Hello, friends. College football is finally back with a pair of Week 0 games that couldn’t be much further away from each other if they tried.
The opener to the season in FBS pits Florida against Miami (FL) as the two in-state rivals (term used fairly loosely, since they don’t meet all that often) square off in Orlando. The night cap comes all the way from the big island, as Arizona will make its longest trip of the year to face the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors in Aloha Stadium.
It’s just two games, but that’s two games more than we’ve had on a Saturday in eight months, so it’s something to be celebrated and, of course, offers an opportunity for winners. I’m back to bring you my best bets each week. Last year we went 112-104-2 in picks, which meant we slowly bled out the tiniest bit of juice in column picks, but came very close to a profitable year. We’re looking to turn in a profit this season, and that starts with three Week 0 winners coming your way.
Note: As always, lines come courtesy of the Westgate Las Vegas Super Book at time of writing.
Florida (-7) vs. Miami (FL) and UNDER 46 (Saturday, 7:00 p.m. ET)
I bet this a couple weeks ago and got the total at 50, which I like a whole lot more than 46, but I’m greedy and think we’ve got two defenses that will be ready to rock in the opener and keep this thing pretty low-scoring. Add in a freshman quarterback for Miami making his first start and Manny Diaz making his debut as Hurricanes head coach, and you’ll understand why I think the Gators in Dan Mullen’s second season will cover the number. Florida’s good right now while Miami is a team I expect to be better later in the year. This is a tough opener for the Canes and will effectively be a Gators home game in Orlando.
Arizona at Hawaii UNDER 74 (Saturday, 10:30 p.m. ET)
Because there are only two games this doesn’t count as a SUPER TILT PLAY OF THE WEEK (which went 5-2 last year), but it’s still a nice nightcap on the big island. I’m tempted to take the Bows, but they’ve been horrid ATS at home, so instead, we’re just going to make a principle play on the Under. That 74 number just feels too high as it’s climbed from 70 last week. I get why it’s a high total and we’ll be holding onto our butts in the fourth quarter, but I have faith that my boys on the island will take care of us.
