Week 0 College Football Picks Against the Spread

• Week 0 college football kicks off Saturday, August 23rd with five exciting matchups
• Hawaii is now a small home favorite against Stanford in what could be the day’s best bet
• Read below for our top three Week 0 college football picks against the spread

College football is back, and we couldn’t be happier about it.

Week 0 gives us five games on Saturday to scratch that football itch we’ve all been nursing since January. The big story is Iowa State and Kansas State throwing down in Dublin, Ireland, at noon ET. Because apparently, we need to go overseas to make this sport even more interesting.

We’ve dug into all five games and found three solid CFB plays against the spread. Hawaii hosting Stanford jumps out as the best value, while Iowa State catching points in Ireland and Sam Houston going up against Western Kentucky complete our card.

Here’s what CFB teams we’re backing in Week 0.

College Football Picks Week 0

Odds as of August 21, 2025, at DraftKings Sportsbook. Shop our top recommended college football betting apps for the best Week 0 prices.

CFB Picks ATS #1: Hawaii -2.5 vs Stanford

Hawaii as a 2.5-point home favorite against Stanford is my top college football pick for Week 0. The Rainbow Warriors went 6-1 ATS at home last season and are 5-1-1 ATS in their last six games at the Ching Complex. Hawaii’s home field advantage creates real edges that bettors consistently undervalue.

Stanford, meanwhile, is a complete mess right now. They fired head coach Troy Taylor in March after he allegedly mistreated staff, then brought in Frank Reich as a one-year band-aid solution. Nothing says “stable program” like a coaching carousel in the offseason.

The Cardinal have won exactly three games in each of the last four seasons. Three. They aren’t thriving as underdogs either, posting an ugly 30% cover rate when catching points since 2020.

Meanwhile, Hawaii has something special in freshman quarterback Micah Alejado. The youngster threw for 469 yards and five touchdowns in his first career start against New Mexico last season. He hasn’t thrown a pick since high school and completed nearly 70% of his passes down the stretch.

Don’t sleep on the travel factor either. Stanford is making a 2,400-mile trek to play at 4:30 p.m. local time. Hawaii gets to wake up in their own beds while Stanford is still figuring out what time zone they’re in.

The line movement tells the story here. Stanford opened as a 2.5-point dog, but now Hawaii is laying the points. Sharp money is all over the home team.

• Pick: Hawaii -2.5 (-108)

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CFB ATS Picks #2: Iowa State +3 vs Kansas State

Another CFB pick I’m targeting is Iowa State +3 against Kansas State in Dublin. A main reason? Matt Campbell knows how to gameplan against K-State. Iowa State has won four of the last five meetings and five of the last seven. They’re also 4-0-1 ATS in their last five games against the Wildcats.

The numbers back up this bet, too. ISU went 8-6 ATS last season while Kansas State limped to 4-9 ATS. The Cyclones are 5-1 ATS in their last six as underdogs, while K-State couldn’t cover in five of their last six games overall.

Both teams are dealing with jet lag and overseas travel, but history says bet the dog in Ireland. Georgia Tech and Northwestern both won outright as conference underdogs in previous Dublin games. Something about that neutral site levels the playing field.

Quarterback Rocco Becht has a touchdown pass in 18 straight games. That’s an FBS record and exactly the kind of consistency you want in a weird Week 0 spot. At FanDuel, 72% of the money is on Iowa State getting the points, which means the pros like what they see.

• Pick: Iowa State +3 (-110)

CFB Picks ATS #3: Sam Houston +10 vs Western Kentucky

Wrapping up our Week 0 college football picks is a play on Sam Houton +10 vs WKU. 10 points feels like too many for a team that’s not as broken as everyone thinks.

Yes, the Bearkcats lost coach K.C. Keeler to Temple, but they brought back Phil Longo, who was their offensive coordinator from 2014-16. Longo knows this program inside and out from their best years. That’s not exactly starting from scratch.

Western Kentucky, on the other hand, has to replace their top 12 tacklers from last season. Twelve. They’re also installing a new 3-3-5 defense with co-coordinators who are basically learning on the job. That’s a tough ask for Week 0.

Hunter Watson is back under center for Sam Houston after throwing for 1,811 yards and 12 touchdowns last season while adding 647 rushing yards. He’s a dual-threat who can create when plays break down, which they will early in the season.

Conference USA is notorious for unpredictable results, especially in Week 0. Both teams have major roster turnover. Western Kentucky returns 34% of production while Sam Houston returns 40%. This creates variance that favors the underdog getting double-digit points.

• Pick: Sam Houston +10 (-108)