Today's top games to watch, best bets, odds: North Texas at Tulane, Lakers at Celtics and more

The Lane Kiffin-Ole Miss-LSU mess is not the only college football head coaching love triangle from the last week. In fact, Friday night's high-stakes American Conference Championship Game between the Tulane Green Wave and the North Texas Mean Green features two of them.

Jon Sumrall, who has led the Green Wave to a 10-2 record and the No. 20 spot in the College Football Playoff ranking, has been hired to be the head man at Florida and already has signed the nation's No. 15 recruiting class. Meanwhile Eric Morris, who has the Mean Green at 11-1 and No. 24 in the rankings, is moving on to become the coach at Oklahoma State. 

But unlike Kiffin at Ole Miss, Sumrall and Morris will coach their soon-to-be-former teams. That's key, because the winner of tonight's American Championship Game at Yulman Stadium is projected to earn a spot in the 12-team playoff.

North Texas brings the nation's most prolific offense to New Orleans. Behind quarterback Drew Mestemaker, the Mean Green lead the country in both points per game (46.8) and yards per game (511.8). 

That offense will encounter an improving Tulane defense. The Green Wave have allowed 13 points and 344 yards combined over their last two games.

North Texas is a 2.5-point favorite against Tulane.

While Green Wave vs. Mean Green is the marquee attraction on Friday, there are other options on a sporting landscape that includes four college football games, 12 NBA matchups and a full college basketball schedule. Below is a snapshot of what to watch and bet for Friday, Dec. 5. All times Eastern.

College football best bets, where to watch

Troy at No. 25 James Madison

Time: 7 p.m. | Location: Harrisonburg, Va. | TV: ESPN | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)

SportsLine picks -- Model: Troy +23.5

The Dukes will be cheering for Duke. Yes, the biggest Duke Blue Devils football fans outside of Durham, N.C., on Saturday may be found in Harrisonburg, Va., home of the James Madison Dukes. If the Blue Devils upset Virginia in the ACC Championship Game, that could open the door for James Madison to earn a spot in the College Football Playoff. But first the Dukes (11-1) have to take care of business by beating the Troy Trojans (8-4) in the Sun Belt Championship Game on Friday. James Madison hasn't lost since a 28-14 defeat at Louisville in Week 2. Over their 10-game winning streak, the Dukes have outscored opponents by 24.1 points per game. For the season, they rank 10th in the country in both scoring offense (37.8 points per game) and scoring defense (16.0). Meanwhile the Trojans' chances will rely heavily on quarterback Goose Crowder staying hot. Over his past two games he has completed 51 of 77 passes for 646 yards and seven touchdowns against one interception. The SportsLine Projection Model, which simulates every game 10,000 times, says Troy has a 61.0% chance to cover and assigns a B grade to Trojans +23.5.

No. 24 North Texas at No. 20 Tulane

Time: 8 p.m. | Location: New Orleans | TV: ABC | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)

SportsLine picks -- Model: North Texas -2.5 | Expert: North Texas -2.5 (Tom Fornelli)

Mestemaker, who leads the FBS in passing yards (3,835) and yards per attempt (10.0) this season, and North Texas have a tasty matchup against the Tulane defense. The Green Wave rank 117th in the country in pass defense (251.9 yards per game) and 93rd in pass efficiency defense (139.3). They have allowed 300 passing yards five times, including in both losses (Ole Miss and UTSA). "This doesn't strike me as a great matchup for Tulane," Fornelli says. "While North Texas was destroyed in its last spotlight game against USF, just about everything that could go wrong that night did go wrong." The SportsLine Projection Model says the Mean Green have a 51.0% chance to cover and gives a C grade to North Texas -2.5.

NBA best bets, where to watch

Lakers at Celtics

Time: 7 p.m. | Location: Boston | TV: Prime Video | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)

SportsLine picks -- Model: Celtics -6.5

This may not be your father's Bird-versus-Magic Celtics-Lakers rivalry, but it's still arguably the best rivalry in the NBA and one of the best in sports. Both teams are playing the second half of a back-to-back, and Boston's Jaylen Brown missed last night's win over the Wizards due to illness. So the availability of Brown, LeBron James, Luka Doncic and others will need to be monitored until opening tip. The game features two of the most efficient offenses in the league; the Celtics rank third in the NBA in points per 100 possessions (121.4), while the Lakers rank sixth (119.0). The SportsLine Projection Model says Boston has a 61.0% chance to cover and assigns a C grade to Celtics -6.5.

Mavericks at Thunder

Time: 9:30 p.m. | Location: Oklahoma City | TV: Prime Video | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)

SportsLine picks -- Model: Thunder -15.5

Cooper Flagg is on a roll. Over his last three games, the 18-year-old No. 1 overall pick in this year's NBA Draft is averaging 27.0 points and 7.3 rebounds a game while shooting a robust 59.3% from the field. The Dallas Mavericks won all three games. But on Friday, Flagg and the Mavericks face their biggest test -- the reigning champion and 21-1 Oklahoma City Thunder, who have won 13 in a row. Oklahoma City owns the No. 1-ranked defense in the league (103.8 points per 100 possessions) and No. 5 offense (119.0). The SportsLine Projection Model says the Thunder have a 51.0% chance to cover and gives a C grade to Oklahoma City -15.5.

College basketball best bets, where to watch

No. 11 Gonzaga at No. 18 Kentucky

Time: 7 p.m. | Location: Nashville | TV: ESPN2 | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)

SportsLine picks -- Model: Kentucky +4.5 | Expert: Kentucky +5.5 (Matt Severance)

The Bulldogs rolled off seven impressive wins to start their season, including a 10-point victory over No. 8 Alabama at the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas. But in the championship game of that tournament they were blasted, 101-61, by Michigan, which has ascended to the No. 1 ranking in the country. Despite the loss, Gonzaga still ranks No. 5 in net rating (+29.28), according to KenPom. On Friday, the Zags will face a Wildcats team that is 0-3 against ranked opponents this season. The SportsLine Projection Model says Kentucky has a 71.0% chance to cover and assigns a B grade to Wildcats +4.5.

Looking ahead

College football: No. 1 Ohio State vs. No. 2 Indiana

Time: 8 p.m. Saturday | Location: Indianapolis | TV: FOX | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)

SportsLine picks -- Model: Ohio State -4 | Expert: Ohio State -4 (Emory Hunt)

The Big Ten championship, an undefeated season, the No. 1 overall seed in the College Football Playoff and possibly the Heisman Trophy will be on the line when the No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes (12-0) and No. 2 Indiana Hoosiers (12-0) collide on Saturday night at the RCA Dome. All but one of the Buckeyes' wins this season have come by more than seven points. Meanwhile, the Hoosiers have played just two games that have been decided by one score. Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza enters the game as the slight favorite to win the Heisman, but he has a tough task against an Ohio State defense that leads the country in points per game (7.8) and passing yards per game (121.3) allowed. The SportsLine Projection Model says the Buckeyes have a 52.0% chance to cover and gives a C grade to Ohio State -4. Hunt agrees. "The problem is that I don't think the Hoosiers can find enough points to successfully cover this spread," he says. "Ohio State's passing offense is going to be the reason why they are able to get to cover town [against] Indiana."