The 2025 College Football season gets underway with a Week 0 schedule on Saturday, including the Aer Lingus Classic in Dublin, Ireland. That game features a battle of Top 25 teams, with the Kansas State Wildcats and Iowa State Cyclones tangling on ESPN at 12 p.m. ET. We’ll cobble together the best 2- and 3-team parlay for the opening weekend of FBS action.
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Saturday’s Best College Football Week 0 Picks & Bets
Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook | All bets are for 1 unit
Iowa State Cyclones (+134) at Kansas State Wildcats (-162) | O/U 50.5 (-115/-105)
The Iowa State Cyclones and Kansas State Wildcats meet at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland in a battle between a pair of teams ranked in the preseason Top 25. This is not only the biggest game of the weekend, but it will have championship implications for the race in the Big 12 conference, as both of these are expected to contend for the league title.
QB Rocco Becht is back for the Cyclones, but he might feel a bit lonely, with a pair of 1,000-yard receivers having moved on. There isn’t a lot of experience back among the receivers, although he will have a solid veteran offensive line to operate behind.
For the Wildcats, QB Avery Johnson is a tremendous dual-threat option, he is behind a loaded O-line, and he has RB Dylan Edwards with him in the backfield, as well as reliable TE targets Garrett Oakley and Will Swanson.
Iowa State leads the all-time series 54-50-2, including a pair of wins in the past two seasons. The Cyclones have won four of the past five meetings, too. However, it’s a good idea to lean to Kansas State laying the little bit of points, as the offense should be a little less disjointed.
For the total, look to the Under, as we could get a little bit of a slow start, as these teams have a lengthy travel period to get to Ireland. Their internal clocks are each six hours behind, so technically, the kickoff will be 6 a.m. CT. That could mean the teams are sluggish out of the gate before settling in.
Picks: Kansas State -3 (-110) & Under 50.5 Points (-105)
Fresno State Bulldogs (+375) at Kansas Jayhawks (-500) | O/U 50.5 (-114/-106)
This will be the first-ever matchup between these institutions on the gridiron, and it takes place at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium in Lawrence, with a 6:30 p.m. ET kickoff on FOX.
Fresno State went to a bowl last season, falling to Northern Illinois in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl after a 6-6 regular season. The Bulldogs were 2-4 straight up (SU) on the road, and a respectable 3-2-1 against the spread (ATS) in those games. The Under was 4-2 in six road games for Fresno State, too.
For Kansas, it ranks middle of the pack, in terms of preseason championship odds (+1500) to win the Big 12. That puts them right behind Iowa State, who is in the Top 25 preseason rankings, so the Jayhawks are expected to be a bowl team after missing the postseason by one win last season.
With QB Jalon Daniels back to full health, the Jayhawks should be a very good team again, capable of getting to six or seven victories, especially if he can cut down on his miscues. He pulled it down and ran for 447 yards and six scores, too, so he is dangerous in that aspect, too.
Still, this is an awful lot of points for a Kansas team to be laying against a bowl team from last season. KU should get the job done, but take Fresno with the points. And, playing the total, let’s go low, as these teams take a little while to get going.
Picks: Fresno State +12.5 (-104) & Under 50.5 Points (-106)
It might be never before we get used to this: Stanford, of the Atlantic Coast Conference, won three games in 12 tries last season. Head coach Frank Reich takes the reins, looking to turn things around in Palo Alto. QB Ben Gulbranson, formerly of Oregon State, could be a decent improvement under center. RB Tuna Altahir looks to swim to the top of the depth chart, after transferring in from Eastern Washington. He could be a star in the making, while WRs Caden High and David Pantelis looking to develop rapport with Gulbranson.
The Cardinal defense hasn’t been very good for a long time, and that doesn’t look to change anytime soon.
Timmy Chang begins Year No. 4 at the helm, and this is a team which could contend for a bowl in 2025. QB Micah Alejado can move the offense, as was evidenced by his 469-yard, 5-TD performance against New Mexico in the regular-season finale in 2024. He has WR Pofele Ashlock to work with, and WR Nick Cenacle is also a proven pass catcher. This could be a prolific pass attack.
On D, the Warriors were much better in 2024, and they look to make another jump up the standings in 2025. Defensive coordinator Dennis Thurman has done wonders getting Hawai’i to cut down the big-yardage plays allowed.
Hawai’i is worth playing, and we’ll go high on the total here in the islands.
Picks: Hawai’i -2.5 (-105) & Over 50.5 Points (-110)
Best Parlays for Saturday:
Best SGP (2 Picks – +257): Kansas State -3.5 (-106) & Under 50.5 Points (-105)
Best Multi-Leg Parlay (3 Picks – +647: K-State/Iowa State – Under 50.5 Points (-105), Fresno State +12.5 (-104) & Hawai’i -2.5 (-105)
