College Football Best Bets: Friday Night | September 25, 2026

Friday night gives us five FBS games on September 25, 2026, from Army-Temple at 4 PM ET through Clemson-Cal at 10:30 PM ET. We are keeping the card tight with four bets built around matchup advantages rather than trying to force action into every game.

CTS Best Bets

Navy -6.5 at UAB

This is our favorite side. Navy enters averaging 376 rushing yards per game and 6.9 yards per carry. UAB has allowed 192 rushing yards per game and 4.7 per carry. That is the matchup we want when laying less than a touchdown.

The other side matters too. Navy has allowed only 40.5 rushing yards per game through two games, while UAB has leaned heavily on a ground game averaging 178 yards. If Navy forces the Blazers away from their preferred offensive identity, the Midshipmen have a path to controlling both possession and scoring opportunities.

Army -3.5 at Temple

Army’s rushing offense has been the most productive in the country at 394 yards per game, and the Black Knights are averaging 41.5 points. Temple has been competitive against the spread, but its defense has allowed 414.7 yards per game and opponents have converted 51.3% of third downs.

Army’s style can make laying points uncomfortable because possessions disappear quickly. At -3.5, we are still willing to back the team with the clearest identity and the better early-season defensive profile.

Northwestern at Indiana Under 49.5

Indiana’s defense is the reason for the play. The Hoosiers have allowed only 5.3 points and 203.3 yards per game, both among the best marks in the country. Northwestern has started 2-0 and looked excellent against Colorado, so we would rather attack the total than lay more than 20 points against a Wildcats team that has shown real competence.

The under gives us room for Indiana to control the game without requiring Northwestern to be completely noncompetitive. A 31-10 or 34-13 type result gets us there.

California +1.5 vs. Clemson

This is the late-game dog we want. Both teams enter 2-1 and 1-0 in ACC play, but Clemson is making its first conference trip to the West Coast with freshman Tait Reynolds making only his second start. Reynolds was solid against North Carolina, completing 20 of 29 passes for 215 yards, but Clemson’s offense has not yet earned the right to be treated like a dominant road unit.

Cal gets the home-night environment in Berkeley and only needs to stay within a field goal. We are taking the points in what the market is pricing as essentially a coin-flip game.

Props We Considered

There are interesting player markets, particularly Michael Barrow’s rushing total in Navy-UAB and several Indiana skill-player touchdown markets. We prefer the four game-level bets above because their edges do not depend on one player’s exact touch distribution.

CTS Friday Card

Navy -6.5
Army -3.5
Northwestern-Indiana Under 49.5
California +1.5

If we are playing only two, Navy -6.5 and California +1.5 are the two we want most.