College Football Playoff season is live, with the committee already releasing the first edition of the rankings in the second year of a 12-team bracket.
There are multiple teams looking to make their first-ever playoff, including Texas A&M, Ole Miss, BYU, Texas Tech and Utah.
Now, the bracket for Week 12 will look a bit different after losses from BYU, Virginia, Louisville, Iowa and Washington.
The new playoff format releases the top four seeds from conference championship games. With the crumble of the ACC, the conference champion will most certainly be asked to win in Charlotte and again at home to make it to the quarterfinals.
There may be a hidden advantage for SEC and Big Ten teams that don't make the conference championship game, as falling between seeds 5-8 could land them a home game to kick off a run to the national title.
Our futures piece will take a look inside our Power Four conferences each week, featuring noteworthy wagers that could be ripe for investment before the committee's rankings are released.
With that said, let's dive into our college football futures and NCAAF picks ahead of the Week 12 College Football Playoff rankings release.
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ACC
Conference Contenders: Georgia Tech (5-1), Virginia (5-1), Pitt (5-1), SMU (5-1), Duke (4-1)
Easiest Remaining Strength of Schedule: Duke (75th), SMU (65th), Virginia (60th), Georgia Tech (38th), Pitt (8th)
Bet to Make Now: Pitt to Win ACC (+650)
Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi has his eyes on the prize, relegating Week 12 to a meaningless scrimmage against Notre Dame.
The ultimate goal for the Panthers is to win the ACC, a goal achievable with a win at Georgia Tech and at home against Miami. A victory over those teams on the moneyline would pay +350, giving value to the current ACC Championship market.
Georgia Tech has no value at +160 for the conference. The Yellow Jackets project as a single-point favorite over the Panthers in Week 13.
Virginia can make the conference championship game by winning out, but Week 12 might be the wakeup call for the Cavaliers. The Hoos will be near-touchdown underdogs against Duke, making an ACC Championship win improbable.
A sweep of the final three games for the Blue Devils over Virginia, North Carolina and Wake Forest equates to +300.
While there's no expectation of the ACC making an impact on the playoff, Pitt certainly has the most value on the board.
Big Ten
Conference Contenders: Indiana (7-0), Ohio State (6-0), USC (5-1), Oregon (5-1), Michigan (5-1)
Easiest Remaining Strength of Schedule: Ohio State (31st), Indiana (26th), Oregon (25th), Michigan (18th), USC (14th)
Bet to Make Now: Indiana to Win Big Ten (+140)
Indiana may have built up enough credit to earn a first-round bye in the playoff, thanks to steamrolling its Big Ten competition. The Hoosiers will finish the season as gargantuan favorites over Wisconsin and Purdue before heading to Indianapolis for the conference title game.
There's value on Indiana to win the Big Ten at +140 or better, as the Hoosiers project as just two-point underdogs to Ohio State.
Michigan, USC and Oregon are all fighting for the Buckeyes to lose a regular-season game. The Wolverines will have that chance to end the season, but tiebreakers may fall to the Trojans.
The better bet is an Indiana ticket to win the conference. Earning a spot in the Big Ten title game is highly probable for the Hoosiers.
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Big 12
Conference Contenders: Texas Tech (6-1), BYU (5-1), Cincinnati (5-1), Houston (5-2), Utah (4-2), Arizona State (4-2)
Easiest Remaining Strength of Schedule: Arizona State (73rd), Texas Tech (61st), Houston (54th), Utah (50th), BYU (39th), Cincinnati (35th)
Bet to Make Now: Utah to Make CFP (+280)
Texas Tech will be a three-score favorite in its final two conference games, but a -290 number to win the conference has no value.
The better bet on Tech would be to wait before the conference championship game while monitoring health, particularly the depth at quarterback.
The odds indicate that Cincinnati will beat Arizona in Week 12, setting up a pivotal Week 13 matchup against BYU. The Bearcats conclude the season in a toss-up against TCU in Fort Worth. Conference odds to win the Big 12 Championship should be priced closer to 11-1 on Cincinnati, not the current market of 8-1.
The better value comes on a team with a resume the playoff committee likes.
Utah came into Week 12 with a playoff rank of 13th and virtually no path to the Big 12 Championship game. The Utes are 8.5-point favorites in Week 12 and project as double-digit favorites against Kansas State and Kansas as well.
Chaos is a ladder, and with playoff teams falling, that should improve the Utes' ranking in the CFP standings.
SEC
Conference Contenders: Texas A&M (6-0), Alabama (6-0), Georgia (6-1), Ole Miss (5-1), Texas (4-1)
Easiest Remaining Strength of Schedule: Ole Miss (51st), Georgia (29th), Alabama (24th), Texas A&M (21st), Texas (4th)
Bet to Make Now: Ole Miss to Win National Championship (+1800)
Ole Miss will be heavily favored down the stretch of the regular season, first in Week 12 against Florida and in the Egg Bowl against Mississippi State.
The Rebels may benefit from not making the SEC Championship game, potentially improving on their current 6-seed. With -2000 odds to make the playoff, an 18-1 ticket to win the national title game has legs.
Texas has a much nastier path, first as a near-touchdown underdog to Georgia. The Longhorns will also be field goal or more underdogs at home in their finale against Texas A&M.
Look for the better value on a team that's a near lock to make the College Football Playoff in Ole Miss.
