Welcome to Week 0, college football die-hards! For those who may be new to the holiday, I sincerely hope you enjoy it!
Why wait any longer? Let’s dive into some of these college football underdog picks, highlighted by the North Carolina Tar Heels in Dublin.
Afterward, be sure to check out our college football picks page to see what else our experts are on this weekend.
CFB Week 0 underdog picks
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North Carolina
Despite the embarrassing first season under NFL legend Bill Belichick, North Carolina is an easy fade target to kick off the 2026 college football season.
However, with everything going into this week's matchup — including the travel, preparation, and the looming possibility of visiting the Guinness Brewery — the Tar Heels could catch the TCU Horned Frogs overlooking them after demolishing them by 34 points on their home turf nearly a year ago.
This may not be the most exciting Tar Heels team, but they did a lot of good this offseason to ensure improvement. One was bringing in Bobby Petrino to try and spark this offense.
Second, last season their defense was their saving grace, which should be enough to keep them in this game against what should be a talented Horned Frogs offense.
With the weather likely keeping this game low scoring, hopefully the Tar Heels can take advantage of the close game.
NC State
Hawaii
Hearing people call this matchup a "revenge game" for Stanford in the year of our lord 2026 is hysterical.
Yes, Stanford did return 12 starters, but the landscape of college sports is not the same as it was in 2006 or 2016. This is Tavita Pritchard's first season with the program and as a head coach. It's impressive that he was able to return that many guys.
However, Hawaii is being disrespected in this matchup. Sure, the Rainbow Warriors are off the island, and that is always a way to fade them, but are we really going to forget how electrifying Micah Alejado was last season?
Despite playing hurt for most of the year due to an early-season ankle injury that happened in last year's matchup, if he is fully healthy and has improved his craft, the Rainbow Warriors losing star receiver Jackson Harris will be irrelevant.
With Stanford signing literally nobody this offseason (fewest signed transfers for Power 4) instead of trying to add to its returning starters, Hawaii is an attractive look.
Week 0 underdog combo
UNC
NC State
Hawaii
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change.
Not intended for use in MA.
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