%20%20--%3E%0A%3Csvg%20version%3D%221.1%22%20id%3D%22Layer_1%22%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20xmlns%3Axlink%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F1999%2Fxlink%22%20x%3D%220px%22%20y%3D%220px%22%0A%09%20width%3D%2239px%22%20height%3D%2240px%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%2039%2040%22%20enable-background%3D%22new%200%200%2039%2040%22%20xml%3Aspace%3D%22preserve%22%3E%0A%3Cpath%20fill%3D%22%23FFFFFF%22%20d%3D%22M38.5%2C7H28.2v26h10.3V7z%22%2F%3E%0A%3Cpath%20fill-rule%3D%22evenodd%22%20clip-rule%3D%22evenodd%22%20fill%3D%22%23FFFFFF%22%20d%3D%22M26.1%2C25.5c0%2C5.8-4.1%2C7.5-12.9%2C7.5C3.9%2C33%2C0%2C31.2%2C0%2C25.2v-1.1h11.6%0A%09v2.4c0%2C0.7%2C0.1%2C1.4%2C1.2%2C1.4c1%2C0%2C1.2-0.4%2C1.2-1.3v-0.9c0-1.6-0.9-1.6-3.5-2.2C2.2%2C21.7%2C0%2C19.7%2C0%2C15.3v-0.9C0%2C9.3%2C5.5%2C7%2C12.9%2C7%0A%09c10.2%2C0%2C12.8%2C2.6%2C12.8%2C7.4v1.8h-11v-2.9c0-0.6-0.4-1.1-1.2-1.1c-0.6%2C0-1.2%2C0.4-1.2%2C1.1v0.9c0%2C1.5%2C0.9%2C2%2C3.3%2C2.5%0A%09c8%2C1.6%2C10.5%2C3.3%2C10.5%2C7.5V25.5z%22%2F%3E%0A%3C%2Fsvg%3E%0A)
College Football Conference Championships Best Bets: Composite Ratings Picks The Winners
We’ve come to the end of the college football regular season.
It’s championship week, plus USC-Cal, which is sneaking in a game under the wire for what they both thought would help their bowl eligibility (it won’t).
As you’d assume with good teams at the end of the season, we’ve got pretty tight lines all around with only two double-digit spreads. The most surprising thing about the SEC title game is that Alabama’s 92-game streak as a favorite comes to an end in this game as it is a 6.5-point underdog. On talent, they certainly can compete with the goliath that is Georgia, but the Tide coming in as a David is just jarring to see on paper.
As the Composite has come to its season-end pending a trip to an exotic locale for a bowl game, we’re looking to rebound next season. We’ll change the offensive and defensive coordinators and retool some bells and whistles.
Last Week: 30-35, 46.2%
Season: 337-377-6, 47.2%
Check the Latest Odds at SI Sportsbook
Composite Best Bets
DOWNLOAD: PDF OR VIEW AS WEBPAGE
The process behind the picks is briefly explained in my Week 1 column.
Favorites
ACC: Pittsburgh (-2.5) over Wake Forest
Conference USA: Western Kentucky (-3) over UTSA
MAC: Kent State (-3) over Northern Illinois
Mountain West: San Diego State (-5.5) over Utah State
Pac-12: Utah (-3) over Oregon
Sun Belt: Appalachian State (-3) over UL Lafayette
Dogs
Big 12: Baylor (+5.5) over Oklahoma State
SEC: Alabama (+6.5) over Georgia
USC (+4.5) over California
Big Dogs
AAC: Houston (+10) over Cincinnati
Big Ten: Iowa (+11) over Michigan
Bet all the College Football Games at SI Sportsbook
Get fantasy and betting analysis in your inbox by signing up for the Winners Club newsletter
More Betting & College Football:
• Cowboys-Saints Best Bets
• Cowboys-Saints Player Props
• My Favorite Bet: The Under in Service Academy Games
• Week 12 Bad Beats & Big Payouts
• College Basketball Futures
• Projecting Every Bowl Game
Richard Johnson is known for his college sports expertise. He co-hosts the “Split Zone Duo” podcast and co-authored The Sinful Seven: Sci-fi Western Legends of the NCAA. Richard was the 2022 winner of the Edward Aschoff Rising Star Award, and previously appeared as an analyst on the SEC Network show “Thinking Out Loud.” He established an early career with ESPN and SB Nation before joining Sports Illustrated in 2021 and lives in Brooklyn.