No. 6 USC, No. 13 Notre Dame start season as big favorites in CFB opening weekend

The most exciting time of summer has arrived: Games, that count, this weekend as college football kicks off its season with seven Week 0 matchups that include two ranked teams.

Among the teams playing this weekend are No. 6 USC, coming off a Cotton Bowl loss to Tulane in its New Year’s Six matchup in Dallas, along with No. 13 Notre Dame, in its second season under Marcus Freeman.

The five other games feature teams from the SEC, MAC, Mountain West, FBS Independent schools, Conference USA and the American Athletic Conference, and just two power five teams set to take the field.

The Trojans and Irish have high expectations for the 2023 season, and will meet later this season on Oct. 14, with USC as slim 1.5-point favorites at FanDuel. But for now, both teams will focus on their season openers against inferior opponents in Week 0.

Here’s a look at betting lines for this weekend’s games, starting with the two marquee programs, and a few Philadelphia ties inside of these matchups as well.

With championship aspirations, it’s no surprise that No. 6 USC is heavily favored in its season opener against San Jose State on Saturday night. Led by 2022 Heisman winner Caleb Williams, who could be in discussion to be the top pick in the 2024 NFL draft, the Trojans are hoping for a strong start in their final season in the Pac-12 after agreeing to join the Big Ten in 2024.

Defensively, they have a Philly native in Eric Gentry, who transferred in last season from Arizona State, to bolster the center of the defense. The lanky linebacker, who starred at Neumann Goretti, finished 2022 with 71 tackles (third on the team), two sacks, two forced fumbles, three pass breakups and one interception and will factor into a maligned unit that gave up 40 or more points in three of its last four games.

Freeman’s squad struggled through the first six games of the 2022 season, with bad losses to Marshall and Stanford, but finished the season winning six of their last seven games.

With two potential offensive line prospects in Joe Alt and Blake Fisher protecting Wake Forest transfer quarterback Sam Hartman, plus standout defensive back Cam Hart, Notre Dame looks to be back in the national championship conversation. Penn Charter alum Generoso “Jerry” Rullo looks to carve out a role at linebacker after making the team as a walk-on, putting an exclamation on a banner year that included an amateur boxing title and a trip to Africa.

» READ MORE: Penn Charter grad and Notre Dame walk-on Jerry Rullo is more than just a ‘Rudy’ story

Over the past two seasons, San Diego State and Ohio came one win short of winning its conference championship games. This should be the most exciting non-ranked game of the weekend.

The Bobcats return their top passer (Kurtis Rourke), rusher (Sieh Bangura) and receiver (Sam Wiglusz) to an offense that won 10 games despite losing the MAC championship. They return super senior running back O’Shaan Allison, the Malvern Prep alum who is coming back from a season-ending injury and looks to be a part of the Bobcats’ back rotation.

Jacksonville State gets its first crack as an FBS school in 2023, facing C-USA foe UTEP to open its 2023 season. The Miners, the lone road favorite this week, are led by prolific quarterback Gavin Hardison in what could be a high scoring shootout.

» READ MORE: Is Temple a sleeper worth backing in the American Athletic Conference futures market?

Vanderbilt hasn’t been in a bowl game in five seasons, but came up one game short last season after shocking Kentucky and Florida in back to back weeks last season. They should handle a Hawaii squad they beat 63-10 last season.

New Mexico State won six of its last seven games in 2022 to become bowl eligible and face a UMass program that has just three wins since 2019. The Minutemen have Don Brown back in his second stint as head coach of the program, but face an uphill battle to finish bowl eligible for the first time as an FBS program after leaving the FCS in 2012.

The night cap of the Week 0 slate features two C-USA foes who had a double overtime thriller last season. Neither team made a bowl game in 2022, but the addition of former Boise State quarterback Hank Bachmeier for Louisiana Tech could be the difference, especially with FIU losing two offensive weapons (Rivaldo Fairweather, Tyrese Chambers) to power five programs in the offseason.