Week 0 of the 2023 college football season is by no means a full slate, but it does feature two of the sport's true blue-blood programs. No. 13 Notre Dame, eyeing another run to the College Football Playoff, takes the field against Navy at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland, in the season opener. Quarterback Sam Hartman became a star at Wake Forest before transferring to the Fighting Irish in the offseason, and now he looks to finish his career in style with a team that has the pieces necessary to make some noise nationally.
The 8 p.m. kickoff of No. 6 USC against San Jose State features the return of 2022 Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams. The Trojans have CFP hopes, too, after missing out on last year's field and ending with a Cotton Bowl loss to Tulane. San Jose State is a heavy underdog, but quarterback Chevan Cordeiro is a name to know and could make it interesting. USC's defense, a liability last year, will get an early test.
Elsewhere, Jacksonville State will make its FBS debut when it hosts UTEP on Saturday afternoon. The SEC season begins Saturday night when Vanderbilt hosts Hawaii in the second game of a home-and-home series.
Odds via SportsLine consensus
Navy vs. No. 13 Notre Dame (-20.5): That hook is interesting because a Notre Dame cover likely means second-year coach Marcus Freeman let Hartman cook and made an early-season statement. The Fighting Irish should win comfortably, but that also presents an opportunity for Hartman (and this team) to have the spotlight for a bit. Plenty of eyeballs will be on this one.
UTEP (-1) at Jacksonville State: Oddsmakers think that this one will be a nail-biter. The Miners, a 5-7 team from a year ago, have a veteran offensive line that could make things difficult for the Gamecocks. Still, the anticipation of this moment cannot be overstated for Jacksonville State, which debuts as a Football Bowl Subdivision member with a winnable home game.
Ohio at San Diego State (-3.5): It's been a bizarre summer for San Diego State, but the process of putting the Pac-12 fallout in the past begins with an opener against the Bobcats. Ohio quarterback Kurtis Rourke, the reigning MAC Offensive Player of the Year, returns after suffering a season-ending knee injury last November. This will be a wildly intriguing matchup between a pair of sound Group of Five programs.
Hawaii at Vanderbilt (-17): The Commodores aren't favored often, but a double-digit spread suggests that oddmakers feel they'll keep some momentum after two conference wins last November. The 'Dores offense should be pretty solid, so it'll be interesting to see if the Rainbow Warriors can keep up in Year 2 of the Timmy Chang era.
San Jose State at USC (-30): Williams has the weapons all around him, and there's no doubt that Lincoln Riley will open things up since the game will get a ton of buzz on Saturday night. However the Trojans defense struggled mightily in 2022 -- especially late in the season -- and will be squaring off against a rather potent Spartans squad.
Best of the rest
- UMass at New Mexico State (-8)
- FIU at Louisiana Tech (-10)
Which college football picks can you make with confidence in Week 0? Visit SportsLine to see which teams will win and cover the spread -- all from a proven computer model that has returned almost $2,500 in profit over the past seven seasons -- and find out.
