Navy vs Tulsa, UNLV vs Nevada Odds, Lines and Picks – Best Bets for Friday Night College Football

• A pair of Group of Five games kick off Friday, Oct. 29, with Navy visiting Tulsa and UNLV traveling to Nevada
• The Golden Hurricane is an 11-point home favorite over the Midshipmen, while the Rebels are 20-point road underdogs over the Wolf Pack
• Check out the odds for the games and key information about each matchup in the article below

The American Athletic Conference and Mountain West will be under the Friday Night Lights in Week 9. The Navy Midshipmen and Tulsa Golden Hurricane get things started in Oklahoma from Chapman Stadium at 7:30 p.m. ET, with the game being televised on ESPN2. The Hurricane (3-4, 2-1 AAC) is an 11-point favorite over the Midshipmen (1-6, 1-4 AAC).

Then, at 10 p.m. ET on the CBS Sports Network, the Nevada Wolf Pack (5-2, 2-1 MW) will try to defend its home turf at Mackay Stadium as 20-point favorites against the winless UNLV Rebels (0-6, 0-3 MW) in the Battle for the Fremont Cannon.

Navy vs Tulsa Odds

All odds taken Oct. 27 at DraftKings

Rock You Like a Golden Hurricane

As a winner in three of its last four, it’s easy to see why the Golden Hurricane is an 11-point favorite.

Tulsa quarterback Davis Brin’s stats this season may not jump off the page (135-of-233, 1,914 passing yards, 10 touchdown passes and 10 interceptions), but the redshirt junior’s yards-per-completion (14.19) ranks 17th nationally and leads an offensive attack that racks up 469.4 yards per game (21st in the country).

Brin’s favorite target is Sam Crawford Jr., who has 23 grabs for 436 yards in 2021 to go along with four trips to pay dirt. He averages 62.3 receiving yards per game.  The Golden Hurricane also feature one of the top running back duos in the country. Shamari Brooks has rushed for 561 yards and four touchdowns on 109 carries, while Deneric Prince has rushed for 371 yards and three touchdowns on 66 carries.

Y’all want to see a magic trick? 🪄 pic.twitter.com/P3BgHq6zv2

— Tulsa Football (@TulsaFootball) October 26, 2021

Since dropping its first three against opponents (UC Davis, Oklahoma State and Ohio State) with a combined record of 19-3, the Golden Hurricane has turned its season around in style. Tulsa has earned narrow victories over Arkansas State (41-34), Memphis (35-29) and USF (32-31), with only a 45-10 defeat to Houston sandwiched in. The home crowd will also be buoyed by a Pro Football Hall of Famer in the house Friday.

From South River, NJ ➡️ The University of Tulsa ➡️ Dallas Cowboys ➡️ Pro Football Hall of Fame 🏈

𝐃𝐫𝐞𝐰 𝐏𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧 will be honored at his alma mater this Friday night during 𝙝𝙖𝙡𝙛𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚 ceremonies of our @TulsaFootball game 🙌 pic.twitter.com/Hpu9zZXNzk

— Tulsa Hurricane (@TulsaHurricane) October 26, 2021

Navy is playing the third-toughest schedule in the country this year (based on opponent winning percentage from the previous year) – and that daunting gauntlet has taken its toll on head coach Ken Niumatalolo’s crew in 2021.

Navy quarterback Tai Lavatai is the main cog in the offense, leading the team with 273 passing yards (two touchdown passes and two picks), while rushing for 192 yards on 99 carries with four touchdowns. Joining him in the option game is running back Isaac Ruoss, who has racked up a team-high 388 rushing yards and a pair of scores. James Harris II has chipped in 273 yards on 67 carries this season.

Navy hung with No. 2 Cincinnati in its last outing, falling 27-20 at home. As for Friday’s matchup, Standout linebacker Diego Fagot’s ability to lead the defense and slow down a robust Tulsa offense will be the key factor in the game. But with a charged up crowd at Chapman Stadium, I think the Hurricane get the cover.

• The pick: Tulsa -11 (-115)

UNLV vs Nevada Odds

Silver State Showdown

The Nevada football team opened as almost a three-touchdown favorite against rival UNLV, which is looking for its first win since the 2019 season. That line has not changed much Friday’s kickoff approaches.

Nevada quarterback Carson Strong is coming off a school-record 49 completion (in 61 attempts) game, while throwing for 476 yards and four touchdowns against one pick, in a hard-fought 34-32 defeat to Fresno State. Wideout Romeo Doubs tied a school record with 19 receptions for 203 yards and a touchdown in a passing display that was breathtaking to watch – but spotlighted the Wolf Pack’s utter inability to run the ball (47 yards on 21 attempts).

Carson Strong NFL Throw HOLY MOLY https://t.co/26HEXONYfm

— The Transfer Portal CFB (@TPortalCFB) October 24, 2021

Nevada’s run defense also has issues, but that might not matter against a Rebels squad that averages a measly 118 yards per game. UNLV have lost 13 straight games and is 0-13 under second-year coach Marcus Arroyo.

The Wolf Pack won last year’s matchup, 37-19 in Vegas after the Rebels’ stunning 33-30 overtime win in Reno in 2019.

That contest two years ago ended in a postgame brawl between the teams, so Nevada head coach Jay Norvell will need to keep his team’s emotions in check against a vastly inferior opponent.

UNLV is winless, but all of its losses have come against either quality teams or in close finishes.

Do I think the Rebels pull off the upset in The Biggest Little City in the World once again? No. But this one should be much closer than the spread indicates.

The pick: UNLV +20 (-110)