The sport we all love is back. Well, kind of. College football week 0 is a hodgepodge of matchups which makes it hard to build a nice parlay. Most sportsbooks aren’t touching games involving FCS teams which means there are only seven contests to bet on. It is slim pickings to say the least.
But beggars can’t be choosers and we are still building a parlay, although the payout is paltry by our standards. Before we begin, let’s revisit our stats from 2021:
College Football Record in 2021
Moneyline: 16-20 (All Underdogs/Pick’ems)
ATS: 5-11
Parlays hit: 1 (Won $456.73)
More College Football: Ranking the Mountain West Conference football stadiums
There is nothing left to do but introduce The Touchback’s college football week 0 parlay. Odds from BetMGM.
The Touchback’s college football week 0 parlay
Game 1
Charlotte 49ers at Florida Atlantic
The pick: Charlotte +7.5 (-110)
Two 5-7 sides open C-USA play to start the season and this looks like it could be a close contest. Florida Atlantic has been fairly poor offensively since Willie Taggart took over as Head Coach, but they face a Charlotte defense that has issues of its own. Meanwhile, the 49ers offense is sound but will be going up against one of the conference’s better defenses. There may not be a ton of points here and that lends itself to being a one-score game.
Game 2
Nevada Wolfpack at New Mexico State
The pick: Nevada -7.5 (-110)
Apart from two SEC body bag games, New Mexico State didn’t suffer any humiliating defeats during a 2021 schedule that featured six contests against Mountain West schools. On the other hand, they failed to keep things closer than nine points. Nevada may be starting the season with a new head coach and quarterback, but they seemingly have enough talent to cover this line comfortably.
Game 3
Vanderbilt Commodores at Hawaii Rainbow Warriors
The pick: Hawaii to win +200
Hawaii had a pretty terrible offseason. The ‘Bows fired one coach, offered the job to June Jones who very publicly announced he didn’t like the strings attached and eventually hired campus legend Timmy Chang. They also still play in a high school facility after Aloha Stadium was condemned. It could be worse, though. At least they aren’t Vanderbilt.
The poor Commodores have struggled mightily since 2018. In the past three seasons, they have gone 5-28, looking hopeless in the process. On the other side of the field will be a Rainbow Warriors outfit that has won their last eight home openers. Those victories have come against P5, G5 and FCS opponents so they won’t be scared of Vandy.
Related: 5 things you may not remember about Aloha Stadium
The payoff
This three-game wager gets you odds of +994. That means if you bet $10, you would win $109.44. Much like the actual games themselves, our college football week 0 parlay leaves a lot to be desired. At least football is back, however.
