Top Friday Games: Houston-Texas Tech, Miami-Wake Forest Odds, Best Bets

The calendar still says September, and temperatures in Texas remain in the 90s, but the Texas Tech Red Raiders are already playing their most important game of the season.

On Friday night, No. 13 Texas Tech hosts the No. 22 Houston Cougars at Galaxy Stadium in Lubbock. The game is the only one against a ranked team on the Red Raiders' schedule -- one that was famously mocked by Texas coach Steve Sarkisian in the offseason. (He said, in part, "If I played [that schedule] with our 2s and our 3s, we could go undefeated.")

If Tech (2-0) wins on Friday, the team would be well on its way to an undefeated regular season and a return trip to the College Football Playoff. But if the Red Raiders lose, they very likely would have to win out to get back to the final 12.

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Meanwhile, Houston (2-0), in its third year under coach Willie Fritz, entered the season as a popular darkhorse pick to win the Big 12. After playing Oregon State and an overmatched Southern to start the year, the Cougars lead the FBS in rushing defense (10.0 yards per game) and rank seventh in the country in rushing offense (308.0).

Texas Tech is a 7.5- point spread betting  favorite over Houston.

While Red Raiders vs. Cougars is the marquee attraction on Friday, there are other sports betting options that includes a partial college football schedule and a full  MLB  slate. Below is a snapshot of what to watch and bet at the best sports betting apps , for Friday, Sept. 18. All times Eastern.

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College football best bets, where to watch

No. 5 Miami at Wake Forest

Time:  7:30 p.m. |  Location:  Winston-Salem, N.C. |  TV:  ESPN |  Stream:   Fubo  (Try for free)

SportsLine pick --   Model:   Wake Forest +928 | Expert: Miami -20.5 (Emory Hunt)

Can anyone stop Darian Mensah , Malachi Toney and the rest of the Hurricanes? Miami leads the country in total offense (702.5 yards per game) and ranks second in both scoring offense (61.0 points per game) and passing offense (427.0 yards per game). Mensah enters Week 3 as the +500 favorite to win the Heisman Trophy. That's bad news for a Demon Deacons team that allowed 455 yards to Purdue last week, the most under coach Jake Dickert. "The Hurricanes have been consistently excellent, keeping their foot on the gas the entire game," Hunt told SportsLine. "I don't think people realize how good they've been defensively as well." Meanwhile, the SportsLine Projection Model, which simulates every college football game 10,000 times, disagrees. It says Wake Forest has a 17% chance to win and assigns a 'B' grade to the Demon Deacons money line betting odds of +928.

No. 22 Houston at No. 13 Texas Tech

Time:  8 p.m. |  Location:  Lubbock, Texas |  TV:  FOX |  Stream:   Fubo  (Try for free)

SportsLine pick --   Model:  Texas Tech -317  | Expert:  Houston +8 (Tom Fornelli)

The Red Raiders boatraced virtually everyone on their schedule last year but haven't looked as sharp this season with two meh victories over Abilene Christian (33-10) and Oregon State (35-24). They could be feeling the effects of having to replace four defenders (David Bailey, Jacob Rodriguez , Lee Hunter and Romello Height) selected within the top 70 picks of the NFL Draft . Also, recent transfer quarterback Thomas Castellanos saw key snaps last week against the Beavers, which suggests the staff isn't totally satisfied with starter Will Hammond . "Texas Tech looks far more vulnerable than the Tech of last season, and Houston has improved along the offensive line," Fornelli told SportsLine. "Also, Houston has been great in close games under Willie Fritz, and Tech simply hasn't played many in a while." However, the SportsLine Projection Model disagrees. It says the Red Raiders have a 68% chance to win and gives a 'B' grade to the Texas Tech money line (-317).

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MLB best bets, where to watch

Blue Jays at Rangers

Time:  8:05 p.m. |  Location:  Arlington, Texas |  TV:  MLB.TV |  Stream:   Fubo  (Try for free)

SportsLine pick --   Model:   Rangers +115  | Expert:  Blue Jays -136 (Adam Thompson)

Toronto has a significant pitching edge entering the first game of this three-game series against Texas with Dylan Cease (11-5, 2.38 ERA) squaring off against Kumar Rocker (5-11, 4.54 ERA). Over his last 15 games, Cease is 7-2 with a 2.12 ERA, and for the entire season he is 8-1 with a 1.89 ERA on the road. Meanwhile, Thompson notes that Rocker owns a 6.16 ERA in his last seven starts and is 3-10 at home. "Toronto has scored at least five runs in four of its last five games, and its OPS against right-handers the last two weeks is nearly 200 points higher than Texas'," he told SportsLine. The SportsLine Projection Model disagrees. It says the Rangers have a 51% chance to win and assigns a 'B' grade to the Texas money line (+115).

Nationals at Cardinals

Time:  8:15 p.m. |  Location:  St. Louis |  TV:  MLB.TV |  Stream:   Fubo  (Try for free)

SportsLine pick --   Model:   Cardinals -108  | Expert:  Cade Cavalli Over 17.5 total pitcher outs -122 (Prop Bet Guy)

This has been a breakthrough season for Washington righty Cade Cavalli (12-5, 3.12 ERA), who is set to make bank because of it. The 28-year-old starter has set career highs in almost every statistical category and is reportedly on the verge of a contract extension. Prop betting expert Prop Bet Guy notes Cavalli has gone Over 17.5 total pitcher outs in 11 of his last 12 outings with a 2.13 ERA over that span. "He'll face the Cardinals, who've been slumping at the plate, with just a .680 OPS over the last 30 days against righties," he told SportsLine. Meanwhile, the SportsLine Projection Model says St. Louis has a 56% chance to win and gives a 'B' grade to the Cardinals money line (-108).

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Looking ahead

College football: No. 7 LSU at No. 8 Ole Miss

Time:  7:30 p.m. Saturday |  Location:  Oxford, Miss. |  TV:  ABC |  Stream:   Fubo  (Try for free)

SportsLine pick --   Model:  Under 58.5 | Expert: Ole Miss +3 (Micah Roberts)

Could this be the most hostile road environment in college football history? Coach Lane Kiffin makes his much-anticipated return to Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, and already the gamesmanship is on with Ole Miss serving LSU defensive end and former Rebels star Princewill Umanmielen with court papers and Kiffin listing quarterback Sam Leavitt as doubtful on the initial injury report. Leavitt is now listed as questionable, and Roberts is not even factoring in Leavitt missing the game. "It's just two games, but it's funny to see Leavitt on the injury report as questionable for Saturday's game against Ole Miss, the team that Lane Kiffin used to coach," he told SportsLine. "Apparently, that's what Lane Kiffin did regularly at Ole Miss, and everyone involved is brushing it off with a 'nothing' statement." Meanwhile, the SportsLine Projection Model says there's a 59.5% chance the teams combine for 58 points or fewer and assigns a strong 'A' grade to Under 58.5.

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_Originally reported by [CBS Sports](https://www.cbssports.com/betting/news/todays-top-games-to-watch-best-bets-odds-no-22-houston-at-no-13-texas-tech-miami-at-wake-forest-more/)._