College Football Betting Guide: Friday 10/7/22
Friday's four-game slate is an odd one.
In the lone Power 5 showdown, the Nebraska Cornhuskers are headed to New Brunswick to face Rutgers. There's also a showdown between projected bowl teams in the AAC as Houston's brutal schedule continues in Memphis.
Being on the road inside a conference can be a tough ask, but is there reason to believe the visitors might sweep those contests?
Note: All college football odds are from FanDuel Sportsbook. Lines are subject to change throughout the day after this article is published. All ratings are out of five stars. Please check numberFire's model to make sure you're seeing the most updated information.
Nebraska Cornhuskers at Rutgers Scarlet Knights
Nebraska ML (-156) - 2 Stars
Before the season, Nebraska and Rutgers had totally different expectations. The Huskers were pegged at a 7.5-win total, and the Scarlet Knights were at the bottom of the Big Ten (3.5).
Nebraska's tumult appears to have at least found stability lately; they cruised to a win at home last week against a solid Indiana squad.
As for Rutgers, they've predictably been dominated by Ohio State and Iowa in the past two weeks. Their best measuring stick might have been an odd close game with Boston College to start the year. They won by a point.
Rutgers is 103rd in ESPN's SP+ offensive rankings for a reason. They can't score. Meanwhile, Nebraska's offense has been competitive behind tailback Anthony Grant all season, and the Scarlet Knights have given up six rushing touchdowns in conference play thus far.
If the Cornhuskers show up, they should win this one comfortably. As a result, I prefer the spread here personally, but our model -- understandably -- is favoring the moneyline to avoid any madness on this three-point number.
It expects Nebraska to win 65.4% of the time against these 60.9% implied chances.
Houston Cougars at Memphis Tigers
Houston ML (+126) - 1 Star
If you don't want to get behind a road favorite, I get it. Here's your best bet of the evening with a dog.
Houston's just not getting enough respect in this spot. They've played what's turned into a brutal schedule due to overperforming teams, including Kansas and Texas Tech. Their other loss was to a solid Tulane squad that beat Kansas State -- and that was in overtime.
On the other side here, Memphis has been at least a 14-point favorite each of the past three weeks, and they've squashed their cupcakes. Their best win was over the 1-3 Navy Midshipmen, and they were trounced by halftime by Mississippi State.
The single key to stopping Houston is defending one of the top passing duos in the spot. That's quarterback Clayton Tune and wideout Nathaniel Dell. Memphis, against this awful schedule, is 94th in passing yards per attempt allowed (8.0).
Our model has just one-star conviction behind this line, but it's my favorite of the night. This is the second-easiest game for UH all season, and they're getting points. I'm with the model -- take them outright.
