For all my college football best bets check out my CFB cheat sheet on DraftKings Network.
North Texas Mean Green at Tulsa Golden Hurricane (Thursday – 9pm ET)
North Texas is off a FCS win to improve to 2-2 on the season. The Mean Green also collected a very impressive 44-6 win at home over UNLV in Week 2. The losses have been good tests, losing 52-16 at Indiana in the opener, and then losing a shootout on the road at Texas State. After losing their coach and all of their top talent to Oklahoma State, North Texas is ahead of schedule this season.
That said, UNT is also getting a ton of respect in this game. The Mean Green have taken significant money since this one opened, and have shifted from the underdog to the favorite. Meanwhile, where’s the respect for Tulsa?
The Golden Hurricane completely shutdown that 2025 North Texas roster when they faced Oklahoma State in the 2026 opener. Tulsa won that game at home in Week 1 by a score of 24-10 in a game they were home dogs of nearly a couple touchdowns. Keep in mind, the Cowboys are now ranked No. 19 in the country.
Since the big win, the Hurricane got a road win at Sam Houston, and then returned home to beatdown East Texas A&M by a final of 42-0. Tulsa was forced the play its backup quarterback in that one, and then once again last week when they played at Arkansas. A road game in the SEC proved to be a bit too much for this team, eventually falling 34-6.
But Baylor Hayes, the starting QB, makes his return at home on Thursday. Hayes completed over 70% of his passes against Oklahoma State and made himself a dual threat with his legs. His return should be a nice boost for the Golden Hurricane at home.
Tulsa has a big offensive line that’s helped generate a strong running game, outside of the Arkansas matchup. I look at UNT’s game at Texas State as the best comparison here — a close spread in a road game against similar competition. Texas State ran is down the Mean Green’s throat in that game, with the Bobcat’s RB duo combining for a 35-291-3 stat line (8.3 YPC).
I expect the Golden Hurricane to have success running the ball at home, and get solid quarterback play to help the cause. And how about some respect for this Tulsa defense? It’s given up 27 total points in three games outside of Arkansas.
I think the market has shifted to the wrong team favored in this one, and think the home dog is worth a small play if you plan to bet this game.
CFB Lean: Tulsa ML (+100)
