Fridays are for football, and we have three solid college football matchups on Friday that are serving as an appetizer for Saturday's main course.
Those three matchups include Memphis vs. Tulane, Utah State vs. Fresno State and Colorado vs. Stanford, and our college football staff came through with five best bets for them.
So, whether you're looking to back Coach Prime in Pac-12 After Dark action or you're interested in a top G5 matchup between the Tigers and Green Wave, we have you covered.
Read on for all five of our best bets for Friday's college football slate — and be sure to check back tomorrow for our wall-to-wall college football betting coverage.
Friday College Football Best Bets
The team logos in the table below represent each of the matchups that our college football betting staff is targeting from Friday's slate of games. Click on the team logos for any of the matchups below to navigate to a specific bet discussed in this article.
| Game | Time (ET) | Pick |
|---|---|---|
  | 7 p.m. | |
| 7 p.m. | |
  | 8 p.m. | |
| 8 p.m. | |
  | 10 p.m. | |
Specific betting recommendations come from the sportsbook offering preferred odds as of writing. Always shop for the best price using our NCAAF Odds page, which automatically surfaces the best lines for every game. | ||
Tulane vs. Memphis
Memphis +4.5
This line is way too high on Tulane and should be closer to a pick’em, in my opinion.
Yes, Michael Pratt has returned for Tulane, but in his two starts since coming back from injury, he really hasn’t been that great. His PFF passing grade came in below 70 in both outings against Nicholls and UAB, and he failed to throw for over 200 yards in both contests as well.
Memphis boasts a top-10 secondary in terms of Passing Success Rate Allowed and held Pratt to just 5.4 yards per attempt in this meeting last season.
The pressure is going to be on Pratt to beat Memphis through the air because the Green Wave have struggled to run the ball this season, ranking outside the top 100 in both Rushing Success Rate and EPA/Rush.
Memphis quarterback Seth Henigan has been around for a long time now and is about as consistent of a signal-caller as you can find.
He’s one of the best quarterbacks in the country against the blitz, averaging 9.8 yards per attempt with a 90.2 PFF passing grade. He’s also 27th in the country in EPA/Pass, so Tulane doesn’t have a significantly better quarterback in this matchup.
I have Memphis projected as a -1.1-point home favorite, so I love the value on the Tigers at +4.5
Memphis ML +140
Another week, and I love yet another moneyline underdog.
This time, we’re taking the Memphis Tigers outright, as I really like this matchup against Tulane.
We have this game closer to Tulane +2, and I think there are a lot of factors that point to a favorable matchup for the Tigers.
Mainly, I think this is a strength-on-strength matchup in a lot of ways for Tulane, while Memphis can exploit a shaky pass defense.
Tulane comes into this game ranked in the top 30 in Passing EPA/Play and Passing Success Rate. However, Memphis matches up really well here, ranking in the top 15 in Passing EPA/Play Allowed and Passing Success Rate Allowed.
Meanwhile, Tulane’s secondary has been poor, ranking 87th in Passing EPA/Play Allowed and 101st in Passing Success Rate Allowed. On the other side, the Tigers rank 49th in Passing EPA/Play Allowed and 37th in Passing Success Rate.
I think Memphis will be staunch on defense and move the ball relatively easily through the air.
Give me the Tigers to pick up a big win.
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Fresno State vs. Utah State
Fresno State -4
Fresno State suffered a tough loss in an always tricky visit to Laramie, but this is a good spot to bounce back against Utah State.
Even with quarterback Mikey Keene going down with an ankle injury, Logan Fife showed last year he’s capable of filling in and treading water for the Bulldogs.
He doesn’t have great upside as a passer, but Fresno has three talented weapons at receiver, and this is a very good matchup to exploit a weak defense.
Utah State’s stop unit is miserable. Despite not playing any impressive offenses, the Aggies rank 124th nationally in Success Rate and have allowed 406.8 yards and 32.2 points per game.
Teams have had success against the Aggies with the pass and the run, as they rank outside the top 100 in both areas. They get no pressure on the quarterback and should give Fife time and soft coverage to get the ball to his receivers.
On the other side, Fresno State’s defense is terrific. This unit ranks 22nd in the nation in Defensive Success Rate and has been dominant recently. Over the last four games, Fresno State has allowed just 10.8 points per game and is holding opponents to an average of 252.5 yards.
The Bulldogs defense has a massive advantage up front and rank 29th in the country at creating Havoc. Led by Devo Bridges, they get after the quarterback and sit second in the Mountain West in tackles for loss. Well, Utah State’s offensive line is terrible. It ranks 107th in pass blocking and 124th in run blocking.
Turnovers could also be key in this one, as Fresno State ranks 12th in the country in turnovers forced. This is an area where Cooper Legas and the Aggies have had issues. Only nine teams have turned the ball over more than Utah State.
Fresno State cornerback Carlton Johnson leads the country with four interceptions and will be licking his chops to get his hands on the ball all game.
Even if Utah State can move the ball in open space, it’s struggled to finish drives when it gets into scoring range. The Aggies rank 94th nationally in Finishing Drives on offense, which is another area where Fresno State's defense thrives. The Bulldogs rank 32nd at Defensive Finishing Drives and should be able to keep Utah State out of the end zone here.
Even without Keene, the Bulldogs are extremely well-coached. I trust Fresno State to rely on its defense and bounce back on Friday night.
Over 56
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By Cody Goggin
Fresno State will head to Logan as a 4.5-point favorite looking to rebound off a close loss in Wyoming. The Bulldogs will be vying for a spot in the Mountain West Championship and look to be in a good spot with their 5-1 record.
When looking at the surface-level numbers, it appears that Fresno State has been exceptional on defense this year. It ranks 22nd in Success Rate and 25th in Finishing Drives, but that defensive performance can largely be attributed to its schedule.
Using SP+, Utah State will be the best offense it’s played all year. So far, the best offense the Bulldogs have faced was a Purdue unit that ranks 74th in SP+. In that game, Purdue averaged six yards per play en route to putting 35 points on the board.
Even with facing Arizona State, Fresno received the opportunity to play against ASU’s fourth-string quarterback after its starter was held out of action just before the game.
Offensively, Utah State ranks 52nd in Success Rate and has the 23rd-most explosive offense. Its running game ranks 30th in Success Rate and 43rd in PPA.
The only defenses that have held Utah State under 34 points this season have been Iowa and Air Force, who have the No. 1 and No. 12 defenses in SP+.
Even though its defense has come out on the lucky side of these games, the Fresno State offense appears to still be very good. The Bulldogs’ passing game ranks 27th in Success Rate, and they pass at the eighth-highest rate in FBS, so they’ve performed well with a high volume.
Even against Wyoming last week, they posted an Offensive Success Rate in the 78th percentile.
Utah State’s defense ranks 124th in Success Rate, coming in at 103rd against the pass and 127th against the run. I don’t believe this unit will provide much resistance at all to one of the better units in the country.
I think both offenses will have a chance to thrive, so I like taking the over at 56.5 points and would play it as high as 58.
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Stanford vs. Colorado
After picking up a win following two straight losses, Colorado will look to keep the momentum going as it hosts Stanford at Folsom Field in Boulder on Friday night.
This matchup has trouble written all over it for Stanford, which comes to town with one of the worst defenses in the country.
Once one of the hottest offenses in the nation, Colorado has cooled off statistically in recent weeks but still features the 28th-ranked offense in FBS, per PFF.
The Buffaloes have played the fourth-most difficult schedule in FBS this year, and I believe that has understated the abilities they can put on display against a lowly foe.
Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders leads a pass-heavy attack for the Buffaloes that ranks eighth in the nation with an average of 337.2 yards per game. The uptempo offense is pass-heavy, throwing the ball on 69.2% of plays, and it has an impressive EPA of 0.16 on passing attempts.
Stanford will have an extremely difficult time combatting Colorado’s aerial attack. Through five games this season, the Cardinal defense has given up 34.6 points per game, which ranks 123rd in FBS. Their pass defense ranks 130th in the nation, giving up 305.8 yards per game.
Stanford is coming off of a bye week, so its game plan should be solid and could cause some disruption early on. However, even if the Trees can stymie Colorado’s passing game, they still don’t have the offensive prowess to keep up with a reduced offensive showing from the Buffs.
The Cardinal enter tied for 119th in scoring offense, putting up just 19.2 points per game. That’s just not going to be enough to hang with the Buffaloes even with an extra week of preparation.
Lastly, signs are pointing to two-way star Travis Hunter returning for tonight’s contest after suffering a lacerated liver in Week 3 against Colorado State. Should Hunter return, his presence will be felt immediately.
This matchup heavily favors Colorado’s passing attack, and I recommend laying the chalk at altitude as the Buffaloes should run away with this one.
