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Our 7 best bets college football's championship weekend
Our 7 best bets college football's championship weekend
Tyler LaulettaDec 7, 2019, 03:11 IST
AP Photo/Sean RayfordThis week we're backing the Clemson Tigers, Boise State Broncos, and Cincinnati Bearcats to make some noise and cover the spread in their conference championship games.
After a wild season, we've finally reached college football's championship weekend, with some of the biggest games of the year set to kickoff.
Last weekend, our picks went 4-3 against the spread, with LSU, Georgia, and Oklahoma all covering as heavy favorites.
This week we're back at it again, picking our seven best bets of a stacked slate.
The stakes could not be higher for some of the top college football teams in the country this weekend.
With conference championships taking place starting Friday night, teams are looking to secure their spot in the playoff, upset a conference rival, or sneak into a New Year's Six bowl game.
Thanks to LSU, Georgia, and Oklahoma covering as heavy favorites last weekend, our picks went a solid 4-3 against the spread last weekend.
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This week, we're back at it with our final seven best bets of the college football slate before bowl season begins.
Take a look below for our best bets of championship weekend. (* indicates home team).
Championship weekend kicks off on Friday night with a Pac-12 duel between Oregon and Utah.
As things stand, it looks as though Utah would have a solid claim to the playoff if they take care of business against the Ducks. They're currently ranked fifth, and with two SEC teams ahead of them facing off on Saturday, look due to move into the top four with a win over Oregon.
That said, the conference has historically had a tough time breaking through in the top four. Since the playoff was implemented five years ago, Pac-12 teams have qualified for the tournament just twice — the fewest appearances of any Power 5 conference.
It feels like every year, the universe conspires to keep the Pac-12 out of the playoff, and this year, that means an Oregon win over Utah on Friday night.
Oklahoma (-9) over Baylor
When these teams met earlier in the year, a then-undefeated Baylor side took Oklahoma to the absolute brink, leading 28-3 in the second quarter before the Sooners pulled off a miraculous comeback to had the Bears their first loss of the year.
When teams are meeting up for the second time in the conference championship, I try to bet against whichever team fired its best shot the first time around. Simply put, I don't think Baylor can play better than they did in their first game against Oklahoma, and that resulted in a loss.
Further, the Sooners were without dynamic wide receiver CeeDee Lamb in round one of this matchup. With Lamb back in the lineup tomorrow, the Oklahoma offense should be far more explosive than the first time around.
Cincinnati (+9.5) over Memphis*
This is another rematch, but making matters stranger, Cincinnati and Memphis played just last week, with the Tigers besting the Bearcats 34-24.
We're backing Cincinnati as the road team in the rematch because it seemed as though the breaks were all falling in Memphis' favor last weekend. The Tigers led the turnover battle and took the opening kickoff back for a touchdown to jump out to a 7-0 lead before either team took a snap.
With all of that in mind, it feels like Cincinnati has what it takes to keep this game close.
Georgia (+7) over LSU
This is probably a silly bet, but Georgia was my pick to win the national title at the start of the year, and despite their terrible loss to South Carolina, they have a win-and-in shot at the playoff against LSU this weekend.
LSU has possibly the most impressive resume of wins of the past decade, so they're a tough team to bet against. But with 70% of bettors taking the Tigers, we'll back the Bulldogs as underdogs and hope for the best.
Boise State* (-14) over Hawaii
Boise State put up 59 points the first time they played Hawaii this year — the highest point total they'd manage all season. They also gave up 37 points to the Rainbow Warriors — the second-highest score their defense would allow on the year.
I trust Boise's defense to turn things around more than I trust Hawaii's to improve drastically since they first met. So we're backing the Broncos.
Clemson (-28.5) over Virginia
First of all, let me say congratulations to Virginia on finally taking down Virginia Tech after 15 years of losing to their greatest rival. Well deserved, you played a great game.
Unfortunately, you are going to get walloped on Saturday against Clemson. Despite being undefeated reigning champions of the college football world, head coach Dabo Swinney somehow still has a chip on his shoulder and has been playing full-throttle through the second half of the year.
Since their close call against North Carolina in September, the Tigers have rattled off wins of 31, 35, 52, 45, 45, 49, and 35 points. I think Virginia left everything they had on the field last Saturday and will play proudly in the Orange Bowl.
But on Saturday they're running into a buzzsaw.
Wisconsin (+16.5) over Ohio State
Ohio State beat Wisconsin 38-7 earlier in the season in what was a nightmarish spot for the Badgers, who were fresh off an embarrassing loss to Illinois.
Wisconsin got out-gained 431-191 and managed just nine first downs to Ohio State's 24.
I'd be pretty shocked if the Badgers pulled off the outright upset, but there's no reason they can't hang with the Buckeyes for three quarters and keep things manageable in the fourth.
Now check out our best bets for Week 14 of the NFL season...
