The final week of college football’s 2022 regular season has already begun, and with most fans off from work on Black Friday, Week 13 is not wasting any time getting started. Six teams in the College Football Playoff Rankings will see action with one top-25 showdown going a long way to determining how a portion of the postseason will unfold.
That matchup sees No. 19 Tulane visiting No. 24 Cincinnati with an AAC Championship Game berth — and spot as the top-rated Group of Five team in the CFP Rankings — on the line. While the loser will not be completely eliminated from the conference race, it will need some help to create a rematch opportunity given the tight AAC standings.
Elsewhere, the Battle Line Rivalry reignites with Arkansas visiting Missouri in the first of two SEC on CBS Games of the Week. No. 23 Texas will seek to halt its stop-and-start status in the CFP Rankings when it hosts Baylor. And No. 16 Florida State will look to prove its rise to prominence late in the season is no fluke as it hosts in-state foe Florida in one of college football’s most hotly contested rivalries.
Be sure to stick with CBS Sports throughout the day for college football coverage from the opening kickoff onward. Let’s take a look at our expert picks for the best games on Black Friday in Week 13.
Odds via Caesars Sportsbook | All times Eastern
Utah State at Boise State
Featured Game | Boise State Broncos vs. Utah State Aggies
Noon | CBS, CBSSports.com, CBS Sports App — The oddsmakers have Utah State as a sizable 17-point underdog. That’s a big number, and I don’t feel comfortable taking a side on it. Having said that, this feels more like a low-scoring game. Both teams have workhorse running backs on offense, and perhaps more importantly, this game kicks off at 10 a.m. local time on a Friday. It’s easy to imagine both offenses getting off to a slow start given the circumstances. Prediction: Under 51.5 — Austin Nivison
Baylor at No. 23 Texas
Featured Game | Texas Longhorns vs. Baylor Bears
Noon | ESPN, fuboTV (Try for free) — Oddsmakers have overvalued Texas all year despite a four-loss season, and that trend continues in the finale. The Longhorns have only beaten one team by more than 8.5 points since the Red River Showdown: Kansas. Baylor is more than prepared to deal with Texas’ athletes, even playing on the road in Austin. Prediction: Baylor +8.5 — Shehan Jeyarajah
No. 19 Tulane at No. 24 Cincinnati
Featured Game | Cincinnati Bearcats vs. Tulane Green Wave
Noon | ABC, fuboTV (Try for free) — The Green Wave and Bearcats will square off at Nippert Stadium in the biggest AAC game of the year. The winner of this one will host the conference championship game next week, and the loser will need some dominoes to fall in order to earn a rematch. Tulane got back on track last week with a 59-24 win over SMU that saw it roll up 310 yards rushing and score five touchdowns on the ground. Cincinnati has ridden its defense to three straight wins, including a 23-3 victory over Temple last week in which they allowed just 202 total yards, held the Owls to 3.67 yards per play and forced four turnovers. Look for the Bearcats’ defense to win out in what should be a helluva battle. Prediction: Cincinnati -2 — Barrett Sallee
Arkansas at Missouri
Featured Game | Missouri Tigers vs. Arkansas Razorbacks
3:30 p.m. | CBS, CBSSports.com, CBS Sports App — Of the 14 combined SEC games these two have played, nine of them have been played under this point total. With Missouri ranking No. 7 nationally in time of possession and Arkansas at No. 8 in rushing offense, there could be some long periods of clock-bleeding in this matchup. While Missouri’s red zone defense is dreadful, Arkansas ranks just 86th nationally in red zone offense. It could be a busy day for the kickers. Prediction: Under 55.5 — David Cobb
Florida at No. 16 Florida State
Featured Game | Florida State Seminoles vs. Florida Gators
7:30 p.m. | ABC, fuboTV (Try for free) — It’s an interesting wrinkle to the Florida-Florida State rivalry that, while the series is heated, the results have rarely been close in recent years. Since 2007, only two games between the Gators and Seminoles have been decided by single digits. I think we get another double-digit win here on Friday, this one in favor of the home team. Prediction: Florida State -9.5 — Chip Patterson
Which college football picks can you make with confidence in Week 13, and which top-25 teams will go down hard? Visit SportsLine to see which teams will win and cover the spread — all from a proven computer model that has returned almost $3,000 in profit over the past six-plus seasons — and find out.