginia!’ for a Reason
Alright, so you’ve got your favorites, you’ve got your underdogs, but what does the super-smart computer say? Forget your gut feelings for a second, because SportsLine’s proven model is already making waves with its 2026 Week 0 picks, and this thing is no joke. It simulates every FBS game *10,000 times*! Seriously, that’s dedication. This model has been on a ridiculous 31-19 run on top-rated CFB money-line picks since the 2024 season, and they’ve even upgraded it this year to factor in the transfer portal better. That’s a huge deal for college football, as we all know. Their absolute top pick for Week 0? Virginia (-5.5) covering against NC State in a 3:30 p.m. ET kickoff. And they’ve got some *serious* receipts. Why are they so confident? Well, UVA racked up 9 ATS wins last year, and only national runner-up Miami topped them in the entire ACC. That’s a strong track record! Plus, this game got a last-minute relocation from Rio de Janeiro all the way back to Virginia. You gotta believe that’s a home-field boost for the Cavs, especially when you look at NC State’s struggles on the road. The Wolfpack went a dismal 0-4 ATS as a road underdog in 2025! Think about that: they were the *only* Power 4 team to fail to cover in at least four games as a road dog. Ouch! Add in NC State’s equally dismal 0-4 ATS streak on season openers, contrasted with UVA’s stellar 6-1 ATS record over their last seven season openers against unranked squads? The model is shouting it from the digital rooftops: Virginia covers well over 50% of the time. That’s not just a hunch; that’s a statistically backed conviction from the algorithms!
So, while you’re getting hyped for Bill Belichick’s Tar Heels to kick off, don’t sleep on that Virginia game. The computer model is all-in on the Cavs for a reason, and those trends are screaming pretty loud. We’re about to dive headfirst into another wild college football season, and if Week 0 is any indication, it’s gonna be an absolute rollercoaster from Dublin, Ireland, all the way to the bright lights of Las Vegas. Get ready, folks, because college football is officially BACK!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by CBS Sports.
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