The 2026-27 college football season rolls on with a small Friday night slate of games! It’s time to lock in our CFB best bets today before the action gets underway. Check out these CFB picks for Friday’s Week 9 college football slate on October 30th. Without further ado, let’s jump into this week’s top CFB predictions.

CFB Picks, Predictions & Best Bets: Friday, 10/30

Our CFB best bets today start with UCF hosting Baylor in a Big 12 matchup. Plus, Kent State takes on Sacramento State in the MAC. Check out more CFB picks below for the rest of Friday’s action. Good luck! 

 

 

 

Baylor vs. UCF Prediction: Friday, October 30th

UCF is coming off a massive upset over #2 BYU last weekend. Meanwhile, Baylor has lost two straight and is hoping to get back on track. The Bears are slight road favorites and could easily get the win. Let’s just focus on the total for our CFB best bets today. 

Baylor boasts a strong defense that’s allowing just 16.1 points per game this season (19th in FBS). The Bears have allowed more than 20 points only once this year, which was last week against Kansas. They rank 16th nationally in defensive EPA/Play and 32nd in defensive success rate. Plus, they’re top 25 in the country in both EPA/Pass and EPA/Rush on defense. 

Even on the road, Baylor can hold UCF in check. The Knights just scored 39 points in last week’s overtime win over BYU. However, that was their season-high in points against power-conference competition this year. The offense has been very inconsistent week to week, so expect some regression in this matchup. 

Notably, UCF has struggled to run the ball. The Knights rank 114th in EPA/Rush and tend to lean on the pass. That could be trouble against Baylor’s defense that allows just 3.01 yards per carry, the 11th-best mark in the country. The Bears can make UCF one-dimensional and focus on stopping the pass, which they can also do well. 

Meanwhile, Baylor’s offense ranks 125th in success rate and 116th in EPA/Play. The attack has been up and down all year, but mostly has underwhelmed. Besides scoring 55 points in a one-off outburst against Arizona State, the Bears have averaged just 17.3 PPG in their four other power-conference matchups. As for UCF, its above-average defense ranks 41st in adjusted EPA/Play. 

The under is the play for this Big 12 matchup. Expect both defenses to set the tone for a lower-scoring game. The under is 5-2 in Baylor’s games this year, and 3-2 in UCF’s power-conference games. 

Kent State vs. Sacramento State Prediction: Friday, October 30th

Let’s turn our attention to the MAC for more CFB best bets today. Kent State is a two-score road favorite on Friday night at Sacramento State. Let’s back the Golden Flashes to cover the spread and win comfortably. 

On the surface, Kent State’s 3-5 record doesn’t offer much confidence. Its offense and defense also both grade out poorly. However, the Golden Flashes face one of college football’s worst teams this week. 

Sacramento State is 1-7 this season, with the lone win coming against a non-FBS opponent. The Hornets’ seven losses have all been by double digits, often in blowout fashion. Against FBS competition, they’re averaging just 10.0 points per game (137th in the country) while allowing 37.6 PPG (127th). 

Kent State has admittedly struggled this year, but it still has some encouraging conference victories. The Golden Flashes beat Akron, 35-20, last week and handled Ball State in a 26-13 win earlier this season. Both teams are in the MAC’s bottom tier, like Sacramento State. 

Although Kent State’s cross-country road trip this week isn’t ideal, it hasn’t mattered for Sacramento State’s previous home opponents. The Hornets lost big at home to Ohio (48-7), UMass (35-6), and North Dakota State (31-10). They’re also 1-6 against the spread as underdogs this year. Meanwhile, Kent State is 3-0 ATS as favorites so far.

 

 

 

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