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Last year, the Arizona State Sun Devils emerged as the college football storyline that nobody saw coming. They were coming off a three-win season and were universally predicted for a similar campaign.

Instead, a program that had just two bowl wins in the past decade made a memorable, Cinderella-esque run to the College Football Playoff behind a rugged running back with a catchy name and a coach who still looks like he could get into games for free if he simply showed his student identification card.

The Sun Devils' run ended in a 39-31 loss to Texas, and Cam Skattebo, the star running back who finished fifth in the Heisman voting, was drafted by the New York Giants and already has emerged as a fan favorite there. However, coach Kenny Dillingham and quarterback Sam Leavitt have returned to lead a club that appears to have the potential to contend for another conference title.

One of their biggest obstacles to that endeavor comes Friday night when an undefeated TCU team with similar aspirations comes to Tempe for a primetime showdown. Kickoff from Mountain America Stadium is set for 9 p.m. ET.

The experienced and potent Horned Frogs (3-0) already have shown out multiple times on a national stage. They spoiled Bill Belichick's coaching debut at North Carolina with a 40-14 Week 1 thumping and avenged a loss to rival SMU with a 35-24 home win last week.

The Sun Devils (2-1), who have the only loss between the teams, hit a field goal at the horn to secure a 27-24 road win over Baylor last week. Their lone blemish came in Week 2 against an upstart Mississippi State club in which they rallied from a 17-point deficit to take the lead before the Bulldogs scored late to pull off the 24-20 upset.

Last year, they went 6-0 in Tempe for their first undefeated home slate in 20 years and will be looking to keep that streak intact Friday night. 

The Sun Devils are 3-point favorites, and the over/under for total points scored is 54.5 in the latest college football sportsbook odds for TCU vs. Arizona State. 

In addition to the CFB slate, Friday's sporting landscape also features a full MLB card and a WNBA playoff doubleheader. Below is a snapshot of the top viewing options for Friday, Sept. 26.   

CFB best bets today, where to watch

TCU Horned Frogs at Arizona State Sun Devils 

Time: 9 p.m. | Location: Tempe, Ariz. | TV: FOX | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)

SportsLine picks -- Model picks: TCU +130, Over 54.5 points  

The SportsLine Projection Model loves the underdog Horned Frogs to build on their early success and pull off the upset. The model's 10,000-game simulation sees TCU winning outright a whopping 58% of time, a stark contrast to the sportsbook implied odds of 42% and an indication that the model believes the wrong team is favored. The model is predicting a 30-26 victory for TCU that would send this game Over the posted total, but its over/under prediction is a slight lean, whereas TCU outright is a top-rated selection. 

MLB best bets today, where to watch

Diamondbacks at Padres

Time: 9:40 p.m. | Location: San Diego | TV: MLB TV | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)

SportsLine picks -- Model pick: Over 7.5 runs | Expert pick: Diamondbacks +1.5, -179 

The SportsLine Projection Model has a slight lean toward the Diamondbacks in this NL West showdown, but loves the perceived value on the Over 7.5 runs. Its 10,000-game simulation has produced an average of score of 4.9-4.7, essentially sending this game Over by two full runs. The model sees this game eclipsing the total a stunning 70% of the time, which stands in stark contrast to the implied sportsbook odds of 53%. 

SportsLine MLB expert Matt Severance (+490 over his last 13 MLB picks) likes Arizona, which is still alive in the NL wild card race, to perform well in a high-motivation spot against a San Diego club that has already clinched a playoff spot. He's willing to lay the thick price to grab the insurance run. 

More MLB best bets

WNBA best bets, where to watch

Lynx at Mercury 

Time: 9:30 p.m. ET | Location: Phoenix | TV: ESPN2 | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)

SportsLine pick -- Expert pick: Mercury +4

SportsLine WNBA expert Max Meyer says he sees value on the home underdog receiving more than a full possession's worth of points in a critical playoff matchup that sees a 1-1 deadlock between these clubs heading into Game 3 in their best-of-five series.. Meyer points out that although the Lynx went 3-1 in the season series, the Mercury were shorthanded in all of those contests and are a different team now.

The full-strength Mercury stayed close for most of Game 1 before tying the series with an 89-83 victory in Game 2. Ultimately, Meyer is putting his faith in the belief that these teams are closer in overall rating than the sportsbook odds suggest, and he's backing the underdog in what should be a strong motivational spot. 

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