Friday Night College Football Preview: Two Exciting Matchups to Kick Off Your Weekend
BYU at SMU (7 PM EST)
SMU enters this game with a 2-0 record, having notched wins against Nevada and Houston Christian. BYU also started their season with a commanding victory over Southern Illinois. These teams last faced each other in the 2022 New Mexico Bowl, where BYU narrowly edged out SMU 24-23.
BYU had a challenging 2023 season, finishing 5-7 and missing out on a bowl game. However, they showed resilience against tough opponents like Oklahoma and Oklahoma State. This will be Head Coach Kalani Sitake’s 9th year at the helm, and the team boasts a mix of experience and fresh talent.
SMU is making its debut in the ACC this season, adding an extra layer of intrigue to this matchup. Both teams faced Oklahoma and TCU last year, with mixed results.
While DraftKings currently favors SMU by 11 points, our model predicts a closer game, with SMU winning 27-21. We recommend taking the points and betting on SMU +11.
Duke vs. Northwestern (9 PM EST)
Duke began their season with a comfortable win over Elon, while Northwestern secured a defensive victory against Miami Ohio.
Northwestern currently holds a slight 1-point advantage as the home team. These two teams have a recent history, with Duke winning all three of their matchups in the past three seasons.
Both teams finished 8-5 last season. Duke has a new coach in Manny Diaz, while Northwestern returns a significant number of starters on both offense and defense.
Northwestern closed out the 2023 season strong, winning four of their last five games. We anticipate they’ll carry that momentum into this season and capitalize on Duke’s coaching transition. We predict a Northwestern win and recommend considering the under on the total points, expecting a low-scoring game.