Updated: November 22, 2024 5:13 AM ET

Believe it or not, we’ve reached the penultimate Friday of the college football regular season and will be treated to a 3-game mini slate on the eve of Saturday’s big card. After kicking an Over for us last Friday, UTSA is a huge favorite this week when Temple plays host in the first game of the night. Next up, Michigan State hosts Purdue, with bowl eligibility still within reach for the Spartans. Speaking of Spartans, home underdog San Jose State hosts the UNLV Rebels in Friday’s nightcap in the West. While there are limited options this week, I was able to find two corners that I felt were worth an investment.

Let’s take a look at my best college football bets for tonight, and don’t forget to find the rest of our betting odds college football choices And CFB predictions for the entire Week 13 list.

UTSA Roadrunners team total Over 36.5 vs. Temple Owls (-110)

Odds courtesy of BetMGM and available at time of publication.

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The UTSA Roadrunners have been on fire offensively in recent weeks, and Temple doesn’t seem like the team that will slow them down. The Roadrunners have scored at least 38 points in 4 consecutive games and all but 1 home game this season. Meanwhile, Temple has given up at least 38 points in 4 of its 5 road games. This isn’t terribly surprising considering Temple ranks 103rd in total defense, 122nd in scoring defense and 126th in red zone touchdowns on the season as a whole.

More recently, as of Week 7, the Owls rank 106th in defensive PPA outside of garbage time, and 122nd in opponent points per scoring opportunity. They were particularly bad against the pass, which is the strength of the UTSA offense, and they will likely give UTSA extra possessions considering they average 3 turnovers per road game against FBS opponents. Look for the Roadrunners to continue their dominant offensive trajectory against a porous Temple defense that has nothing to play for as they are out of the reach of bowl eligibility.

Discover our best college football bets for Saturday, with our experts on a 5-1 run!

UNLV Rebels -7.5 vs. San Jose State Spartans (-106)

Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook and available at time of publication.

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If you watched the infamous “Bad Beats” segment on Monday night, you witnessed San Jose State’s colossal collapse against Boise State. With 14.5 points, the Spartans led 21-14 midway through the third quarter before the Broncos stormed back. Boise State took a 35-21 lead late in the fourth quarter before a pick-6 increased the lead to 42-21 with 1:42 remaining – still enough time for the Spartans to take the field and score to within the number to come for spread bettors. Although they managed to get all the way down the field, they failed to score despite multiple attempts inside the 5-yard line.

After last week’s debacle, I expect this to be a letdown for the already bowl-eligible Spartans. The Rebels, who still have an outside chance of clinching a Mountain West title berth, are extremely efficient offensively on early downs, according to College Football Insiders. This should be beneficial against a Spartan defense that ranks 91st in opposing EPA on early downs. Early success would also provide the Rebels with plenty of third-and-manage situations, allowing them to maintain their drives and get deep into enemy territory. In fact, they rank first nationally in red zone attempts this season, and first nationally in total scoring opportunities outside of garbage time since Week 7 – and they’re finishing drives more often than not with points. UNLV also has a pretty big advantage in the turnover department, as the Rebels rank 3rd nationally in turnover margin per game against FBS opponents, while the Spartans are 87th. Putting points on the road in a late-season conference game can be a scary proposition, but it’s UNLV or nothing for me in this Mountain West showdown on Friday.

Read our full UNLV vs San Jose State prediction