For the past several years, the college football schedule has expanded a little deeper into August with several programs electing to get an early start during what many refer to as “Week 0.” The 2024 Week 0 college football schedule consists of four games, including an ACC matchup to kick things off on Saturday, Aug. 24. No. 10 Florida State will take on Georgia Tech at the 2024 Aer Lingus College Football Classic in Dublin, Ireland, with kickoff scheduled for noon ET.
The Seminoles were left out of the College Football Playoff as unbeaten ACC champions last season and they’ll be out for revenge in 2024. They’re listed as 11.5-point favorites over the Yellow Jackets in the latest Week 0 college football odds while SMU is a 27.5-point favorite on the road against Nevada in the only other FBS vs. FBS matchup. Before locking in any Week 0 college football picks on those games or others, be sure to see the top Week 0 college football expert picks, predictions and best bets from Thomas Casale.
A frequent guest on national radio and TV shows to discuss college sports, Casale has been betting — and winning — for more than 30 years. Over the past two college football seasons, Casale is 122-92-5 (57%) overall on his college football picks and 26-8 (76.4%) in bowl games — all publicly documented. Anybody who has followed him is way up.
Now, he has turned his attention to the Week 0 college football odds and is sharing his top three best bets over at SportsLine. If you parlay them together, you could be looking at a return of around 6-1. Get his top college football picks at SportsLine.
Top Week 0 college football expert predictions
One of Casale’s top Week 0 college football picks: He’s backing Georgia Tech (+11.5) against FSU. The Seminoles are coming off an unbelievable season that ended tragically, with starting quarterback Jordan Travis suffering a season-ending knee injury in a loss to Florida to end the regular season. They went on to beat Louisville for the ACC title but the committee ultimately admitted that Travis’ injury was a deciding factor when they chose to leave Florida State out of the CFP.
Now Travis, running back Trey Benson and wide receiver Keon Coleman are all in the NFL and the Seminoles are replacing 14 starters. Head coach Mike Norvell signed the No. 11 class in the country with 23 incoming freshmen and 17 more signees in the college football transfer portal. However, he’ll have his work cut out getting that unit to gel.
Meanwhile, Georgia Tech just won a bowl game for the first time since 2016 and the Yellow Jackets are welcoming back a combined 15 starters on offense and defense. Ultimately, Casale is expecting Georgia Tech’s experience to help keep things close while one of the most talented programs in the country adapts to a major roster overhaul. See what other picks Sallee likes at SportsLine.
How to make Week 0 college football picks
Casale has also found two other college football picks he loves, including a look ahead to a marquee matchup in Week 1 where one offense “has a solid edge.” You can only see his picks at SportsLine.
What are the best bets for Week 0 of college football, and which total is way off? Visit SportsLine now to see Thomas Casale’s college football best bets, all from a proven college football handicapper who has gone 26-8 on bowl games the past two seasons, and find out.