College football fans will get their first taste of action when the 2021 regular season kicks off on Saturday. Four-year starter Adrian Martinez will be at quarterback for Nebraska when the Cornhuskers face Illinois to get the college football schedule started at 1 p.m. ET. They are listed as seven-point favorites in the updated Week 0 college football odds at Caesars Sportsbook. Other matchups include UConn vs. Fresno State, UCLA vs. Hawaii, UTEP vs. New Mexico State and FCS-level Southern Utah vs. San Jose State.
Fresno State is the biggest favorite of the day, listed as a 27.5-point favorite against the Huskies. Connecticut did not play a single game in 2020 due to COVID-19 and finished 2-10 in 2019. Are the Bulldogs one of the college football spreads you should be looking at this week? Before finalizing any college football picks for Week 0 of the 2021 season, be sure to see the latest college football predictions from SportsLine's proven model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every FBS college football game 10,000 times. Over the past five years, the proprietary computer model has generated a stunning profit of over $3,500 for $100 players on its top-rated college football picks against the spread. For the 2020 season, it went 56-37 on all top-rated picks and returned over $1,200 on its top-rated spread and over-under picks. Anyone who has followed it has seen huge returns.
Now, it has turned its attention to the latest college football odds for Saturday from Caesars and locked in picks for every FBS matchup. Head here to see every pick.
Top college football predictions for Aug. 28, 2021
One of the top college football picks the model is recommending for Saturday: Hawaii (+17.5) keeps it within the number at UCLA.
The Bruins relied on a rushing attack that ranked 12th in the nation last season, but they are having to replace running back Demetric Felton. Michigan transfer Zach Charbonnet will be part of that task force, but it will probably take him a few games to get settled in.
Hawaii is not known for its defense, but it showed vast improvement under first-year head coach Todd Graham in 2020. His defense ranked No. 54 in points per game allowed and he brings back nearly all of his key players on that side of the ball.
UCLA is now 10-21 in three years under Chip Kelly, while the Rainbow Warriors are a sleeper team this season. Hawaii returns quarterback Chevan Cordeiro, who is a dual-threat weapon. The SportsLine model is projecting Hawaii to cover more than 60 percent of the time, while the under is cashing 65 percent of the time.
How to make college football picks for Saturday, Aug. 28
The model has also made the call on who wins and covers in every other FBS matchup on Saturday, and it's calling for a big favorite to get a huge scare. You can only get every pick for every game at SportsLine.
So what college football picks can you make with confidence? And which heavy favorite gets a big scare? Check out the latest college football odds below, then visit SportsLine to see which teams win and cover the spread, all from a proven computer model that has returned $3,500 in profit over the past five seasons, and find out.
College football odds for Saturday, Aug. 28 (via Caesars)
Saturday, Aug. 28
Nebraska at Illinois (+7, 55)
UConn at Fresno State (-27.5, 62.5)
Hawaii at UCLA (-17.5, 68.5)
UTEP at New Mexico State (+9, 54.5)
Southern Utah (FCS) at San Diego State (-27.5, 56.5)
