College Football Best Bets and Player Props: Friday Night, Week 5

The college football landscape has been reset for the 2024 season. The College Football Playoff (CFP) will have 12 teams for the first time, which features the five conference champions paired with the next seven highest-ranked teams. Conferences underwent major changes, as well. The Pac-12 is virtually no more while the SEC added two major brands and the Big Ten, Big 12, and ACC all acquired several squads.

As if a shakeup in conference play wasn't intriguing enough, the stakes will also be heightened on a week-to-week basis with far more teams in contention for the CFP. Higher stakes could also generate more competitive games throughout the season, potentially impacting how we bet the sport.

Friday night's lineup has two Power Four matchups. An ACC collision between the Virginia Tech Hokies and Miami (FL) Hurricanes gives a look at a potential postseason contender as Miami is carrying -210 odds to make the College Football Playoff. While the Washington Huskies versus Rutgers Scarlet Knights matchup doesn't feature a likely CFP participant, these are two teams off to great starts who are worth keeping tabs on.

Using the college football odds at FanDuel Sportsbook as a guide, what are the best college football bets for this week?

All college football odds via FanDuel Sportsbook. Lines may change after this article is published.

College Football Betting Picks

Virginia Tech Hokies at No. 7 Miami (FL) Hurricanes

Miami (FL) Over 35.5 Points (-111)

Starting with the less intriguing contest, Miami is favored by 17.5 points. The Canes are currently tied for the fifth-highest average scoring margin at +40.3. Miami has yet to compete in one tight game, and it comes off its most impressive performance yet with a 50-15 win over the South Florida Bulls.

Keep in mind the Hurricanes were three-score favorites for this game, and South Florida is the same team that was down only 14-13 against the Alabama Crimson Tide going into the fourth quarter of a Week 2 matchup.

Leaning on this explosive offense led by quarterback Cameron Ward -- who has +350 odds to win the Heisman Trophy (shortest line) -- looks like the best bet for this matchup. Ward is engineering one of the nation's top offenses, which is logging 51.0 points per game (second-most) and 623.7 yards per contest (second-most). Additionally, Miami's star QB is crashing the top five in 2025 mock drafts while posting a 92.9 player grade and 92.5 pass grade (via Pro Football Focus).

Virginia Tech is giving up only 160.0 passing yards per game (top 17%), but much of this has been a product of opponents attempting only 22.8 passes per game against the Hokies (top 8% for fewest attempts). Don't hold your breath for this continue on Friday as Miami is chucking 36.7 passes per contest (top 19%).

Adding to the evidence for the over, Va Tech is giving up 7.0 yards per passing attempt (top 55%) and rank 69th in Pro Football Focus' coverage grade. Both marks are the definition of mediocrity, proving a potential weakness in defending the pass. The Hokies certainly have the talent at cornerback as Dorian Strong and Mansoor Delane are both in the top-100 prospects of NFL Mock Draft Database's 2025 Consensus Big Board. Strong made Third-Team All-ACC a season ago and appeared on the 2024 Preseason All-ACC team. However, Strong has only a 58.9 PFF coverage grade thus far, and Delane hasn't been much better at 63.5.

Meanwhile, Ward is tearing up everything in sight and his top wideout Xavier Restrepo is logging 90.5 receiving yards per game and 18.1 yards per reception while holding an 86.1 receiving grade. Early struggles from the Hokies' standout cornerback duo could continue.

We don't have to do near as much digging when it comes to Virginia Tech's run defense. This unit is simply bad, giving up 4.4 yards per carry (bottom 44%) and 181.0 rushing yards per contest (bottom 18%). This checks out elsewhere with the Hokies sitting 91st in PFF's run defense grade.

While Ward and the passing offense has been at the forefront, the Canes' rushing attack has been very effective. The unit has the fourth-highest run grade in the nation paired with 6.2 yards per tout (top 6%) and a per-game average of 191.7 rushing yards (top 26%).

This is shaping up to be a defensive nightmare across the board for Virginia Tech.

Damien Martinez Any Time Touchdown Scorer (-154)

There could be some risk involved with backing any player props in Miami's passing attack. While Ward has been awesome -- and that's certainly a reliable bet at this point -- we can't completely discount Virginia Tech's cornerback duo. This is a talented pairing as both players are expected to play on Sundays.

With that said, targeting the ground game is the way to go. The Hokies have struggled to stop the run, plain and simple. Ward has already logged a ridiculous 14 passing touchdowns through four games, but this is not the only fashion that the Canes are scoring. In fact, they have 12 rushing touchdowns on the season.

Damien Martinez was a huge offseason get as 247 Sports' second-best running back in the transfer portal. Martinez logged 6.1 yards per carry over his first two seasons with the Oregon State Beavers. While his efficiency is down to 4.8 yards per attempt thus far, Martinez is still consistently finding the end zone with four rushing touchdowns.

It only feels like a matter of time before Martinez increases his yards per carry. He's still getting plenty of looks with a team-high 40 rushing attempts; keep in mind this is with plenty of blowout wins, taking away from his workload. Even with only 14 rushing attempts over the last two games, Martinez still totaled three touchdowns during the span.

Friday could be the Hurricanes' most competitive game yet considering the 17.5-point spread, suggesting more work for Martinez. Between the favorable matchup and three touchdowns in his most recent outing, I love Martinez to find the end zone on Friday night.

Washington Huskies at Rutgers Scarlet Knights

Washington Moneyline (+108)

Unlike Virginia Tech-Miami, Washington against Rutgers is expected to be a pretty tight matchup with the Scarlet Knights as 2.5-point favorites. According to numberFire's power rankings, the Huskies rank 26th while Rutgers is 45th, yet Washington is the clear underdog. We could get excellent value with this matchup -- here's the evidence.

The Scarlet Knights' MO is as clear as day: run the rock. Rutgers is logging 48.0 rushing attempts per game (top 4%) compared to 24.0 passing attempts per contest (bottom 16%). The offensive line has made a loud statement as the unit has the highest graded lineman at each position, per PFF. The unit has the second-best run block grade in the country, leading to 219.0 rushing yards per game (top 13%).

This is where the trouble lies for the Knights. Washington has been very good at defending the run, giving up only 2.9 yards per attempt (top 12%) and 90.0 rushing yards per contest (top 11%). This is paired with the Huskies holding PFF's 14th-highest run defense grade.

What happens when Rutgers finally faces a formidable run defense? The first three opponents on the schedule have not been that. The Akron Zips are 130th in run defense grade, Virginia Tech is 90th, and the Howard Bison are an FCS squad. The Scarlet Knights will probably get theirs simply thanks to sheer attempts, but the efficiency will likely fall.

Adding to the concern, Washington is surrendering only 4.9 yards per passing attempt (top 10%). The Huskies' defense has flourished overall, allowing 3.6 yards per play (top 5%).

As they say, defense travels. I'm willing to hang my hat on this for Friday's Big Ten clash. Rutgers' defense has not been near as good with opponents logging 6.5 yards per rushing attempt (bottom 4%). This is shaping up to be a huge game for running back Jonah Coleman, who is racking up 93.3 rushing yards per game and 6.7 yards per attempt. Coleman smashing his 63.5 rushing yard prop looks juicy.

Let's bring the underdog to the finish line by looking at several models. numberFire, Massey Ratings, and College Football Nerds are all on Washington. College Football Nerds has the Huskies with a +20.3 margin (!!) while numberFire is giving UW a 59.1% win probability.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.