Fresno State Bulldogs vs Kansas Jayhawks Prediction, Odds and Picks for Saturday, 08/23/25

It is Week 0 for college football, and we all know what we are doing here: we are betting on every single one of these games! So welcome aboard, and let’s get the winning going with our Fresno State Bulldogs vs Kansas Jayhawks prediction. The Jayhawks had a tough season last year, often playing without star QB Jalon Daniels, and also playing away from campus because of stadium renovations. Fresno State is pushing the reset button, changing coaches and overhauling the program. The real question in this game is whether we think those changes bring immediate results. I lean that way, and that has me taking Fresno State with the points at +12.5.

Let’s start with Kansas. They are replacing a lot of players from last season, but they are still an old team. Likely 8 of 11 starters on each side of the ball will be seniors, although not nearly that many are returning starters. Daniels is healthy (for now) but working with brand new receivers, and the Kansas defense is almost entirely new, especially on the back end. There is talent and experience here, but growing pains are likely in the early weeks.

Fresno brought in new head coach Matt Entz. Entz formerly coached at FCS powerhouse North Dakota State, where he had a 60-11 record and won 2 national championships. He spent last year on the staff at USC before taking the Fresno job. He is a defensive specialist who brings instant credibility. His roster turned over heavily, as always happens with coaching changes, but I think this could be a situation similar to Indiana last year where a difference-making coach immediately changes a program and surprises people early in the season. They can contend in the Mountain West, and I think they might be able to keep themselves in the game against Kansas. Give me the points with the Bulldogs.

Fresno State vs Kansas prediction: Fresno State +12.5 (-110) available at the time of publishing. Playable at that number.

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This game opens with a fairly low point total at just 50.5. I am inclined to think that is right. I expect the defenses to be better than the offenses in both directions. When it comes to Fresno State, we know that Entz is a defensive specialist. Even though his roster suffered a lot of turnover and we aren’t totally sure what sort of personnel he is working with, we do know that coaching and scheme will be strong. The best edge the Bulldogs have in this game is their defensive scheme, and I think we could see Kansas struggle a bit in the early going. We know Daniels is a capable QB, but most of the pieces around him are new. I suspect we could see some miscues and stalled drives.

On the other side, I expect the Fresno offense to be less than effective in the opener. They will be led at QB by EJ Warner, who is a Temple and Rice transfer. He has experience, but he isn’t exactly the most talented arm. Surrounding him is an almost entirely unknown cast, and I just don’t see a lot of scoring here. The Kansas defense is largely an unknown commodity too, but on opening weeks, defenses tend to be ahead of offenses, and that is what I expect here. A few too many of these drives should stall out and end with punts or field goals. My pick in this spot is the game total Under 50.5.

Fresno State vs Kansas prediction: Under 50.5 (-110) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.

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