Football.
Sweet, beautiful football.
Yes, the college football season has returned in the form of a limited—but still muchly needed—Week 0 slate. This is not the time to complain about the matchups we've been gifted; this is the time to embrace the sport's return.
This also marks the return of Locks of the Week, our weekly picks against the spread. Each and every week during the college football season, Locks of the Week will be by your side with one goal in mind: picking winners.
Last season, we delivered a dominating Week 0 performance. We're hoping to do the same this year in football games that will be played in Ireland, Hawai'i and beyond. Here's to the return of football and this weekly staple.
All odds courtesy of DraftKings and accurate as of Tuesday.
Hawai'i vs. Vanderbilt (over 54)
There is no better way to start the season and another year of picks than to bet on Hawai'i in a late-night home game. The last game on the Week 0 slate is our first stop, and this matchup will likely end sometime deep into the night on the first weekend. Caffeinate accordingly.
This feels like a particularly strange matchup for Vanderbilt, the winner of two football games last year. It will begin the year more than 4,000 miles from campus in a game that is a must-win in every sense, given the schedule still to follow.
For Hawai'i, this truly is a fresh start. They have a new head coach in Timmy Chang. The former prolific QB dazzled with massive numbers when he played for Hawai'i, and he should provide an immediate emotional boost.
Even with a ton of roster turnover, Chang should have the offense moving. Vanderbilt, meanwhile, should find success as well. The Rainbow Warriors were No. 100 in scoring defense last year, and things aren't expected to rapidly improve—at least not this quickly.
Vanderbilt was No. 119 in that same category, albeit against a challenging schedule. All of this aligns for a potential late-night point bonanza on the island, which I am very much here for.
Nebraska (-13) vs. Northwestern
Let's make this abundantly clear: I am anticipating a massive resurgence from Nebraska this season after a disastrous series of events last fall. Lost in all those Cornhusker losses, however, was plenty of optimism.
Nebraska played tough against Oklahoma. It should have beaten both Michigan State and Michigan. Heck, the Cornhuskers even pushed Ohio State and Wisconsin. Oh, and the loss to Iowa was a football disaster.
Can that, along with a slew of meaningful offseason additions, translate to better results? If it doesn't, Nebraska will almost certainly be looking for a new head coach.
Northwestern feels like the perfect opponent to break in new Cornhuskers quarterback Casey Thompson. His departure from Texas was Scott Frost's gain, and he should be an enormous upgrade at the position.
Do I fear that Nebraska will revert to its previous form and essentially spend the later part of this game slipping on banana peels? Perhaps some. But there seems to be a dramatic difference in talent across these two rosters. We witnessed that last year when the Wildcats lost 56-7 to this very team.
The score won't be as lopsided in Ireland, which adds another fascinating wrinkle to this matchup, but it also won't be close.
rolltidebama.com
