Slate Breaker: College Football Week 0

Football is here! While this is a bit of a light schedule with no real marquee matchups, it is the perfect slate to get our feet wet and get ready for the season ahead. Without further ado, let's dive into the top plays and the players to watch this weekend.


Game Picks

Florida State @ Georgia Tech

This is the toughest game to call on this 3 game slate, but let's not get cute and roll with the squad that was a QB away from reaching the playoff a year ago. Florida State has gotten a new QB in the form of the well-traveled DJ Uiagalelei. DJ is not among the elite tiers of QBs in the nation but he is a solid game manager and will be able to do enough to carry this strong defense and running game to an opening W.

Montana State @ New Mexico

College football needs to implement a promotion and regulation system because New Mexico's presence in the top division is a blemish on the sport. Last season was the school's best season in nearly a decade and they only won 4 games. Since a surprising 9-4 season in 2016, the Lobos have averaged 2.7 wins per season. This has devolved into a hate post more than any true analysis, but the Lobos are double digit underdogs against an FCS team while playing at home so it is hard not to hate on these losers so go ahead and pencil an L for New Mexico.

SMU @ Nevada

This has to be the easiest pick of the slate with SMU rolling into Week 0 as the only true offensive juggernaut. They get their star QB Preston Stone back from a brutal injury that cut his 2023 season short while returning a dominant 1-2 punch in their backfield with Jaylan Knighton and LJ Johnson Jr and a very deep pool of receiving talent led by their star TE RJ Maryland. Nevada looks to have made some serious strides heading into the 2024 season but they were starting from basically nothing. (I do like Nevada QB Brendon Lewis as a fantasy player). I like SMU this week and all season long as they seem like a serious contender in the ACC.


Best Bet

SMU (-26.5) (@ Nevada)

Nevada allowed Utah State, UNLV and Wyoming to score 40+ last season and allowed Texas State to score 35. All these offenses pale in comparison to the talent on the SMU offense so this squad should easily score 40 while even cracking the 50 point mark. Nevada may score a TD or two but both of these teams work at a high pace so there will be plenty of chances for SMU to run up the score. I am completely sold on the Mustangs in Week 0.


3 Legged Monster

For the bold out there, here is a solid 3 leg parlay to make things a bit spicy.

SMU (-26.5) (@ Nevada)

SMU @ Nevada (Over 55.5)

Florida State (AS -13.5) (@ Georgia Tech)

If you have made it this far, you should be able to tell I am all in on SMU so the SMU spread and over were a no brainer for me. The Florida State pick is a bit scary as Georgia Tech rounded out the 2023 season in terrific form with a close one possession loss to the vaunted Georgia Bulldogs and a dominant bowl win over Central Florida. But this is still a porous team especially on the defensive side of the field with GT losing egregiously to teams like Boston College and Bowling Green even though they were at home. Georgia Tech's offense could surprise some people, but ultimately, the veteran presence on the Florida State side of the ball will prevail in this early season clash.


Pick Six

Check out this week's top TD scorer props.

RB Jaylan Knighton, SMU (@ Nevada)

After opening his 2023 campaign on a bit of a dry spell failing to score in his first 3 games with the Mustangs, Knighton turned into a scoring machine with 8 scores over his last 9 games. With SMU as heavy favorites, Knighton is basically a sure fire scorer on this slate.

TE RJ Maryland, SMU (@ Nevada)

SMU has loads of depth at the pass catcher position as outlined by their depth chart. On their Week 0 depth chart, every pass catching position has listed multiple starters except for RJ Maryland who is fully entrenched at the Tight End position. With a heavy rotation on tap for the Mustang wideouts, Maryland is the best option to get a consistent share of this SMU passing attack.

QB Brendon Lewis, Nevada (vs SMU)

Even with a SMU blowout on tap, I still love this play. The SMU defense was strong last year shutting out multiple opponents, but they did have one weakness and it was their ability to keep track of QBs in the redzone. Over their last 10 games of the 2023 season, SMU allowed 6 rushing TDs to the QB position. Brendon Lewis is by no means a complete QB, but his ability to run the ball is unquestioned so a plus player in a plus matchup makes this basically a no brainer.

RB Roydell Williams, Florida State (@ Georgia Tech)

With DJ Uiagalelei set to be the next QB for the Seminoles, there are some question marks surrounding this offense as DJ can be very hot but also very cold. Regardless of DJ's performance, the running game will be the focal point of this offense and Roydell Williams is a power back so if the team is within 5 yards of the endzone expect the ball to be in Williams's hands.

RB Eli Sanders, New Mexico (vs Montana State)

While I do not have high hopes for this New Mexico squad, they should be running the ball a bunch. They will be utilizing a committee approach with Andrew Henry also slated to get plenty of work, but it is obvious that Sanders is the most talented player on this offense so if a Lobo is going to find the endzone it will be Sanders.

QB Tommy Mellot, Montana State (@ New Mexico)

I love Mellot this week as he gets his chance to show off his talents on the FBS stage. Mellot is a true dual threat weapon. He was mostly a part time player in his past but was still able to produce; and all reports indicate he will be the guy for the Bobcats heading into 2024. In games where Mellot received significant playing time, he either rushed for a TD or rushed for over 100 yards in every game except for one. With the Bobcats as heavy favorites, Mellot is in line to PRODUCE.


Players Spotlight

Top DFS and fantasy plays for Week 0. I will not rehash players like Jaylan Knighton, RJ Maryland, Roydell Williams and Tommy Mellot; but just know, they are great plays and you cannot go wrong with them.

QB Preston Stone, SMU (@ Nevada)

This one is obvious, but this is just a stamp of approval for a player coming off a major injury who will likely be involved in a blowout. He may only play a half with his injury concerns and unfavorable game script, but a half is all he will need. Stone averaged 266 passing yards per game and threw for multiple TDs in 10 of 12 games. I just do not see how Stone does not top at least 20 fantasy points in this one.

WR Eric Singleton Jr., Georgia Tech (vs Florida State)

Even though he was a true freshman, Singleton was able to step into this GT offense and immediately become their top player in the 2023 season leading the team in receiving yards and TDs. Expect him to take an even bigger step forward in the 2024 season with this offensive unit remaining mostly intact from a season ago. The Florida State matchup may appear fairly scary on paper, but Singleton stepped up in these kinds of big spots last year totaling at least 95 yards against both Ole Miss and Georgia so get ready for a big day from Singleton.

WR Ty McCullouch, Montana State (@ New Mexico)

Montana State is by no means a pass first offense but with a game against New Mexico in Week 0, I am all over every aspect of this offense. McCullouch is the undisputed top dog in this Bobcat receiving room as he returns as the yardage and scorer leader from a year ago. His production aside, it is his chemistry with Tommy Mellot that really intrigues me. In the 5 games where Tommy Mellot was the leading QB for McCullouch, the WR had either 50 yards or a TD in 4 of those 5 games. As the leading receiver for a team expecting to score plenty of points, I do not see how you could go wrong with Ty McCullouch.


FanDuel DFS Dream Team

QB: Tommy Mellot, Montana State (@ New Mexico)

RB1: Roydell Williams, Florida State (@ Georgia Tech)

RB2: Jaylan Knighton, SMU (@ Nevada)

WR1: Eric Singleton Jr., Gerogia Tech (vs FSU)

WR2: Ty McCullouch, Montana State (@ New Mexico)

WR3: RJ Maryland, SMU (@ Nevada)

Flex: Preston Stone, SMU (@ Nevada)


**DISCLAIMER: Remember, sports and fantasy are supposed to be fun. Please play responsibly.**

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