The college football conference championship games mean more this season than ever before. The so-called Power 5 conference champions are each guaranteed a Golden Ticket to the 12-team College Football Playoff. 

Some games – including the Mountain West, Big 12, and ACC title games – are winner-take-all in terms of reaching the final 12-team playoff bracket. Both Georgia and Texas will be in the playoff no matter what happens in Atlanta Saturday in the SEC title game. 

First-year teams are favored to win the conference championship games in the B1G (Oregon), Big 12 (Arizona State), ACC (SMU), and SEC (Texas). 

Bettors will be taking a deep look at college football odds with serious interest this week. College football betting sites will be posting multiple betting markets on each of these games. 

RELATED: SEC Teams Ranked By Miles Traveled

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RELATED: ACC Teams Ranked By Miles Traveled

In addition to the pride and bragging rights of a college conference title, the top-four ranked conference champions each earn a bye in Round 1 of the playoffs. That equals 3 weeks off since Round 1 of the playoffs takes place on December 20-21. 

Opportunities on sports betting apps. For instance, BetMGM, FanDuel and ESPN BET have posted a healthy slate of futures concerning the college football playoff and season awards. 

Take a look at our favorite college football picks for the college football conference championship games. Any team rankings are from the latest AP Top 25 Poll.

College Football Conference Championship Picks

College Football Conference Championship: Picks, Game-By-Game Analysis

Friday, December 6
Mountain West Championship Game, 8 p.m. (ABC)
UNLV at Boise State

Buzz: The Big Blue Field in Boise makes its return to prime time for the Mountain West title game. Boise State is in the College Football Playoff with a win. Give us snow! Championship weekend opens with a double rematch. Boise State beat UNLV 29-24 this season and 44-20 in last year's Moutain West title game. The Broncos rely on the run, led by Ashton Jeanty. He amassed 2,288 rushing yards and scored 29 touchdowns. BSU (11-1, 7-0 Mountain West) has ripped off 10 straight wins since losing to Oregon in Week 2.  UNLV (10-2, 6-1) earned its spot in this game by beating Nevada 38-14 Saturday. And by winning a tie breaker based on its higher CFB playoff poll ranking over Colorado State. The Rebels will surprise on defense. And keep this one closer than expected. 

Best Bet: UNLV +4 (-115) at FanDuel

Saturday, December 7 
Big 12 Conference Championship Game, 12 p.m. (ABC)
Arizona State vs. Iowa State

Buzz: First-year teams are favored to win the conference championship games in the B1G (Oregon), Big 12 (Arizona State), ACC (SMU), and SEC (Texas). Fansville comes home to AT&T Stadium in the Dr. Pepper Big 12 Championship Game. Thanks to Dr. Pepper, you have a reason to stay tuned to your TV during halftime of each of the major conference title games. In the Big 12, B1G, SEC, and ACC title games, 2 college kids will throw footballs 2-handed at a hole in the inflatable Dr. Pepper can for a chance to win $100,000. ASU (10-2, 7-2) rolled through Arizona Saturday to reach this title game. Iowa State (10-2, 7-2) beat Kansas State then got in after BYU beat Houston. These teams have never met. ASU is tied with Marshall for the best record ATS of any FBS team at 10-2. ASU was predicted to finish last in the Big 12 preseason poll. But Coach Kenny Dillingham reversed fortunes at his alma mater, which went 3-9 last season. The Sun Devils rely heavily on running back Cameron Skattebo. He's amassed 1,221 yards and 14 touchdowns rushing, while catching 34 passes for 460 yards. ASU's wide receiver is questionable. But Iowa State is vulnerable against the run. The Cyclones gave up 237 yards rushing to Kansa. They 99th among FBS teams in run defense (176.4 YPG). Iowa State has only covered 2 in its past 6 games. 

Best Bet: Arizona State ML (-105) at DraftKings

Saturday, December 7 
MAC Championship Game, 12 p.m. (ESPN)
Miami (Ohio) vs. Ohio University

Buzz: The Mid-American Conference title game returns to Ford Field in the Motor City with a rematch of the "Battle Of The Bricks" between Miami (Ohio) and Ohio. Both teams clinched their MAC title game berths with victories in Week 14. Miami has won 7 straight, covering the line in 5 of those victories. Ohio has won and covered in its past 5 games. Miami outmuscled Ohio 30-20 on October 19. The RedHawks led 30-6 before letting off the gas, giving up 2 TDs in the final six minutes. Neither team has lost since. Expect this game to be a bit closer than their previous meeting this season. But the RedHawks also take it here. 

Best Bet: Miami (Ohio) ML (-125) at DraftKings

Saturday, December 7 
SEC Championship Game, 4 p.m. (ABC)
Georgia vs. Texas

Buzz: The Georgia Bulldogs (10-2, 6-2 in the SEC) return to the SEC title game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta for the 7^th time in 8 seasons. But Georgia has won just 2 of its championship game appearances during its run under Kirby Smart.  Carson Beck has proven he can lead the Bulldogs to victory with his arm. But he and the Dawgs were pushed to the limit and beyond in a 44-42 (8 OT) win over Georgia Teach in Week 14. Tech exposed Georgia's defense as being surprisingly vulnerable against the run. As did Ole Miss in their win over the Bulldogs. Texas (11-1, 7-1) reached the SEC title game in their first year in the conference. Texas suffered its lone loss to Georgia at home 30-15 on October 10. And this is a defacto home game for the Dawgs. The Longhorns have won 5 straight since, Texas has the No. 2 scoring FBS defense (11.7 PPG). The Longhorns' defense kept Texas A&M out of the end zone Saturday in a 17-7 win. Neither team has been particularly impressive against the spread of late, going 2-4 ATS in their past 6 games. This is the first time either team has been an underdog this season (Georgia +3). The number opened at -1.5. The winner gets SEC bragging rights and a first-round playoff bye. And won't have to play again until the weekend after Christmas. The loser gets a home CFB Playoff game at home on December 20 or 21. Kirby will be ready for whatever his fellow Nick Saban disciple Steve Sarkisian has planned in his 2-QB set. And Texas QB Quinn Evers is limited with a bad ankle. 

Best Bet: Georgia +3 (-112) at DraftKings

Saturday, December 7 
ACC Championship Game, 8 p.m. (ABC)
SMU vs. Clemson

Buzz: First-year teams are favored to win the conference championship games in the B1G (Oregon), Big 12 (Arizona State), ACC (SMU), and SEC (Texas). The Mustangs took the ACC by storm in their inaugural season in the conference and enjoyed the biggest upgrade of any FBS. SMU rolls into Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte at 11-1 overall and 8-0 in the ACC. They are in the playoff win or lose. Clemson is out with a loss. The Mustangs galloped into the AP Top 10 last week for the first time in 39 years. Rhett Lashlee’s team sent a message to anyone who was paying attention by winning all 3 of its games on the road in October. This version of “The Pony Express” excels at stopping the run, with its top-ranked ACC rushing defense. Kevin Jennings has soared at QB. Since Jennings took over as QB, SMU has scored 30-plus points in 8 of 9 games and 6 of those wins came by double-digits. (The lone game in which that didn't happen was a 28-27 win at Duke in which SMU turned the ball over 6 times). Clemson (9-3, 7-1) backed into this one despite losing 17-14 to in-state rival South Carolina in a non-conference game on Saturday (thanks to Miami's tumble against Syracuse). Clemson QB Cade Klubnik threw an interception in the end zone with 12 seconds to play in that loss. Clemson has been awful ATS, covering just twice in their past 8 games. This is the first time the Tigers have been an underdog since their 34-3 Kickoff Classic loss to Georgia.  Dabo Swinney does have a home-away-from-home at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte. He's won 7 ACC titles there since 2015. Can Clemson's defense slow down the Mustangs? Not this time. 

Best Bet: SMU -1.5 (-115) at DraftKings

Saturday, December 7 
B1G Championship Game, 8 p.m. (CBS)
Oregon vs. Penn State

Buzz: First-year teams are favored to win the conference championship games in the B1G (Oregon), Big 12 (Arizona State), ACC (SMU), and SEC (Texas). The Ducks quickly feathered their next in the expanded B1G this season. Oregon, like ACC newcomer SMU, ran the table in the B1G. Oregon finished 11-0 and 8-0. And it handed Ohio State its lone loss (thus far, anyway). The Ducks are solid on both sides of the ball, especially when it comes to the run. Oregon’s top running backs – Jordan James and Noah Whittington – average 5.6 and 4.4 yards, respectively, per carry. Dillon Gabriel has thrown for more than 3,000 yards, hitting on 73.8% of his attempts, for 22 TDs against just 6 picks. Oregon’s defense is ranked No. 7 in the nation in points allowed. Penn State earned its spot in this game with a win over Maryland and Ohio State's embarrassing 17-10 loss to Michigan inside the Horseshoe. The Lions have lacked consistency this season. And James Franklin's record in big games is less than impressive. Oregon is No. 1 for a reason. The Ducks are deep and play consistent, clean, football in all three phases. The indoor tack at Lucas Oil Stadium gives the Ducks a bit of an edge.

Best Bet: Oregon -3.5 (-110) at DraftKings