College Football Best Bets: Week 0

The college football season is upon us, and Week 0 is here to satiate our cravings for gridiron action. I’ve been studying the games from every angle and have found a couple bets that are advantageous for us. Let’s take a look at those money-making opportunities below.

Nick Nash Anytime Touchdown Scorer

(+450, DraftKings Sportsbook)

This is one of my favorite props on the board, and I’m quite confident about it, but I do recognize that there can be some variance involved with these kinds of bets. However, Nick Nash is in a fantastic position as a converted quarterback who will be getting the ball in a variety of ways this season for the San Jose State Spartans. Nash will be one of three starting wideouts for the Spartans in Saturday’s game against the USC Trojans, and there are several reports from team beat writers that he is going to get work out of the slot and as a runner at times. Nash has never been a very strong QB for the Spartans, but he has been around the team since 2019 and he has excelled as a gadget guy and been a legitimate threat in the goal line area. He has racked up over 800 rushing yards over the course of his career and caught 11 passes for 102 yards as a receiver. He ended the season on a high note last year catching 4 passes for 51 yards and a touchdown in the Potato Bowl against Eastern Michigan. There is no doubt in my mind about Nash being heavily involved in this offense and his off the field friendship with QB Chevan Cordeiro is another positive which will likely lead to an on the field connection. I’m splashing a unit or two on this prop.

Austin Jones Over 74.5 Rushing Yards

(-105, DraftKings Sportsbook)

We are getting a bit of value here on Jones, and I like this number even though he is going to be sharing backfield duties with South Carolina transfer MarShawn Lloyd. The Trojans offensive is going to be electric and there will be plenty of points scored each week. Even though this offense has a lot of mouths to feed, we can feel confident that Jones will get plenty of opportunities to shine. Jones racked up over 700 yards last year despite the fact the always dynamic Travis Dye was around. Dye finished with 884 rushing yards last season as the 1A to Jones’ 1B. We can expect a similar situation to occur between Jones and Lloyd. He toted the rock 15-plus times in four of the Trojans’ last five games last year so he can handle a heavier workload if it comes his way as well. This is a positive gamescript for USC RBs as they’re likely going to build a big lead and will be looking to grind the Spartans down in the second half.