Friday College Football Best Bets: Iowa-Washington and BYU-Iowa State

Like the NFL, college football is coming to your TV more nights a week, and fortunately, that growth is spreading beyond MACtion. Yes, a fun low-level Tuesday night game in Kent, Ohio, can be fun, but getting real power-conference football on a Friday is a great way to start a football-filled weekend.

This week has a very solid set of Friday games in the Big Ten and Big 12, so let's get into the picks for those games.

#20 Iowa @ Washington (-3) Total: 41.5

Iowa allowed 30 points at home for the first time in nearly a decade last weekend against Ohio State. They looked overmatched, but I think that had more to do with the Buckeyes being national title contenders again than with Iowa being a bad football team. Washington, on the other hand, blew a great opportunity to save their season with a big road win against a shaky USC squad.

Washington has been underwhelming in every aspect this year, but the worst offender is the offense. Demond Williams Jr. has regressed across the board this year and is waiting for his opportunity to transfer out of Seattle, and the run game is so much worse without Jonah Coleman in 2026.

Things will get worse before they get better for Washington, while Iowa has proven year after year that it will get up off the mat after a big loss. I expect a big bounce-back game from Kamari Moulton and the Iowa rush, and I think they will keep their playoff hopes alive with a solid road win.

Pick: Iowa +3 and o41.5

Iowa State @ #8 BYU (-10.5) Total: 46.5

I don’t really think BYU is close to being a top-10 team, but at least in Provo, they act a lot more like one. BYU put up an absolute stinker against TCU last week. They had no running game because Bear Bachmeier isn’t a threat to push the ball downfield.

The problem is, I’m not sure Iowa State can do much against what might be a very solid Cougar defense. While BYU has offensive flaws, I think this defense might be strong enough to carry them to a Big 12 Championship game. It’s not a defense full of game-wreckers, but they can absolutely muck things up.

Also, most importantly, Vegas is overreacting to last week's results. Iowa State’s offense looked good against a bad West Virginia defense, and BYU had one of their worst showings outside of Texas Tech matchups in the last two years. This game will be a return to the mean for both of these squads, so I think BYU wins in a low-scoring battle.

Pick: BYU -10.5 and u46.5