Best College Football Prop Bets Week 0 | CFB Picks & Predictions

College football player prop bets are always limited in Week 0. The combination of mid-major schools playing in most games and a lot of lopsided matchups makes bookmakers cautious in Week 0.

However, there are still a ton of game props to break down on nearly every sportsbook. Let’s get into the best prop bets for the action. 

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Navy Team Total Over 13.5 Points (-125 at DraftKings) vs Notre Dame

The Navy Midshipmen will battle the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the first game of the 2023 college football season. Notre Dame has lofty expectations heading into the season, and they should with quarterback Sam Hartman joining the team. 

Hartman was exceptional at Wake Forest throughout his entire career, but we don’t think his talent will result in an opening-game cover. We’re looking at the Midshipmen in this game to cover, and for this to occur, they must find the endzone. 

Navy’s team total is listed at 13.5 points, and this is an ideal bet for a few reasons. The Midshipmen have a new head coach in Brian Newberry. The Midshipmen have run triple option, but rumors have stated that the team will add some extra wrinkles to the offense. 

We don’t know what these new wrinkles are, but neither do the Fighting Irish. It’s always hard to prepare for an unknown offense. The other benefit of this wager is if Notre Dame blows out Navy, we should see some backups in this game. 

Navy can’t cover a spread in garbage time, but they can put points on the board. The Midshipmen scored 32 points on Notre Dame last season, and the Irish are returning a solid portion of their defense. 

SDSU Team Total Over 25.5 Points (-120 at DraftKings) vs Ohio

The San Diego State Aztecs are one of the better group of five teams in the country. They finished last season with a winning record, playing a much tougher schedule than Ohio. We believe the Aztecs will wear down the Bobcats throughout this game and really come alive in the second half. 

The matchup discrepancy is the reason to take San Diego State to cover the spread for a straight, and the over on their team total of 25.5. Jalen Mayden will be under center for SDSU. He didn’t start at quarterback until the middle of last season for the Aztecs, and he still threw for 2000 yards with 12 touchdowns. 

The Aztecs didn’t have a great run game last season, but they have a more experienced group up front against a MAC defensive front that showed plenty of flaws last season. 

USC Team Total Over 48.5 Points (-120 at DraftKings) vs San Jose State

USC is laying 30.5 points in their season opener against San Jose State. If I had to pick a side, I would ride with the Trojans, but this is a risky WK 0 spread.

The better play is to take USC’s team total of 48.5. I recommend jumping on this wager now, as it has a lot more value at 48.5 compared to 49 points. 

I’m fully confident the Trojans can score seven touchdowns against the Spartans. The primary reason for the confidence is quarterback Caleb Williams, who is in line to win the Heisman for his second consecutive season. Williams is the favorite to win the award and is projected to be drafted first overall in 2024. 

Williams threw for 4,537 yards last season with 42 touchdowns and an 87.6 QBR. The Trojans did lose star receiver Jordan Addison, but multiple weapons are still on this roster. 

Additionally, the defense should have multiple takeaways in this game, giving the offense extra chances to score.