College Football Conference Championship Best Bets: Playoff Berths Await For (Some) Winners
Our College Football Conference Championship Best Bets offer some teams a ticket to the CFB Playoff spot, the potential for the first Big Ten title for Ryan Day, and the billionth (or so it seems) matchup between Alabama and Georgia in the SEC title tilt in Atlanta. Meanwhile, the ACC could miss the playoff entirely if Duke takes down Virginia.
The Crimson Tide escaped from another near-death experience at Jordan-Hare Stadium, thanks in large part to the “cojones muy grande” possessed by coach Kalen DeBoer. The second year-in-Tuscaloosa the coach earned “Coach For Life” status by going for and getting a touchdown on a late 4th-and-goal from the 2. That score broke a tie and gave the Tide (-5.5) a 27-20 win and cover at Auburn.
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What To Watch For In The SEC, Big Ten & Elsewhere
Elsewhere, a pair of unbeaten teams (Indiana and Ohio State) play for the Big Ten title. Day and the Buckeyes exorcised their demons at The Big House on Saturday, dominating the Wolverines 27-9 as 10-point favorites at the top sports betting sites. Texas Tech and BYU meet for the Big 12 title at Jerry World. The ACC championship game includes two teams – Virginia and Duke (DUKE!). A win by the Devils could well knock out the ACC from the CFB Playoff.
In the American Conference, North Texas and Tulane vie for the "Group of Five" CFB Playoff berth. However, James Madison remains in that race. JMU plays Troy for the Sun Belt crown. Conference USA’s trophy game sends Kennesaw State to Jacksonville State. Western Michigan and Miami (Ohio) play for the MAC Championship in Detroit. UNLV visits Boise State fin the Mountain West Championship.
College Football Conference Championships: Odds & Picks
| College Conference Championship Weekend Best Bets | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Time | Conference | Matchup | Pick | |
| Friday | 7 p.m. | Conference USA |  Kennesaw St.
at  Jacksonville St. | KSU +1.5 | |
| Friday | 7 p.m. | Sun Belt |  Troy
at  James Madison | JMU -21.5 | |
| Friday | 8 p.m. | American |  North Texas
at  Tulane | O 66.5 | |
| Friday | 8 p.m. | Mountain West |  UNLV
at  Boise St. | BSU ML | |
| Saturday | 12 p.m. | Big 12 |  Texas Tech
vs.  BYU | U 50.5 | |
| Saturday | 12 p.m. | Mid-American |  W. Michigan
vs.  Miami (OH) | MIA +3 | |
| Saturday | 4 p.m. | SEC |  Georgia
vs.  Alabama | UGA ML | |
| Saturday | 4 p.m. | Big Ten |  Ohio St.
at  Indiana | OSU -5.5 | |
| Saturday | 8 p.m. | ACC | Duke
vs. Virginia | UGA ML | |
College Football Conference Championships: Game-By-Game Best Bets & Analysis
Friday, Dec. 5
Conference USA
Kennesaw State (9-3) at Jacksonville State (8-4)
7 p.m., CBSSN
Buzz: Jacksonville State delivered the weekend’s biggest 2nd-biggest curveball, bouncing Western Kentucky out of the Conference USA title game. That opened the door for Kennesaw State — already a seven-win turnaround under first-year coach Jerry Mack — to keep crashing the party. The Owls are in just their third season at this level and already have a shot to take the whole league. Bettors didn’t see this coming in August. They see it now.
Best Bet: Kennesaw State +1.5 (-110) Hard Rock Bet via OddsJam
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Sun Belt
Troy (7-5) at James Madison (11-1)
7 p.m., ESPN
Buzz: James Madison enters the weekend with the longest of long-shot chances for a CFB Playoff bid. It won’t come via the automatic “Group of 5” berth, but it lives thanks to the mayhem in the ACC. Style points matter more than ever here. The Dukes get the win and cover going away against an overmatched Troy squad.
Best Bet: James Madison -21.5 (-110) FanDuel via OddsJam
American
North Texas (11-1) at Tulane (10-2)
Friday, 8 p.m., ABC
Buzz: The American Conference championship offers the highest total (66.5) of the weekend's 10 title games. Little wonder why. North Texas averages 46.8 points, while Tulane scores 28.7. Tulane scores. Winner gets the “Group of 5” CFB Playoff berth. Sorry, JMU. One thing is certain: the winning coach will be elsewhere next season. Tulane’s Jon Sumrall heads for Gainesville and the Gators. And North Texas coach Eric Morris moves on to Stillwater to take the reins of the woeful OSU Pokes. Both teams beat Charlotte and Army, but they split against UTSA, with North Texas scoring a 55-17 win, while Tulane absorbed a 48-26 loss. Sit back and watch the points pile up.
Best Bet: Over 66.5 Points (-110) DraftKings via OddsJam
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Mountain West
UNLV (10-2) at Boise State (8-4)
8 p.m., Fox
Buzz: UNLV and Boise State emerged as the winners of 4-way tiebreaker at 6-2 atop the conference. These teams meet for the Mountain West title for the third straight season. The Broncos won the previous two matchups by a combined score of 65-27. These teams also met earlier this season, a game won by Boise State at home, 56-31. Expect the Blue Field at Albertsons Stadium to be awash in a wintry mix of rain and snow. Those conditions add even more of an edge to the home team. The visitors from Sin City play their home games in the climate-controlled confines of Allegiant Stadium. The Broncos pull away in the 2nd half.
Best Bet: Boise State ML (-115) Hard Rock Bet via OddsJam
Saturday, Dec. 6
Big 12
Texas Tech (11-1) vs. Brigham Young (11-1)
AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas - 12 p.m., ABC
Buzz: Texas Tech beat BYU 29-7 in Lubbock 4 weeks ago as 13.5-point favorites. The Red Raiders rolled into Morgantown Saturday and flatted the host Mountaineers 49-0. Their reward for a dominant run in the Big 12 this season – a “neutral site” championship game at AT&T Stadium near Dallas. BYU rolled past UCF at home to finalize its title bid here. A BYU win or one-score decision either way sends both teams to the CBF Playoff. But a lopsided Texas Tech victory means just one Big 12 team makes the playoff. Tech (11-1 SU & ATS) quietly amassed the best record on the line of any FBS team this season. BYU (11-1, 9-3 ATS) isn’t far behind. But 70,000 red-clad fans raising the roof at Jerry World only add to BYU’s misery. The 11 a.m. local start means a sluggish first half. Tech's stingy defense ranks third behind Ohio State and Indiana, allowing just 11.3 points per game.
Best Bet: Under 50.5 Points (-105) TheScore Bet via OddsJam
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Mid-American
Western Michigan (8-4) vs. Miami (Ohio) (7-5)
Ford Field, Detroit - 12 p.m., ESPN
Buzz: Ohio rallied past Western Michigan 26-17 at home as 2.5-point underdogs on Oct. 25. Ohio trailed 17-9 before scoring the final 17 points of that game in the 4th quarter. It marked Western Michigan’s lone conference loss. WMU owns the best record ATS of the 5 FBS teams in Michigan at 8-3-1. That consistency carried on in the standings with just one conference loss. Miami (8-4 ATS) needed to beat Ball State 45-24 and survive the math in a tie with Toledo because of the RedHawks' better record against common opponents. WMU enters this rematch as 2.5-point favorites due to a four-game winning streak and the “neutral” site game in Detroit. This one may come down to the last play. Take the points.
Best Bet: Miami +3 (-110) DraftKings via OddsJam
SEC
Alabama (10-2) vs. Georgia (11-1)
Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta - 4 p.m., ABC
Buzz: Either Alabama or Georgia has appeared in the past dozen SEC title games, counting this version, and has won the past 5 combined. Alabama beat Georgia 24-21 in Week 4 Between The Hedges. That triumph removed Kalen DeBoer from the Tuscaloosa Hot Seat and triggered a run of 4 straight Tide wins over SEC opponents. Alabama (-5.5) Saturday escaped 27-20 from another near-death experience at Jordan-Hare Stadium, thanks in large part to DeBoer’s “cojones muy grande.” He earned “Coach For Life” status by getting a touchdown on a late 4th-and-goal from the 2 to break a 20-20 tie.
Georgia struggled offensively against Georgia Tech, but its “Hate” prevailed 16-9 on Saturday. The Dawgs scored impressive SEC wins over Ole Miss and Texas. Kirby Smart’s one-loss team owns a CFB Playoff spot, but a win guarantees them a top-four position and a bye. Meanwhile, a three-loss Tide team (including that unforgivable Week 1 loss to Florida State) may not make the CFB Playoff cut unless this game is close. It will be. The Dawgs are 0-3 against the Tide in SEC Championship games under Smart. But those losses came to teams coached by Nick Saban. Revenge is served at room temperature inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium this week.
Best Bet: Georgia ML (-120) Hard Rock Bet via OddsJam
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Big Ten
Ohio State (12-0) vs. Indiana (12-0)
Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis - 8 p.m., Fox
Buzz: In a sense, this game means nothing. Both teams are guaranteed top-four finishes in the final CFB Playoff Rankings. But Ryan Day needs to exorcise one more demon as Ohio State head coach, and that’s a Big Ten Championship. When Michigan briefly led Ohio State 6-0 Saturday at Ann Arbor, it was OSU’s largest deficit of the season. Michigan never stood a chance in the 2nd half. The Hoosiers, meanwhile, last beat a ranked team nearly 2 months ago (a 30-20 win at Oregon). But Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza remains favored to win the Heisman Trophy. Ohio State, meanwhile, ranks No. 1 in passing yards thanks to Julian Sayin (270.1 YPG), while amassing 170.2 YPG on the ground.
The Buckeyes’ top-ranked defense (7.8 points per game) continues to control the gateway to a national championship. Indiana’s defense (10.8 PPG) is second-best in the country. But Ohio State has allowed opponents to reach double figures just 4 times this season, and no one has surpassed 16 points. Given the tight number here, oddsmakers don’t expect either team to empty the offensive playbook ahead of an expected deep playoff run. Not to mention a possible rematch in the national semifinals. Both defenses, meanwhile, should go full-tilt for 60 minutes. (And in OT if necessary). Ohio State remains the best team top-to-bottom in the country. And the Bucks are 10-1-1 on the number, second nationwide, only to Texas Tech.
Best Bet: Ohio State -5.5 (-110) DraftKings via OddsJam
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ACC
Virginia (10-2) vs. Duke (7-5)
Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte - 8 p.m. ABC
Buzz: Virginia beat Duke on the road in Durham four weeks ago 34-17. Can they pull off the Carolina doubleheader sweep in Charlotte? The ACC needs a Cavaliers’ win to have one team in the CFB Playoff. A Duke victory would leave the ACC completely out of the picture. A five-loss Duke team doesn’t get a bid. A three-loss Virginia team lacks the octane for an at-large bid. Before the season, Virginia was +3000 to win the conference championship, while Duke was +8000. The Blue Devils claimed their first ACC title game berth since 2013 after they emerged as winners of a 5-way tiebreaker. The other 6-2 ACC teams are SMU (losers Saturday night at Cal), Miami (winners over Pitt Saturday), Pitt, and Georgia Tech. Given the stakes for Virginia, its current run of 9 wins in 10 games, and Duke’s 5-7 record against the spread, the Cavs get it done here with room to spare.
Best Bet: Virginia -2.5 (-110) DraftKings via OddsJam
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