Tulane vs. UCF picks, predictions: AAC Championship Game odds, spread, lines

Picks and predictions for Tulane vs. UCF in the AAC Championship Game as the college football schedule moves to the Championship Week

The college football postseason is here as Championship Week kicks off around the country, and there's plenty on the line as Tulane hosts UCF for the AAC title game on Saturday.

Two years in at UCF and Gus Malzahn already has two nine-win seasons, and this year post one of the nation's premier scoring offenses, averaging almost 35 points per game, while allowing just over 21 points each time out.

The Knights own a head-to-head seven-point win over Tulane three weeks ago when both teams were ranked and UCF ran for 336 yards and four touchdowns and Wave quarterback Michael Pratt had three passing touchdowns in the loss.

Tulane is one of the best turnaround stories in college football this season, recovering from a 2-10 campaign a year ago to a 10-2 mark, including a win on the road at Big 12 title contender Kansas State, with both its losses coming in one-possession games.

What do the experts think of the matchup? Let's see how the College Football Power Index computer prediction model projects the game.

Tulane vs. UCF picks, predictions

Tulane prediction: The computer is siding with the Green Wave at home, but only slightly, with a 59.3 percent chance to win the game outright.

UCF prediction: By contrast, the Knights have a 40.7 percent shot to pull off the upset and win the conference championship.

Point spread: Tulane comes into the game as narrow 4 point favorites against UCF, according to the lines at SI Sportsbook.

Total: 56.5 points

Moneyline: Tulane -200 | UCF +145

Spread consensus pick: Tulane -4

Place your bets: Game lines, odds for Championship Saturday

Score prediction: Team Rankings projects that Tulane will defeat UCF by a score of 29.3 to 25.8 on Saturday and win the AAC Championship.

How to watch: The game is set for Sat., Dec. 3 at 4 p.m. Eastern and 3 p.m. Central on the main ABC network and streams on fuboTV (Try for free).

More: College football Championship Week schedule

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College Football Power Index

Football Power Index (FPI) college football rankings and computer prediction model are a measure of team strength that predicts a team’s future performance.

Rankings and scores predictions are based on 20,000 simulations of a team’s season, using a combination of analytics, including scores to date, quality of opponents, and a team’s schedule.

College Football Playoff Top 25 Rankings

According to CFP Selection Committee

1. Georgia
2. Michigan
3. TCU
4. USC
5. Ohio State
6. Alabama
7. Tennessee
8. Penn State
9. Clemson
10. Kansas State
11. Utah
12. Washington
13. Florida State
14. LSU
15. Oregon State
16. Oregon
17. UCLA
18. Tulane
19. South Carolina
20. Texas
21. Notre Dame
22. UCF
23. North Carolina
24. Mississippi State
25. NC State

More college football from SI: Top 25 Rankings | Schedule | All Teams

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