Week 0, we get the worst week of football in 2026 right out of the gate. But stop and remember, the 2026 football season consists of 948 games over 149 days. Umm, football heaven.

Due to week 0 being so lame, I only picked three games. But I did dive in and give you plenty of information to review. I won’t be doing that in Week 1. In fact, I’ll have a much different approach, and brevity will be my new goal. So, enjoy this one because you won’t be getting this much info moving forward.

Saturday, August 29th
North Carolina vs TCU
ESPN 11:00am
Going into this game there are some things we know, and things we don’t know. We know TCU took UNC to the woodshed last season in Belichick’s first game as head coach (48-14). We know Bill Belichick is on a short leash. We don’t know if the Tar Heels have improved since last season. That’s yet to be seen, and if so, is it enough. We do know Belichick will take on the role of DC since his son is out with a medical condition. We know if the Tar Heels look as pathetic as last season Belichick is gone, it’ not a matter of if but when. If he is gone and the Tar Heels stink offensively, will Bobby Petrino be the interim head coach? We do know Petrino has had potent offensives in the past and that as a head coach in college he has won at least 8 games in 14 of his 18 seasons. My guess is if the offense is semi productive and the defense stinks, Petrino will be the man.

As for Sonny Dykes and the Horn Frogs, are they better or worse without Josh Hoover at quarterback? There seemed to be some sore feelings about his leaving. After he did, Dykes went out and hired new OC Gordan Sammis from UConn. Sammis, a former offensive guard in college, led the Huskies to consecutive 9-win seasons, a first in program history. Originally an offensive line coach, his Husky O-line also only allowed a little over 1 sack per game, or 15 on the season. At UConn last season Sammis had a QB who posted 3,448 yards and 28 TDs with just 1 interception. Hoping for the same type of output, the new Horn Frog DC brought in QB Jaden Craig, a fifth-year senior who played at Harvard last season. Craig completed 208 passes for 2,869 yards and 25 TDs with just 7 interceptions. Doubling down on letting former QB Josh Hoover leave for Indiana, Dykes called Craig a QB who could pass them into games rather than pass them out of games. TCU has been 9-4 in the last two seasons, which has flown under the radar.

Short answer, Dykes sounds like he’s confident the Frogs will be better than ever.
This one isn’t close as the oddsmakers are making it and I don’t see this train wreck across the pond ending well for Belichick. He unfortunately finds himself one step closer to spending his days on his boat.
Win Probability – TCU 74%
Las Vegas Odds – TCU -7.5, Over/Under 47.5
OTC’s Pick – Over, TCU 38-14

North Carolina State vs Virginia
Fox 2:30PM
This was a four-point ballgame last season with NC State winning 35-31. The Cavaliers finished with a record of 11-3 and played 4 overtime games last season winning three of the four. The lone loss was to Duke in the ACC Championship game. Head Coach Tony Elliott hit the transfer portal hard at the skill positions, bringing in experienced QB Beau Pribula, 3 RBs who rushed for a total of 1,380 yards, and 4 WRs who had a total of 147 receptions for 1,720 yards. All are expected to start. The defense will also see several new faces. However, the Cavs have multiple linebackers with experience returning.

Dave Doeren starts his 14th season as the Wolfpack’s head coach. He’s posted a record of 95-70 and has 10 seasons with 7 wins or better. Yet, he’s never reached double digit wins. All-ACC QB CJ Bailey returns for his third year. Last season Baily passed for 3,105 yards, 25 TDs and 9 interceptions but struggled against top teams Notre Dame and Miami. Running back Jayden Scott also returns after rushing for 595 yards (5.6ypc) and 132 yards receiving last season. The Pack also brought in 3 senior WRs from the portal. The trio had 106 receptions for 1,705 yards last season. State fell to Duke, Virgina Tech, Notre Dame, Pitt, and Miami last season to finish 8-5.

This one is hard to pick as both teams have seen a large turnover in their rosters. Virgina won several close games that could have gone either way last season. The games NC State lost were against the better teams of the ACC. It’s the first game of the season and I’ve yet to see either team play, but I like Virgina and Pribula at home.
Win Probability – Virgina 66.8%
Las Vegas Odds – NC State -3, Over/Under 53.5
OTC’s Pick – Over, Virgina 31-27

Memphis vs UNLV
Fox 9:00PM
Memphis and UNLV meet for the first time in the two programs history. Both have had success over the last three seasons with Memphis posting a 29-10 record and UNLV logging a 30-12 record. It’s difficult to call an opening game a must win, but in this case it may be true. Both teams are vying for a coveted playoff spot, and a loss here hurts their chances significantly.
Memphis has a new head coach in Charles Huff, who will be working with a transfer-heavy roster and unproven QBs. Memphis is Huff’s third stop in as many years. He was at Marshall in 2025 posting a 10-3 record. He went 7-5 at Southern Miss last season but the program was 1-11 the year before. He’s dealt with roster turnover each time.

Huff brought 4 assistants and 17 players with him from Southern Miss and the QB battle is interesting to say the least. It came down between Marcus Stokes, a finalist for the Harlon Hill Trophy (Division II Heisman) and Air Nolan. Stokes passed for 3,297 yards and 30 TDs last season at West Florida. Nolan was a top high school prospect who spent a season behind Will Howard at Ohio State and last season behind LaNorris Sellers at South Carolina. As of now, Stokes has been named the starter. The offense shows promise with multiple transfers who will contribute at both running back and wide receiver.

Dan Mullen made his return to head coaching last season and led UNLV to a 10-win season with 17 newcomers. The Rebels have been runners-up in the Mountain West Conference for the last three seasons. They look to end that after arch enemy Boise State left for the new Pac 12. UNLV lost Mountain West offensive Player of the Year Anthony Colandrea to Nebraska in the transfer portal but added QB Jackson Arnold who was at Oklahoma and then Auburn last season. The former 5-Star threw 22 TDs to 8 interceptions in the SEC last season. UNLV brought back one of their best players in RB Jai’den Thomas. He rushed for 1,036 yards, 12 TDs and averaged 7 yards per carry. He also had 237 yards receiving.
Defensively the Rebels will need work as last season they gave up 419 yards a game to rank 117th in the country, finishing below 100th against both the pass and the run. Their saving grace, they tied for 14th nationally in takeaways with 24.

I like UNLV at home. Huff has too many things to iron out and Mullen’s has a year under his belt and better talent.
Win Probability – UNLV 66.1%
Las Vegas Odds – UNLV -6.5, Over/Under 56.5
OTC’s Pick – Under, UNLV, 31-17

Not much action for Week 0, but since I’m ready for football it’ll suffice. Next week will be much better with 10 to 12 games worth talking about.

GO BIG RED!! SIMPLE, FAST, VIOLENT!!

Art worked designed and owned by Lyle Harmon and ‘Off the Cob’.

Stats gathered from ESPN - Serving Sports Fans. Anytime. Anywhere.

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