Friday. Night. Lights.
There's something special about the lights shining on the gridiron before a massive Saturday slate that features wall-to-wall action. Consider this the appetizer to the main course.
While there wasn't a single college football game on Thursday, we have four lined up for Friday night:
- Louisville vs. James Madison
- Maryland vs. Northern Illinois
- Northwestern vs. Western Illinois
- Boise State vs. Eastern Washington
With four games on deck, let's take a look at our college football picks and NCAAF predictions for the games on Friday, September 5.
College Football Picks, Predictions for Friday, Sept. 5
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 Week 2 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. | |
  | 7:30 p.m. | |
  | 7:30 p.m. | |
  | 9 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. | ||
Louisville vs James Madison Pick
By Doug Ziefel
The James Madison Dukes take on the Louisville Cardinals in Louisville, Kentucky. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
Louisville is favored by -13.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -550. The total is set at 55.5 points.
Here’s my James Madison vs. Louisville prediction and college football picks for Saturday, September 5.
James Madison Dukes
The Dukes came into the season as the favorites to win the Sun Belt, and their Week 1 performance against Weber State gave their conference foes a preview of what to expect.
James Madison was highly efficient on the ground, averaging 7.1 yards per carry and totaling 313 rushing yards. The Dukes' rushing attack had a bevy of ball carriers, including three running backs and two quarterbacks.
Their scheme poses a challenge for any defense, as starting quarterback Alonza Barnett III is also proficient through the air, having thrown for nearly 2,600 yards and 26 touchdown passes last season.
The JMU offense is experienced and primed to challenge a Louisville defense that still needs to gel after returning only a couple of starting linebackers.
Louisville Cardinals
On the other side of this matchup, the Cardinals' offense also showed a ton of promise in their opening matchup. They routed Eastern Kentucky 51-17, displaying plenty of explosiveness on the ground and through the air.
Like the Dukes, it starts on the ground for the Cardinals, as Isaac Brown is already on pace for another 1,000-yard season. Brown's ability to pick up big chunks of yards opens up the field for Miller Moss, who averaged 8.9 yards per completion in Week 1.
We should see Moss continue to progress under Louisville head coach Jeff Brohm, who's regarded as a quarterback guru. Moss has an experienced receiving corps to throw to, and that group is going to create matchup problems for the Dukes' secondary.
Look for the Cardinals to pick up right where they left off in Week 1, as this team is going to force the issue offensively.
Louisville vs James Madison Prediction
We saw this total quickly rise upon opening, but it's since encountered some resistance in the market, now settling just one point higher than the opening number.
However, I grabbed it at 54.5, and I'm willing to take the over up to 57.5.
There's still a lot unknown about both of these defenses, and both teams have proven to be efficient, explosive and experienced offensively.
Expect the scoreboard to light up often in this one.
Pick: Over 55.5 (Play to 57.5)
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Maryland vs Northern Illinois Pick
By Road To CFB
The Northern Illinois Huskies take on the Maryland Terrapins in College Park, Maryland. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET on Big Ten Network.
Maryland is favored by -17.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -850. The total is set at 46.5 points.
Here’s my Northern Illinois vs Maryland prediction and college football picks for Friday, September 5.
Northern Illinois Huskies
Under a new defensive coordinator, NIU didn’t appear to lose a step in Week 1. The Huskies generated nine tackles for loss, two sacks and a turnover in a 19-17 win over FCS Holy Cross.
The defense completely shut down the run and held the Crusaders to two or fewer yards on over half of their rushes.
It was the offense that sounded the alarms early on. Sophomore quarterback Josh Holst got the start for NIU and led a plodding offense that got basically nothing going in any phase.
Holst threw an interception and completed 12 passes for just 101 yards. He was also a non-factor on the ground before exiting the game late to injury.
Backup Jackson Proctor replaced Holst and went 2-for-6 and eight yards. Yikes.
Receiver DeAree Rogers was about the only bright spot, catching seven passes for 73 yards, while the rest of the pass-catching crew couldn’t surpass four yards per target.
Even running back Chavon Wright was stuffed after picking up 45 of his 77 total yards on his first carry. The offense was dire.
Maryland Terrapins
For his first collegiate start, quarterback Malik Washington sure could've done worse. The true freshman completed 27-of-43 passes for 262 yards and a trio of touchdowns with no turnovers.
He spread the ball around between Jalil Farooq (eight targets), Dorian Fleming (eight), Shaleak Knotts (six), and Octavian Smith Jr. (six).
The offense did its job, but the real story of Week 1 was the Maryland defense in a 39-7 win over FAU. The Terps forced six turnovers, including four interceptions, and didn’t turn the ball over once offensively.
That +6 turnover margin is both a surefire way to win a football game and unlikely to sustain.
Actually, the offense was quite mediocre. Maryland ranked in the bottom four in EPA per play on the week and just four of the Terps’ 76 plays from scrimmage counted as explosive (5%). They only picked up 50% of available yards and were tackled for a loss six times.
Maryland’s run game lacked a concrete identity. No one received more than 10 carries, which could be a feature rather than a bug if any of the ballcarriers found consistent success, but they did not.
Some of that can be chalked up to having a true freshman at quarterback, but the offense needs to improve quickly for Maryland.
Maryland vs Northern Illinois Prediction
If you were quick to the window, you got a stellar number, as Maryland opened at -14.5. That number jumped significantly, and the value on Maryland is gone.
Maryland’s defense may have the most inflated numbers of any FBS team by the end of Week 2. FAU couldn’t stop giving the football away and NIU enters this game coming off one of the worst offensive performances of the weekend.
Maryland’s defense was excellent against a not-so-excellent FAU rushing attack. The Terps held the Owls to two or fewer yards on nearly 60% of all rush attempts and zero or negative yards on over 20% of them. Maryland’s defense should again be excellent.
On the other side, Maryland struggled at times to run the ball. The offensive line generated just 1.47 yards per rush against what should have been an overmatched FAU defensive front. NIU’s defensive front is stouter than that, and the Huskies defended the run well.
Neither team managed to pick up more than 50% of available yards in their season openers, and neither offensive system is particularly aggressive.
In addition to NIU’s offensive struggles, Holst left last week’s contest with an injury and the backup couldn’t get anything going. Should Proctor have to go, this is a tough test on the road.
I’m betting against either team hanging substantial numbers and into NIU trying to slow the pace and play ball control, especially if Holst doesn’t go.
Maryland should've scored a bunch more than 39 with a +6 turnover margin, and the underlying numbers show that the offense struggled against an inferior defense.
This total already dropped a point, but it hasn’t dropped enough.
Pick: Under 47.5
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Northwestern vs Western Illinois Pick
By Joshua Nunn
The Western Illinois Leathernecks take on the Northwestern Wildcats in Evanston, IL. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET on Big Ten Network.
Northwestern is favored by 28.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -10000. Western Illinois, meanwhile, enters as a +2400 underdog to pull off the upset. The total is set at 51.5 points.
Here’s my Western Illinois vs. Northwestern prediction and college football picks for Saturday, September 5.
Western Illinois Leathernecks
Western Illinois comes in off a season-opening loss against Big Ten opponent Illinois last week.
The Leathernecks were severely outclassed in the game, which saw them surrender 52 points and 440 total yards against the Fighting Illini.
WIU did have success on its first drive of the game, racking up several first downs and also maintaining a 16-play drive in the fourth quarter.
Quarterback Chris Irvin completed 14-of-29 passes for 134 yards in the loss.
The Leathernecks were substantially overmatched in the trenches, as the rushing attack averaged just 1.1 yards per rush on 26 attempts.
Defensively, WIU provided some resistance to Illinois despite the lopsided score. The Illini recorded only three explosive plays, and the Leathernecks secured three sacks.
The game wasn’t competitive, but there were some positives to take away for WIU.
Northwestern Wildcats
Northwestern comes in off a disappointing 23-3 loss to Tulane last week. The Wildcats really struggled offensively in the first half, with three turnovers and a first-quarter field goal.
Several drives stalled due to the inability to connect on deep shots, as quarterback Preston Stone never looked comfortable against the Green Wave's defensive front. Overall, Stone threw four interceptions and took three sacks.
The ground game also struggled to find its groove, recording just 76 yards on 2.8 yards per carry.
Defensively, Northwestern was puzzled by Tulane quarterback Jake Retzlaff, particularly when he found ways to create with his legs. Retzlaff ran for 113 yards on 10 carries and threw for 152 yards with two total touchdowns.
The Wildcat defense was really up against it after being put in bad spots thanks to untimely turnovers by the offense, but this unit played pretty well, all things considered.
Northwestern vs Western Illinois Prediction
In this Friday night affair, I would look to the under.
Western Illinois is going to be significantly overmatched in this one yet again, and I don't see the Leathernecks having much offensive success against the Wildcats defense here.
WIU isn't equipped with the playmakers needed to stretch the field and stress the Northwestern secondary. We saw the Cats limit explosives against Tulane while allowing just two plays over 20 yards.
I don’t see WIU sustaining drives and converting on third down enough to get into the red zone frequently. I expect Northwestern to tackle better here and be in a better defensive position without having to worry about a mobile quarterback taking off with his legs.
Northwestern looked really choppy in the passing game last week. Stone and company are clearly still figuring out timing and rhythm with the passing attack.
It will look a little better here, but I fully expect the Cats to throttle this one down in the second half and salt this one away in a low-possession second half.
Northwestern wants to run the football, and we'll see that here. I expect Cam Porter and Joseph Himon to each receive 15 or more carries and for the second-half offense to look very vanilla.
Wildcats head coach David Braun is 0-3 ATS against FCS competition, and we saw in a similar situation last year against an overmatched Eastern Illinois team. The Cats really throttled down in the second half with a conference opponent on deck.
With Oregon coming in, the starters will likely get a quick pull halfway through the third quarter.
We're expecting some Chicago wind in the forecast for Friday night. Current reports show sustained 14-17 MPH wind with gusts of 21-24 MPH during the game. This is significant enough to alter play-calling slightly, affect deep throws and alter the trajectory of field goals.
I would expect this total to drop as we get closer to kickoff here, so grab under 51.5 and strap in.
Pick: Under 51.5 (Play to 49.5)
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Boise State vs Eastern Washington Pick
By Joshua Nunn
The Eastern Washington Eagles take on the Boise State Broncos in Boise, Idaho, on Friday, Sept. 5. Kickoff is set for 9 p.m. ET on FS1.
Boise State is favored by 29.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -8000. Eastern Washington, meanwhile, comes in at +2200 to pull off the upset. The total is set at 55.5 points.
Boise State traveled to Tampa in Week 1 and got absolutely annihilated by USF, 34-7. The Broncos will be looking to bounce back against an Eastern Washington team that suffered a 31-21 loss to Incarnate Word to open its season.
Who holds the advantage here?
Here's my Eastern Washington vs. Boise State prediction and college football picks for Friday, September 5.
Boise State vs Eastern Washington Preview
The first thing I want to do this week is lay the points with Boise State against Eastern Washington.
The Eagles look like a shadow of their old selves right now. After going 10-3 in 2021, Eastern Washington has finished with records of 3-8, 4-7 and 4-8.
The Eagles are also coming off a 31-21 loss at Incarnate Word, which lost to Nicholls, 20-6, in Week 0 as 13.5-point favorites. The Cardinals absolutely torched Eastern Washington through the air en route to 463 total yards on the day. Expect more of the same trouble here.
Eastern Washington’s defense has been brutal, and its offense isn’t anywhere close to the high-powered teams we’ve seen in past years.
After getting a wake-up call in an ugly game against USF in Week 1, I expect Boise State to bounce back in a big way on the blue turf at Albertsons Stadium.
Boise State vs Eastern Washington Prediction
The Broncos should have things figured out by now, and Maddux Madsen and Sire Gaines still form a formidable duo in the backfield.
Plus, it's not like they're playing one of the top Group of Five quarterbacks in the country this week like they did when they faced Byrum Brown in Orlando.
We should get about 10 points of line value here, so I'll take Boise State at anything around -31.
Pick: Boise State -29.5 (Play to -31)
