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5 best bets for college football's Championship Week games

Mike Comer / Getty Images Sport / Getty

After uncovering some tips for this weekend's slate of college football games, here are our five recommended betting selections.

Marshall at Virginia Tech

Recommended pick: Marshall +3.5

How much does Marshall want to play on Saturday? We already know Virginia Tech does - the Hokies earned the right to this rescheduled game after beating in-state rival Virginia last weekend, setting up an opportunity to clinch a spot in a bowl game.

However, the bowl narrative feels a bit overplayed this season.

Not every program needing a win against a team with virtually nothing to play for has come through this season. It's only smart to cap the game based purely off numbers and talent, and the needle leans heavily to the Thundering Herd in this spot.

Akron at South Carolina

Recommended pick: Under 56

We're not going to mince words here: Akron's offense is dreadful.

The Zips are ranked No. 127 in the country in S&P+ offense and now have to match up against an SEC defense on the road. We do like the Zips' pass defense, however, which allows only 10.1 yards per completion, good for No. 10 in the country. It doesn't figure to shut down the Gamecocks completely, but it'll be enough to get this one under the total.

Memphis at Central Florida

Recommended pick: Central Florida -3

The Central Florida Knights will be the shortest favorite of their season when they host the Memphis Tigers in the AAC Championship Game. UCF took down the Tigers back in Week 7 but failed to cover as five-point chalk. The Knights opened as 5.5-point favorites but have since seen the number come down to -3. The drop is presumably due to the absence of starting quarterback McKenzie Milton, who suffered a career-ending injury last weekend against South Florida.

The downgrade from Milton to Darriel Mack Jr. is a significant one, but at the current price of -3, there's enough there with the Knights that we'd still recommend them.

Clemson vs. Pittsburgh

Recommended pick: Clemson -27.5

Not many programs are a 'good' matchup for the Clemson Tigers, much less the run-heavy Pitt Panthers, who struggle against elite defenses. In four games against teams ranking in the top 30 of S&P+ defense, the Panthers have scored a combined 23 points; against teams outside the top 30, they're averaging 38 points per game. Enter Clemson, which is S&P+'s top defense and No. 4 scoring unit in the country.

If you want to beat the Tigers, you have to throw. The Panthers don't have enough firepower with Kenny Pickett to keep this one in range.

Pitt is No. 15 in the country in rush-play frequency, calling for a run more than 60 percent of the time. Clemson has played four teams this season that run the ball with that type of consistency, allowing just 38 total points over that span, 14 of which coming in mop-up duty against Georgia Tech.

Utah vs. Washington

Recommended pick: Over 44.5

Although Utah-Washington will feature two of the Pac-12's elite defenses, it's the offense we like for Friday's game.

Utah has made huge strides offensively since the 21-7 loss to Washington in Week 3, scoring 30 points or more in seven of the nine games thereafter. Despite injuries to quarterback Tyler Huntley and running back Zack Moss, the Utes have barely missed a beat behind fill-ins Jason Shelley and Armand Shyne. Since taking over their respective starting roles, both have helped Utah score at least 30 points in three different games.

We also like quarterback Jake Browning and the Washington skill corps to contribute enough to get this one over the low total.

Alex Kolodziej is theScore's betting writer. He's a graduate of Eastern Illinois who has been involved in the sports betting industry for 11 years. He can quote every line from "Rounders" and appreciates franchises that regularly wear alternate jerseys. Find him on Twitter @AlexKoIodziej.

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