The college football regular season has ended, but donโt worry. Bettors still have conference championship week, and Iโm not going to leave you guys hanging.
Hereโs my complete guide to how Iโll be betting (or sometimes not betting) the 2024 conference championship schedule.ย
As always, the BetMGM online sportsbook has all the college football odds needed to enjoy this weekend and beyond. Bookmark this page and make sure you check back throughout the week, as I may add more bets to my card.
College Football Best Bets: Conference Championship Week
Bet | Game | Kickoff Details |
---|---|---|
Western Kentucky +4.5 | WKU vs. JSU | 7 p.m. ET, Friday |
UNLV +4 | UNLV vs. Boise State | 8 p.m. ET, Friday |
Tulane -6 | Tulane vs. Army | 8 p.m. ET, Friday |
Under 50.5 | Iowa State vs. Arizona State | 12 p.m. ET, Saturday |
Under 44.5 | Ohio vs. Miami (OH) | 12 p.m. ET, Saturday |
Georgia +2.5 | Georgia vs. Texas | 4 p.m. ET, Saturday |
Louisiana -5.5 | Marshall vs. Louisiana | 7:30 p.m. ET, Saturday |
Oregon -3.5; Under 49.5 | Oregon vs. Penn State | 8 p.m. ET, Saturday |
Clemson +2.5 | Clemson vs. SMU | 8 p.m. ET, Saturday |
Conference USA Championship Prediction: Western Kentucky vs. Jacksonville State
Fridayโs championship kickoff in Conference USA is an interesting one. Western Kentucky and Jacksonville State played last week in a Bowling Green game that WKU needed and JSU didnโt.
The result: WKU won 19-17 on a last-second field goal to punch its bid to the title game over Sam Houston.ย
Now, the venue flips to Jacksonville, and JSU will presumably have more motivation in this contest. That, plus the home field advantage, accounts for the healthy spread for Jacksonville State thatโs continuing to move in the Gamecocksโ direction.ย
This isnโt a firm bet for me at this point, but Iโm leaning toward taking the points with Western Kentucky. Like last week, Iโm expecting a competitive game, which could make 4.5 points valuable. Thereโs a little too much market faith here in a series split.ย
Western Kentucky vs. Jacksonville State Pick: Western Kentucky +4.5
2024-12-07T00:00:00Z
Western Kentucky at Jacksonville State
Mountain West Championship Prediction: UNLV vs. Boise State
The entire world is going to be on Boise State here, thanks to the CFP chatter and Ashton Jeantyโs quest to break Barry Sandersโ single-season NCAA rushing record.
Despite that, Boise State opened at -5 and has moved up to -4 on early sharp action. Thatโs assumed reverse line movement, and it scratches my contrarian itch.
UNLV vs. Boise State Pick: UNLV +4
2024-12-07T01:00:00Z
UNLV at Boise St
AAC Championship Prediction: Tulane vs. Army
Tulane is one of the early movers this week, sliding through the dead area from -4 to -6. I agree with the movement.
Despite last weekโs result against Memphis, I do think the Green Wave are the better side here. I grabbed this at -4.5 on Monday, and Iโd bet it down to -7.
Tulane vs. Army Pick: Tulane -4.5
2024-12-07T01:00:00Z
Tulane at Army
Big 12 Championship Prediction: Iowa State vs. Arizona State
This is a difficult game to read because Arizona State and Iowa State have been tough reads all year.ย
On the side, I think I lean toward Iowa State. Cam Skattebo is the player I trust the most, but it feels like Iowa State will just want this game more because of the history and the build toward this moment under Matt Campbell.
Complicating matters for ASU is the fact that leading receiver Jordyn Tyson will miss this game with a left arm/shoulder injury. ASUโs next leading pass-catcher is Skattebo; their best receiver behind Tyson is Xavier Guillory, who has less than 300 yards on the year. Tyson is a major loss.
All that said, ASU has consistently defied expectations this year, and I just donโt feel great betting them. If Iโm betting anything here, I think itโs the under.ย
Two offenses that operate through their ground game and a key missing receiver suggest a game with field goals and a running clock.
Iowa State vs. Arizona State Pick: Under 50.5
2024-12-07T17:00:00Z
Iowa St. at Arizona St (Neutral Venue)
MAC Championship Prediction: Ohio vs. Miami (OH)
This is another game where I have no real feel for the side at all. I could potentially be interested in playing the under on a semi-low college total thatโs sitting in the mid-40s.ย
This will probably end up as a pass for me, but if Iโm forcing it, Iโd take the under. There are just way better opportunities this week, including outside of college football.ย
Ohio vs. Miami (OH) Pick: Under 44.5
2024-12-07T17:00:00Z
Ohio at Miami (OH) (Neutral Venue)
SEC Championship Prediction: Georgia vs. Texas
This is another game where I likely wonโt end up with exposure, but Iโm inclined to take the Georgia side. This will be a virtual home game in Atlanta, and last weekโs 8OT game against Georgia Tech was likely a serious wake-up call for Kirby Smartโs outfit.
To me, Texas just hasnโt looked quite right since Quinn Ewers came back from his injury. They have talent all over the field, obviously, but they havenโt played their A-game in months.ย
If Arch Manning was playing in this game, I actually think I would bet Texas. Instead, Iโll lean Georgia for this week and pick my spots carefully in the playoffs.ย
Georgia vs. Texas Pick: Georgia +2.5
2024-12-07T21:00:00Z
Georgia at Texas (Neutral Venue)
Sun Belt Championship Prediction: Marshall vs. Louisiana
The expectation is that Marshall head coach Charles Huff is about to accept a job at a different Sun Belt school โ Southern Miss. (He really wants out of Huntington.)
The market is hitting Louisiana with the expectation that Marshall is probably not having its best week of championship prep right now.ย
Iโm inclined to agree with the market. Grab the Raginโ Cajuns before the number hits -6 or worse.ย
Marshall vs. Louisiana Pick: Louisiana -5.5
2024-12-08T00:30:00Z
Marshall at UL Lafayette
Big Ten Championship Prediction: Penn State vs. Oregon
This will be an easy bet for me since I already have some Penn State playoff futures in pocket. The bet Iโll have will be Oregon -3.5 to own the other side of the automatic Penn State playoff bid.ย
With no prior position, Iโd probably look at the under. Dillon Gabriel and Drew Allar both have spotty records against tough defenses, so Iโm envisioning this as a game where the defenses will play ahead of the offenses.
Penn State vs. Oregon Pick: Oregon -3.5; Under 49.5
2024-12-08T01:00:00Z
Penn State at Oregon (Neutral Venue)
ACC Championship Prediction: Clemson vs. SMU
This will be the easiest bet of the week for me, as well as anyone who followed along with my 2024 college football futures betting manifesto from over the summer. I have SMU at +1200 to win the ACC and +1100 to make the playoff, so I will be firmly hedging with a Clemson +115 moneyline bet.ย
Iโd probably bet Clemson +2.5 even if I didnโt have the prior exposure. SMU has fattened up its record on the bottom of the ACC. On its best day, Clemson is clearly the better team here.
The problem is that Clemson peaked in mid-October and has been stuck in a lower gear since then. Even still, Iโd probably feel more comfortable betting on Clemsonโs potential than against it.ย
Clemson vs. SMU Pick: Clemson +2.5
2024-12-08T01:00:00Z
Clemson at SMU (Neutral Venue)
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