NCAAF Championship Week Best Bets
The big day is here. We’ve made it through weeks of great college football and are at the conference championships. This week will determine who is in the college football playoffs, and who is not. Let’s get right to the games. Normally we’d do an over, under, side, and underdog, but with limited games, we aren’t going to force anything.
Georgia vs. Alabama
Georgia has been the best team, with the best defense, all year. Do they want to see Alabama in a National Championship? I really doubt it. If they lose, Alabama is certainly in the playoffs. If they win, they have the potential to knock of the only team I can see actually beating them. This game doesn’t really mean anything for Georgia. If they lose, they will still be in the playoff. Bottom line is they can take some shots, they can play a lot looser, and don’t have the same pressure that Alabama does. Alabama hasn’t been as consistent and reliable as past years. I’ll play Georgia at -6.5 at -104. I’m not taking them at more than seven. This is a tough game to play, there is always a chance Georgia doesn’t want to show the full range of plays in case they do have to play Alabama later. You can always count on Nick Saban to have his team ready too. If the line goes to 7 or higher, I’ll probably grab Alabama with the points, but after how they looked last week, it might not be enough.
Michigan vs. Iowa
The BIG10 Championship game doesn’t include Ohio State which is something I don’t think many saw coming. Michigan has finally played well after years of disappointing seasons with Harbaugh. Both teams have very strong defenses and have had very impressive seasons. Michigan’s offense looks great right now with running back Hassan Haskins dominating. Iowa has been much better at stopping the run this season. This has the makings of a potential let down spot from Michigan so I’ll avoid the sides. But If Iowa were to win, I would expect it to be a low-scoring game. What I don’t see is this game being a 30 – 20 game or something along those lines. I’ll play the under on the game but this is a tight line so it won’t be as big of a play. Under 43.5 at -108.
Houston at Cincinnati
The Bearcats have been awesome all season and are now rewarded with a home game – which is different and important to acknowledge from the first two games mentioned as both of them are at neutral sites. Houston is a good team, don’t get me wrong, but defensively there is no comparison between the two teams. Cincinnati is far superior to Houston in that category and that is where they will really make the impact. I don’t think this will exactly be a blowout, but I do think Cincinnati can win this and cover the spread as they keep marching towards that playoff berth. I’ll play Cincinnati -10.5 at -110.