By Kenny Burgess Contributor
Updated 8/4/23 8:15pm ET
The college football season is quickly approaching and we’re more than ready for the action to start. Week 0 begins Saturday, Aug. 26 and already has seen some line movement this summer.
Navy Midshipmen vs. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (-20)
Dublin, Ireland will host these two storied programs for the season opener. Notre Dame enters the game as 20-point favorites and -1100 on the moneyline. The over/under is 50.
The Fighting Irish are coming off a disappointing 9-4 record in Marcus Freeman’s coaching debut. Wake Forest transfer quarterback Sam Hartman is expected to be a difference-maker this coming year after . The 24-year-old was widely regarded as the top QB in the transfer portal.
Last year, Navy outscored the Irish 19-0 in the second half to pull within three points but an unsuccessful onside kick prevented the huge upset.
Navy will once again utilize its run-heavy triple-option offense but passing wrinkles are expected after firing coach Ken Niumatalolo, ending his 15-year tenure.
Hawai’i Rainbow Warriors @ Vanderbilt Commodores (-18)
Hawaii and Vanderbilt both struggled last season, finishing 2-6 in conference play. Vanderbilt plays in the much more competitive SEC and enters the game as -1400 favorites and is 18.5-point favorites.
Hawaii is +800 on the money and a big underdog on the road. This could be a high-scoring affair though and the over/under is set at 54.5.
San Jose St. @ USC (-29.5)
USC is supposed to be one of the top teams in the country and is led by last year’s Heisman Trophy winner, Caleb Williams. The Trojans, along with Williams, are favored by 29.5 points on their home turf.
With the potential for a USC blowout, the game total is set high at 62.5. San Jose State is a respectable Mountain West team, but isn’t much in comparison to USC. It will be a tall task for the Spartans to even cover the spread on the road.
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