Friday College Football Picks for CFB DFS, PrizePicks: Target Drew Mestemaker?

The college football weekend kicksoff on Friday with four matchups between the Group of Five conferences, two of which could have playoff implications.

The AAC contest between North Texas and Tulane might settle who gets the G5 bid for the playoff. The Green Wave is the highest-ranked non-power conference team at No. 20, but the Mean Green is not too far at No. 24, and UNT could take that playoff spot with a win.

The Sun Belt championship between No. 25 James Madison and Troy is notable because JMU could overtake Tulane and North Texas with a convincing win.

Below, we'll dig into Friday college football picks for CFB DFS and list the projections for the top players in college football

PrizePicks is the simplest way to win real money with your CFB picks. Just pick your players, predict More or Less on their projected stats, and cash in if you're correct.

Friday College Football Picks for CFB DFS, PrizePicks

Here are the top CFB DFS picks for the conference championships. Use this analysis to make your PrizePicks DFS picks for Saturday's games.

North Texas QB Drew Mestemaker Projection: 306.5 Passing Yards

No. 24  North Texas vs. No. 20 Tulane Pick – 8 p.m. ET

• Mestemaker leads the FBS with 3,835 passing yards and 10.0 yards per completion.
• The redshirt freshman became the first CFB quarterback since 2020 to throw for 600+ yards, when he tossed for 608 in a 54-20 Week 8 win over Charlotte.
• Tulane ranks tenth in the American Athletic Conference in passing yards allowed per game to conference opponents (251.4).
• North Texas has played five AAC opponents that have allowed fewer passing yards per game in conference play than Tulane. Mestemaker has thrown for 300+ yards against three of them.
• UNT ranks third in dropback EPA (0.283).
• The Green Wave are 38th in opponents’ dropback EPA (-0.080).

James Madison RB Wayne Knight Projection: 89.5 Rushing Yards

Troy vs. No. 25 James Madison Pick – 7 p.m. ET

• Knight has more than 89 rushing yards in two of his last three games.
• Troy ranks 11th in the SBC in rushing yards allowed per game to conference opponents.
• James Madison averages 44.2 rush attempts per game, ranking eighth in the FBS.
• Troy ranks 110th in rush attempts allowed per game (39.5).
• The junior has a 41% rush success rate.
• The Trojans rank 119th in opponents’ rush success rate (38.8%).

Tulane QB Jake Retzlaff Projection: 288.5 Pass+Rush Yards

No. 24  North Texas vs. No. 20 Tulane Pick – 8 p.m. ET

• Retzlaff has failed to reach 288 pass+rush yards in four of his last five games.
• For most of the season, Retzlaff was a high-performing dual-threat quarterback who averaged 217.1 passing yards per game and 61.8 rushing yards. However, over his last three matchups, while his passing yards have increased to 254.3, he has just 5 total rushing yards.
• This could likely be the result of an undisclosed injury the senior is dealing with, which is likely why he’s been listed as questionable in recent games.
• North Texas ranks fifth in total yards allowed (342.5) and fourth overall defensive EPA (-0.013) in the conference.
• The Mean Green has allowed fewer than 200 passing yards in four of seven conference games and is allowing the fewest yards per completion in the AAC (6.0).
• After not throwing an interception in his first seven games, the former BYU QB has thrown a pick in four of his last six.
• UNT is second in the conference with 14 interceptions.

Kennesaw State QB Amari Odom Projection: 249.5 Passing Yards

Kennesaw State vs. Jacksonville State Pick – 7 p.m. ET

• Odom threw for 248 yards against Jacksonville State in the 35-26 Week 12 loss.
• That performance against the Gamecocks was the sophomore’s second-highest total in passing yards, pass attempts (31), and completions (19) against a conference opponent.
• Jacksonville State ranks tenth in Conference USA in passing yards allowed per game to conference opponents.
• Kennesaw State ranks 16th in average depth of target (9.8).
• Jacksonville State is 95th in opponents' average depth of target (8.6).

Make College Football DFS Picks on PrizePicks

Whether you're watching the AAC Championship featuring North Texas and Tulane or the Sun Belt Championship between Troy and James Madison, PrizePicks is the best way to cash in on your college football picks.

Just pick your players — including Drew Mestemaker and Jake Retzlaff  — predict More or Less on their stat projections, and get paid if your picks are correct.

Stay locked in on the Playbook for more CFB DFS picks and college football predictions throughout the 2025 season.