Friday. Night. Lights.
There's something special about the lights shining on the gridiron before a massive Saturday slate that features wall-to-wall action. Consider this the appetizer to the main course.
This week, we have three games lined up for Friday night: Columbia vs. Lafayette in an FCS clash, Tulsa vs. Oklahoma State in an in-state showdown and Iowa vs. Rutgers in a Big Ten battle.
Our college football writers broke down all three games and came through with a pick for each, so let's take a look at our college football picks and NCAAF predictions for the games on Friday, September 19.
College Football Picks, Predictions for Friday, Sept. 19
The team logos in the table below represent each of the matchups that our college football betting staff is targeting from Friday's slate of games. Click on the team logos for any of the matchups below to navigate to a specific bet discussed in this article.
| Game | Time (ET) | Pick |
|---|---|---|
  | 6 p.m. | |
  | 7:30 p.m. | |
  | 8 p.m. | |
Specific betting recommendations come from the sportsbook offering preferred odds as of writing. Always shop for the best price using our NCAAF Odds page, which automatically surfaces the best lines for every game. | ||
Columbia vs Lafayette Pick
By Joshua Nunn
The Columbia Lions take on the Lafayette Leopards in Easton, Pennsylvania. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
Lafayette is favored by -2.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -134. The total is set at 51.5 points.
Here’s my Columbia vs. Lafayette prediction and college football picks for Friday, September 19.
Columbia Lions
Columbia opens its season on Friday after one of the more successful football campaigns in program history. The Lions took home a share of the Ivy League for the first time in 63 years.
This Columbia team has been built on a solid foundation of tough defensive football, which helped pave the way for the Lions to lead the Ivy League in scoring defense (16.1 PPG) and finish No. 3 overall in total defense in 2024.
This year, only four starters are back and nine of the top 10 tacklers are gone, but the stop unit is led by Justin Townsend and Jack Smiechowski, who bring back experience and production at defensive end and linebacker, respectively.
The secondary lost significant production — including Carter McFadden and Hayden McDonald — so the pass coverage unit is likely to suffer this year while breaking in new pieces.
With all of the positive talk surrounding the Columbia defense, the offense (20.7 PPG) was a struggle at times in 2024. Most of the struggles were in the red zone, as Columbia experienced some turmoil at the quarterback position due to poor play and injuries.
Chase Goodwin and Caleb Sanchez figure to split reps this season — as they did last year — and much more will be put on the shoulders of the signal caller with bell-cow running back Joey Giorgi gone.
The offensive line appears to be in good shape, but Columbia does lose three of its top producing pass catchers from a season ago.
There appears to be some retooling needed for the Lions to be productive offensively this season in the Ivy League.
Lafayette Leopards
Lafayette comes in off a pair of back-and-forth high-scoring victories against Georgetown and Stonehill.
The Leopards have received improved quarterback play from Dean DeNobile, who's thrown for 535 yards and three touchdowns on the season.
The ground game has been a pleasant surprise with Kente Edwards averaging 10 yards per carry and recording seven touchdowns. The Leopards are averaging 222 yards per game rushing this season.
The inexperience and youth on the defensive side has shown, as Lafayette has had a propensity to surrender points and yards in bunches.
Pass coverage has been an issue, as Lafayette has surrendered 631 passing yards and five scores through the air the last two weeks.
Ryan Gadson and Avery Jones are tied for the team lead in tackles this season, but Kevin Dodard has also played really well in the secondary for Lafayette.
Columbia vs. Lafayette Prediction
I'm going to lay the -2.5 with Lafayette in its home opener.
This Lafayette group has played pretty good football the last three weeks on the road, and even defensively, they've been in a good positioning, despite giving up a ton of points the last two weeks.
Lafayette has had two defensive fumble return touchdowns against it in the last two weeks and both Stonehill and Georgetown have forced turnovers, which set up short scoring drives against the Leopards.
Columbia is missing several key pieces on its defensive unit, which carried this group the last couple of seasons. I would expect the Leopards to use the ground game to gash the Lions and wear down the defensive line, which is replacing both defensive tackles from a season ago.
Lafayette isn't afraid to take deep shots and the trio of Carson Persing, Elijah Steward and Mason Kuehner at receiver is solid (all have receptions of 45 yards or longer to their credit this season).
The explosive chunk plays in the pass game should set the Leopards up with several red zone opportunities, where they're cashing in for touchdowns 75% of the time.
Columbia hasn’t played yet, and it's going to look a little different this year. The offensive production is expected to drop, as the Lions will be breaking in new skill position players and are still sorting out who will be the primary quarterback.
I trust the Lafayette defense to continue to tackle well and be in position to defend against a below average Ivy League offensive platoon.
Lafayette has been in strong positions in the second halves of its FCS games this season, as the Leopards were up 42-6 in the second half against Stonehill and held a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter against Georgetown on the road.
Lafayette is playing in its home opener and playing with revenge off of a Columbia defeat from last season.
Pick: Lafayette -2.5
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Tulsa vs Oklahoma State Pick
By John Feltman
The Tulsa Golden Hurricane take on the Oklahoma State Cowboys in Stillwater, Oklahoma, on Friday, Sept. 19. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.
Oklahoma State is favored by 11.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -395. Tulsa, meanwhile, comes in as a +11.5 underdog and is +310 on the moneyline to pull off the upset. The over/under sits at 55.5 points.
Here’s my Tulsa vs. Oklahoma State prediction and college football picks for Friday, September 19.
Tulsa Golden Hurricane
Tulsa got a strong start last week against Navy, but everything seemed to derail after the first quarter. The Golden Hurricane totaled 326 yards of offense without starting quarterback Kirk Francis.
The good news for Tulsa is that Francis can return for its matchup against Oklahoma State, which will help the struggling offense. It's a very ugly early-season matchup, and Tulsa's metrics on both sides of the ball reflect that.
The offense could use Francis to jolt its production, but regardless, this is a plus matchup for it against a pathetic Oklahoma State defense. Tulsa ranks 79th in EPA/Pass, and the Pokes' secondary has been lousy thus far.
The Golden Hurricane's running game has also been nonexistent thus far, but they should benefit from Oklahoma State's bad run defense.
The talent gap isn't as large as the public perceives, as Oklahoma State has been arguably one of the worst Power 4 programs in the nation thus far.
The Golden Hurricane don't have any notable injuries on the defensive side of the ball, but it should be noted that they were supposed to be an inexperienced unit that was expected to have some growing pains.
I don't like what I've seen from their defense, but the Pokes have been so bad that it may not even matter from a schematic perspective.
Their defensive line is the group's anchor, and they've done a decent job in the trenches. They should do enough to keep this game close, but I expect it to be an ugly affair.
Oklahoma State Cowboys
I don't know where to start because things have been a disaster in Stillwater. Head coach Mike Gundy has built a strong legacy during his tenure, but it's time to ask if there needs to be a change.
When I say the Pokes are a bad football team, that might be an understatement. They're truly embarrassing. Two weeks ago, they were destroyed by Oregon, 69-3, in a game they were outgained by more than 400 yards.
The Ducks are one of the top teams in the country, so it's not too shameful to be embarrassed by them. However, OK State's performance at home against UT Martin was a disgrace.
The Cowboys won, 27-7, but struggled mightily for three quarters. That was a glaring sign that they would be a doormat for most FBS opponents on their schedule.
Whether Tulsa is missing Francis or not, the Pokes shouldn't be 12.5-point favorites against anybody right now. Both sides of the ball have been a complete disaster, and I'm specifically concerned about their offense.
The Pokes rank outside the top 100 in the following offensive metrics:
- EPA/Pass
- EPA/Rush
- Available Yards Gained
- Early Down EPA
- Offensive Success Rate
Quarterback Zane Flores hasn't thrown a touchdown pass yet and has two interceptions on the season. Leading rusher Kalib Hicks is averaging just 3.4 yards per carry, so there's a huge mess to be sorted out on the offensive side of the ball.
It doesn't get much prettier defensively. Along with getting embarrassed by Oregon, the Pokes were pushed around for most of their matchup in Week 1 against UT Martin.
Entering the season, we knew they had lost a ton of talent on defense, but I never could've envisioned it getting to his level of ugliness.
Tulsa is no offensive juggernaut, but I wouldn't be surprised to see the Pokes be pushed around again on Friday night.
Tulsa vs Oklahoma State Prediction
You may need a stiff drink while watching these two teams clash on Friday night, but the only side to play here is Tulsa catching 12.5 points.
Oklahoma State should benefit from coming off a bye, but it's such a mess on both sides of the ball that I can't lay points with this team against any opponent.
Whether Francis returns for Tulsa or not, it should be able to move the ball consistently throughout the matchup. If Francis does start, I expect this line to sink below 10.
It's as ugly as it gets for Week 4, but give me Tulsa to keep the game within reach on Friday night.
Pick: Tulsa +11.5 (Play to +10)
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Iowa vs Rutgers Pick
By Road to CFB
The Iowa Hawkeyes take on the Rutgers Scarlet Knights in Piscataway, N.J., on Friday, Sept. 19. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. ET on FOX.
Iowa is favored by 2.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -125. Rutgers, meanwhile, comes in as a +2.5 underdog and sits at +105 to pull off the upset. The over/under is set at 46.5 points.
Here’s my Iowa vs. Rutgers prediction and college football picks for Friday, September 19.
Iowa Hawkeyes
Despite a significant upgrade at quarterback, Iowa can't throw the football.
Mark Gronowski was one of the most efficient and dangerous QBs in the FCS throughout his five years at South Dakota State. He headed to Iowa City and has been nerfed in the system.
That lack of a passing attack came appeared against in-state rival Iowa State, where the Hawkeyes scored just 13 points. The other two games are nearly useless data points, coming against FCS Albany and FBS bottom-feeder UMass.
And yet, it's clear that this Iowa passing attack is just not there. Gronowski managed 179 yards against UMass (133rd in defense!) and a total of 127 yards in his first two games.
Iowa's offense doesn't appear to have the same caliber of rushing attack as it has in years past with Kaleb Johnson and Tyler Goodson. With Kamari Moulton injured, it has been Xavier Williams and Jaziun Patterson leading the charge, but there's nothing explosive on offense.
Fortunately for Iowa, Phil Parker orchestrates a top-notch defense year in and year out.
That unit needed to replace multiple captains and its four best players, and still came out and held Iowa State to 16 points and its other opponents to seven points apiece.
The defensive front is incredibly disruptive, recording six sacks and 42 total pressures already.
For the umpteenth year, we're seeing an Iowa half-team with plenty of defensive juice but significant schematic flaws offensively. We know what this team is.
Rutgers Scarlet Knights
The early season has not been kind to Rutgers.
Heading into Week 3, key injuries to the offensive line and receiving corps, plus depth concerns on the defensive line and secondary, loom large.
Leading receiver Ian Strong is out for Week 4, as is left tackle Tyler Needham, leaving the Scarlet Knights scrambling to find a left tackle with his two backups also hurt.
Those injury concerns haven't come to roost yet for a 3-0 Rutgers team that notched wins over Ohio, Miami (OH) and FCS Norfolk State.
The Scarlet Knights staved off a late push from Ohio — a team that beat West Virginia and gave Ohio State early fits — and then cruised to the other two victories.
Quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis is a significantly improved passer from the last two seasons. Remove his drops and throwaways, and Kaliakmanis has completed over 80% of his passes on the season with no interceptions or turnover-worthy throws. T
his doesn't come on dink-and-dunk passes, either — he leads all Big Ten quarterbacks with an average depth of target of 10.8 yards.
The boost on offense comes with a hit to the defense under Robb Smith.
Starting defensive lineman Doug Blue-Eli is done for the year, leaving Rutgers with just two starters in the front seven that started on an FBS roster last year.
The Scarlet Knights' pass rush has been average, and the coverage far below it. Add in the depth concerns in the secondary, and we've got some problems in Piscataway.
The road ahead for Rutgers is arduous. It hits the road three times in four weeks, including at Washington and Illinois (Oregon is the lone home game); Rutgers finishes the season at Ohio State and home against Penn State.
Iowa vs Rutgers Prediction
Rutgers has yet to beat Iowa as a member of the Big Ten (0-4, 1-3 ATS).
Despite that, Rutgers took the first hit from +3 to +2.5 — a half-point, but representative of a 17% shift in win expectancy. If you're aboard the Scarlet Knights train, make sure to wait for that +3.
The general wisdom that started the week here was a low total, so bet the home 'dog. That's sound advice in the long run.
But I have genuine concerns about Rutgers in this game. Despite playing at home, the Scarlet Knights are hurt where they can't be against a relentless Iowa defensive front.
Don't underestimate the disruption that missing a starting left tackle (and his two backups) can have not just on this game, but the game plan entering it.
Offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca will have to adjust his script to account for being thin on the offensive line.
Kaliakmanis is an improved QB, but he still benefits from being on schedule. Last year, when he tried to extend plays and create opportunities, he started to get into trouble.
This one is a simple handicap for me. I'm siding with the team that's healthier and better on both lines of scrimmage, with the better defense.
Rutgers has scored just 17 total points against Iowa in all four historic meetings and was shut out twice, with the last coming in 2022. Parker knows this offense and how to attack it, even with the upgrade at QB.
Pick: Iowa -2.5
