Today's Action: Friday, November 6 — Three Power 4 Games Under the Lights + Wemby Rolls Into Sacramento

Friday night is usually a throwaway in college football. Not this week. Three Power 4 games kick off under the lights, two of them with real conference-title consequences, and one of them could decide how loud the noise gets around Matt Rhule in Lincoln. The NBA Cup adds a nine-game second act, headlined by Victor Wembanyama coming off the kind of stat line nobody has posted in 50 years.

Today's Top Matchups

NCAAF | Nebraska Cornhuskers vs. Illinois Fighting Illini — 8:00 PM ET (FOX)
This is the first meeting since Illinois won in overtime in Lincoln in 2024, and the pressure is all on the visitors. Nebraska is 5-3 and 2-3 in the Big Ten after a turnover-filled loss to Washington, and Rhule responded by moving Dana Holgorsen and offensive line coach Geep Wade up to the coaches' box and handing the kicking job to John Hohl. Illinois has won three straight, including a comeback against Maryland, and gets quarterback Katin Houser back after he broke his throwing hand at Michigan State in October. Bret Bielema's teams are 12-2 in Champaign over the past two-plus seasons.

The Edge: Nebraska has the better roster on paper, and the numbers favor the Huskers' defense, which ranks near the top of the country in sacks and interceptions. But Nebraska ranks 113th nationally in penalty yards per game, and Illinois has been one of the cleanest teams in the country on that front. On the road, in prime time, against a team that doesn't beat itself, that discipline gap matters. The public will back the more talented team. This is a spot worth fading the public on, because Illinois at home is the better setup.

NCAAF | Virginia Tech Hokies vs. SMU Mustangs — 7:00 PM ET (ESPN)
Both teams are 6-2 with two ACC losses, and a third loss in a 17-team league is basically elimination. James Franklin's first Virginia Tech team is coming off a bye after beating Clemson 20-16 in Death Valley. Ethan Grunkemeyer is completing 71.4% of his passes with 17 touchdowns and two picks, and the Hokies lead the ACC with 3.4 sacks per game. SMU dropped a 30-27 heartbreaker at Syracuse, but Kevin Jennings is averaging over 300 passing yards a game and hasn't thrown an interception in 152 straight attempts. Rhett Lashlee and Franklin last met in the 2024 College Football Playoff.

The Edge: SMU is better positioned. The Mustangs have never lost back-to-back ACC games and are 11-0 in ACC play at Gerald J. Ford Stadium. They've been slow starters lately, but they've won each of their last five second halves by a combined 68 points. Virginia Tech can't run the ball (3.7 yards per carry, 111th nationally) and only has five takeaways all year. Expect the Hokies to hang around for a half before Jennings takes over in the fourth quarter.

NCAAF | TCU Horned Frogs vs. No. 22 Arizona Wildcats — 10:15 PM ET (ESPN)
This is the late-night window in Tucson. Arizona is 6-2, unbeaten at home and has scored nearly 38 points a game over the past six weeks. TCU sits at 4-4 with one of the best defenses in the Big 12 and an offense that has struggled to finish drives, and it has lost receivers R.J. Mosley and Tre Spivey to injury.

The Edge: Arizona has the edge. The Wildcats' offense has been rolling, and TCU doesn't have enough healthy pass catchers to keep up if this turns into a shootout. TCU's best chance is to keep the score in the 20s and make it ugly. Even then, a 10:15 kickoff in the desert is where Arizona has been at its best all season.

NBA CUP | Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Memphis Grizzlies — 8:00 PM ET
Memphis is one of the biggest surprises of the young season and climbed into the top five of NBA.com's power rankings this week. Rookie Cameron Boozer is the reason: he's averaging 17.4 points, 10.3 rebounds and 5.6 assists, and he just became the second-youngest player in league history to record a triple-double. Now the Thunder, who beat San Antonio on opening night, come to FedExForum for a West Group B game. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has carried more of the scoring load with Jalen Williams sidelined.

The Edge: Oklahoma City is the smart money's pick. Memphis has earned the hype, but the Thunder are the West's measuring stick, and a group-stage game where point differential matters is the kind of night SGA lives for. The Grizzlies' young core hasn't seen a defense this disruptive yet. Most people are sleeping on how big a gap there still is between a hot start and a title team.

NBA CUP | San Antonio Spurs vs. Sacramento Kings — 10:00 PM ET
Victor Wembanyama put up 52 points, 24 rebounds and eight blocks in a 112-111 win over Dallas on Wednesday. Nobody had posted 50, 20 and 5 in the same game since Bob McAdoo in 1974. He did it while fighting a virus and after rolling his ankle late in the fourth quarter. The Spurs have won six straight since an 0-2 start, and Wemby is averaging 32.5 points during the streak. After the game, he said he "can still do more."

The Edge: San Antonio is clearly better positioned. The Spurs were plus-23 with Wembanyama on the floor Wednesday, and Sacramento has nobody who can bother him at the rim. The only real question is his ankle. If he plays, the Spurs should get to seven straight.

The FadeThePublic Gear Call

Friday nights in November belong to football. This week that means Bielema's Illinois team trying to out-tough Nebraska in Champaign, plus two ACC defenses built around getting after the quarterback in Dallas. If you're heading to a tailgate or a watch party, wear our Run The Damn Ball Football Rope Hat. Ball control, short yardage and the team that commits fewer penalties: that's how these games get won.

Three Power 4 games, a historic Wemby encore and a title-team test in Memphis — Friday night is loaded, so get set early.