ACC Game Picks: Cal Still Practicing as Week 0 Arrives

The college football season is here. Well, sort of.

It’s Week 0 on the schedule, with just five games involving FBS teams. Stanford is the lone ACC team in action, visiting Hawaii on Saturday.

Cal gets one more week to practice before visiting Oregon State for its season opener on Aug. 30.

The Bears have played just eight times in the month of August since the turn of the century, posting a 6-2 record with victories in their past four. 

Their most recent defeat in an August game was a 44-30 home loss to Northwestern in 2013, which marked the debut of freshman quarterback Jared Goff. 

They have announced plans to start another freshman in the OSU game after installing Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele at No. 1.

We’ll pick every game all season involving an ACC team. Here we go . . .

All picks against the spread 

Betting line from vegasinsider.com

Week 0

Saturday, Aug. 23

— STANFORD (plus-2.5) at Hawaii, 4:30 p.m., CBS

Jake: The Cardinal is coming off a 3-9 season in 2024 and an offseason in which head coach Troy Taylor was dismissed. So Stanford begins this season with an interim head coach (Frank Reich) and a starting quarterback (sixth-year senior Ben Gulbranson) who started just four games over the past two seasons for Oregon State.  Hawaii went 5-7 last season and probably won’t be any better his season, but a game in Hawaii will be a challenge for the Cardinal. Pick: Hawaii

Jeff: Hawaii is facing Stanford for the fifth time but will play an ACC opponent for the first time. Either way, Stanford is 4-0 all-time against the Rainbow Warriors. Frank Reich, formerly an NFL head coach for six seasons, will serve as interim coach this season for the Cardinal, which has posted four consecutive 3-9 seasons. Expectations for this season aren’t much higher, but we’re expecting a close game, giving the Cardinal a chance to at least cover. Pick: Stanford