College football odds, picks, predictions for Aug. 28, 2021: Advanced model fading UCLA in Week 0

Bret Bielema is set to make his coaching debut for Illinois on Saturday as the Fighting Illini host Nebraska to get the 2021 college football season underway. It’s the only conference matchup on the five-game “Week 0” college football schedule. The latest college football odds for Saturday also indicate it could be one of the closest games, as Nebraska is a seven-point favorite at Caesars Sportsbook.

In the only other game involving a Power 5 program, UCLA is a 17.5-point home favorite, according to the latest Week 0 college football spreads, against Hawaii. Which college football lines have the most value for Saturday’s action? Before making any college football picks for Week 0 of the 2021 season, be sure to see the latest college football predictions from SportsLine’s proven model.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every FBS college football game 10,000 times. Over the past five years, the proprietary computer model has generated a stunning profit of over $3,500 for $100 players on its top-rated college football picks against the spread. For the 2020 season, it went 56-37 on all top-rated picks and returned over $1,200 on its top-rated spread and over-under picks. Anyone who has followed it has seen huge returns.

Now, it has turned its attention to the latest college football odds for Saturday from Caesars and locked in picks for every FBS matchup. Head here to see every pick.

Top college football predictions for Aug. 28, 2021

One of the top college football picks the model is recommending for Saturday: The Hawaii Rainbow Warriors (+17.5) keep it within the spread when they travel to take on Chip Kelly and the UCLA Bruins at 3:30 p.m. ET.

Kelly is looking to turn UCLA into a Pac-12 contender in his fourth year in Los Angeles. But bettors have largely overvalued the Bruins during his tenure as UCLA is 13-16-2 against the spread since 2018. SportsLine’s model has found value in Hawaii getting 17.5 points in this spot.

The Rainbow Warriors got off to a slow start in 2020, but rallied late in the season to win three of their last four. And while their offense wasn’t quite as high flying as some of the program’s recent squads, the defense did improve under new coach Todd Graham as Hawaii gave up 27.6 points per game, an improvement of around four points per game from the prior season.

SportsLine’s model projects that Hawaii quarterback Chevan Cordeiro throws for almost 300 yards and two scores as the Rainbow Warriors cover in more than 60 percent of simulations. The model is also calling for 61 total points, meaning the under (68.5) hits with more than a touchdown to spare. 

How to make college football picks for Saturday, Aug. 28 

The model has also made the call on who wins and covers in every other FBS matchup on Saturday, and it’s calling for a big favorite to get a huge scare. You can only get every pick for every game at SportsLine.

So what college football picks can you make with confidence? And which heavy favorite gets a big scare? Check out the latest college football odds below, then visit SportsLine to see which teams win and cover the spread, all from a proven computer model that has returned $3,500 in profit over the past five seasons, and find out.

College football odds for Saturday, Aug. 28 (via Caesars)

Saturday, Aug. 28 

Nebraska at Illinois (+7, 55)

UConn at Fresno State (-27.5, 62.5)

Hawaii at UCLA (-17.5, 68.5)

UTEP at New Mexico State (+9, 54.5)

Southern Utah (FCS) at San Diego State (no line)