It’s the most wonderful time of the year. Football is BACK baby! Week 0 starts this weekend with Nebraska-Illinois and just like that we have meaningful football until February. This also means it is time to bet on some football (except for you degenerates that start on NFL preseason). Clean slate, clean season and it is time to get rolling with Lukey McBets’ best bets for Week 0.
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Illinois (+7) to cover vs. Nebraska
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We kick things off with a Big Ten battle between two teams that finished well below .500 last year. 2-6 Illinois enters 2021 with new head coach Bret Bielema who most recently coached in college back in 2017 with Arkansas. However, Illinois returns a bunch of starters, including senior QB Brandon Peters (not really sure if that’s a good thing or not). An improved defense will have to keep dual threat Huskers QB Adrian Martinez in check after he returns for what feels like his 9th season as Nebraska’s signal caller. Look, this is not a good game. But it’s football. Scott Frost has severely disappointed in his tenure thus far and with new NCAA sanctions now looming, I think Illinois will come out and surprise some people in this game. As 17 point underdogs last year, the Illini won 41-23 in Lincoln. Take Illinois to cover.
UConn-Fresno State Over 63
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The real excitement is getting to watch UConn football once again. After opting out in 2020 and probably winning as many games as they would have while playing, the Huskies are ready to return. Simply put, this may be the worst team in college football. Bad defense, bad offense. All the Huskies have to be excited about is RB Kevin Mensah, who has put up back to back 1,000 yard seasons. Fresno State brings back senior QB Jake Haener and an offense that averaged over 32 PPG last season. With a weak, young defense for UConn, the Bulldogs may put up 50+ themselves. That leaves the Huskies to put up two touchdowns. It’s a tall task, but take the over in Fresno.
UCLA (-17.5) over Hawaii
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Hawaii is always a fun Week 0 team but unfortunately this game kicks off at 3 PM EST on Saturday. Way more wacky when it’s a midnight kick. I’d normally love to back the Bows but I really like this UCLA team coming into 2021. The Bruins return QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson and his two favorite targets in TE Greg Dulcich and WR Kyle Phillips. Expect Chip Kelly to go with an up-tempo offense anchored to use the Bruins’ superior athletes out in space. Hawaii brings an offense with the potential to explode but too often got off to slow starts in 2020. On defense, UCLA brings back a great pass rush paired with experience in the secondary. I’m grabbing UCLA to cover in a game that could start close. Take the team with better athletes on both sides of the ball.