Championship Week continues with another 5 games on Saturday.
The Saturday conference championship slate includes:
- No. 3 Texas Tech vs. No. 11 BYU (Big 12 Championship)
- Miami (OH) vs. Western Michigan (MAC Championship)
- No. 9 Alabama vs. No. 3 Georgia (SEC Championship)
- No. 2 Indiana vs. No. 1 Ohio State (Big Ten Championship)
- No. 17 Virginia vs. Duke (ACC Championship)
Our college football writers broke down all 5 conference championship games on Saturday's slate and came through with a pick for each.
So, whether you're looking for spread picks, moneyline plays, team totals or player props, we have you covered.
Let's take a look at our college football picks and NCAAF best bets for the conference championship games on Saturday, December 6.
College Football Picks, Best Bets for Conference Championships
The team logos in the table below represent each of the matchups that our college football betting staff is targeting from Saturday's slate of conference championship games. Click on the team logos for any of the matchups below to navigate to a specific bet discussed in this article.
| Game | Time (ET) | Pick |
|---|---|---|
  | 12 p.m. | |
  | 12 p.m. | |
  | 1 p.m. | |
  | 1 p.m. | |
  | 4 p.m. | |
  | 8 p.m. | |
  | 8 p.m. | |
Specific betting recommendations come from the sportsbook offering preferred odds as of writing. Always shop for the best price using our NCAAF Odds page, which automatically surfaces the best lines for every game. | ||
Texas Tech vs BYU Pick
By Joshua Nunn
It feels like we've seen this script before, as the earlier matchup between these two teams saw Texas Tech completely dominate BYU while allowing 255 total yards and seven points.
BYU drives went: Punt, Punt, Missed FG, Punt, Punt in the first half. The ground game couldn't get going, and quarterback Bear Bachmeier couldn't throw the Cougars out of trouble on the road.
We saw the earlier game play out, where BYU couldn't run the football. The Cougars surpassed just 67 total rushing yards on 2.5 yards per attempt.
Texas Tech's defense has been elite against the run all season and ranks first nationally in yards per rush, third in explosiveness allowed and has given up more than 17 points in a game only twice.
I can't see much changing here in this one with the Red Raiders now playing to maintain the 4-seed in the College Football Playoff. I could see this Texas Tech squad slowing down the tempo in the second half and grinding away the clock late.
BYU put together one scoring drive in the first meeting, and for the Cougars to exceed this total, they're going to have to score three touchdowns. I'm betting they won't do that.
Pick: BYU Team Total Under 17.5
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Miami (OH) vs Western Michigan Pick
By Joshua Nunn
I really can't buy into what I've seen from the Miami (OH) offense this season. It's quite predictable and lacka originality in play-calling.
I also have concerns about the RedHawks rolling out a third-string freshman quarterback in this environment against the best defense in the MAC.
Western Michigan is very fundamentally sound defensively, and the Broncos excel at stopping the run and limiting explosive plays. Miami ranks just 104th nationally in Passing Success Rate, and I envision quarterback Thomas Gotkowski struggling.
WMU has two major dudes in Nadame Tucker and Rodney McGraw, who have 17 sacks between the two of them this season. I would expect these two to impact this game on Saturday.
Offensively, WMU has scored 30-plus points on back-to-back occasions. I like what I've seen creatively from Walt Bell and this offensive staff. I expect some creative plays to get the ball out to Blake Bosma and Tailique Williams in space and let them go to work.
The Broncos' ground game has been feasting of late, and I expect another rock-solid performance in this one. WMU has been the most consistent team in the MAC this season with its only loss in league play coming against these RedHawks.
In the first matchup, WMU dominated the first three quarters en route to a 17-9 lead, as Miami OH hadn't scored a touchdown and was limited to just 220 total yards.
It took fourth-quarter Dequan Finn heroics to get Miami home in that one, and he's no longer on the roster.
Lance Taylor is an excellent coach, and I love the team discipline for WMU. The Broncos are excellent on defense, and the ground game should carry this group in the second half.
Pick: Western Michigan -1.5
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Tarleton State vs North Dakota Pick
By Road to CFB
After a resounding win over 11-1 Tennessee Tech, North Dakota moves on to Round 2 of the FCS Playoffs to face Tarleton State. The Texans are -6.5 home favorites after opening at -4.5.
In that win, starting North Dakota quarterback Jerry Kaminski suffered an injury and was reported to be in concussion protocol this week. There’s a chance Kaminski plays, but there’s also a strong chance he does not.
Behind him are three backups who each have spent time as QB2. None of them has a passing touchdown on the season.
Junior Simon Romfo would go if Kaminski doesn’t. Romfo started 12 games last season and threw 18 touchdowns, but North Dakota felt the need to replace him this offseason with Kamkinski. This year, Romfo has not been excellent in limited work.
Top receiver B.J. Fleming (770 yards) also missed the opening-round win. Running back Gaven Ziebarth returned in a limited capacity and should be good to go moving forward.
Tarleton State fields a top-20 pass rush (Romfo took two sacks on three pressures) and ranks third in opposing average passer rating. Bested in quality really only by North Dakota State, Tarleton State fields an FBS-level defense.
The Texans also have QB Victor Gabalis back, who missed 2.5 games in the middle of the season.
Gabalis orchestrated the double-overtime upset at Army and has 25 touchdowns against four interceptions (two of which came in a 61-0 domination of North Alabama and were by result of errant tipped passes).
North Dakota fields a top-12 pass defense, and its most impressive performance came in a 15-10 loss to No. 1 North Dakota State a month ago.
North Dakota was the right side in the opening playoff round because of its disproportionately more difficult schedule than Tennessee Tech.
UND played five playoff teams in the regular season: Montana (No. 4 in power ratings), South Dakota (No. 12), NDSU (No. 1) and South Dakota State (No. 8).
But the reality is, UND went 0-4 against those teams, albeit all in one-score affairs.
Tarleton State checks in third in industry aggregate FCS power ratings. Those ratings went 15-6-2 ATS in the postseason last year (71.4%) and favor Tarleton State by 6.5 points here.
But with Kaminski possibly out and Tarleton both at home and with an extra week of prep, I lean the Texans at anything under a touchdown.
Pick: Tarleton State -6.5
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Abilene Christian vs Stephen F. Austin Pick
By Road to CFB
In the second round of the FCS Texas Regional, Stephen F. Austin travels to Abilene Christian for a fascinating matchup.
Abilene Christian has two of the best wins in the playoff field when it beat Tarleton State in Week 10 and SFA back in Week 2.
But it also has some of the worst losses among the playoff field with a 31-7 beatdown at the hands of 5-7 Incarnate Word and a 31-24 loss to 7-5 Southern Utah. Two other losses came to FBS Tulsa and TCU.
It's important to note when sifting through games that involve Tarleton State that ACU beat the Texans with their starting quarterback — the only loss Tarleton suffered this year.
But what makes this matchup so intriguing is that SFA enters this game on a 10-game win streak, and none of those wins were by one score. The two losses on the entire schedule came in Weeks 1 and 2, to Houston and ACU.
The Wildcats bested the Lumberjacks, 28-20, in Abilene. Far from flukey — ACU outgained the visitors by 71 yards and stifled them to 52 rushing yards — 21 of the Wildcats’ 28 points came in the second quarter, and one of those was a fumble recovered in the end zone; another came off a 33-yard field.
Not many FCS teams turn the ball over less than SFA, but that day, the Lumberjacks turned the ball over three times.
In college, games get away from teams, and that doesn’t change the identity of that team. Since Week 2, SFA has just 10 total giveaways.
Abilene Christian QB Stone Earle has over 2,700 total passing yards and 29 total touchdowns (10 rushing), and top receiver Javon Gipson leads the UAC with 945 receiving yards.
The Wildcats’ biggest threat is their offense. SFA fields a top-10 pass defense and pass rush nationally.
Both teams have comparable schedules, and SFA has performed better against common opponents like North Alabama and Incarnate Word. ACU is a team that has played much worse on the road (2-3 against the spread vs. FCS).
And, like with the FBS conference championship week, always beware backing a team that opens as an underdog to a team it already beat earlier in the year.
Aggregate industry power ratings favor Stephen F. Austin by 10 points, far above its opening mark of -2.5. Last year, those ratings went 15-6-2 ATS (71.4%). This is all Lumberjacks.
Pick: Stephen F. Austin -3.5
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Alabama vs Georgia Pick
By Jon Schiller
Alabama has been an enigma all season. In one game, it looks fantastic, and in the next, it looks terrible.
I haven't been much impressed with Georgia either, but it seems to know exactly what it needs to do to win the game, and I'm not sure Alabama does.
Bama quarterback Ty Simpson looked very rough against Auburn, and the Tide still don't have an answer at running back. Wide receiver Ryan Williams also seems a bit lost out there, and I'm not sure Germie Bernard is an alpha WR at this point.
Georgia has the better offensive and defensive lines, and I like the Bulldogs to ride Gunner Stockton's legs to victory.
Pick: Georgia ML -130
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Ohio State vs Indiana Pick
By Road to CFB
Despite having a National Championship in its pocket as recently as January, “Unfinished Business” has been the narrative internally crafted around Ohio State.
For departing players like Carnell Tate, Davison Igbinosun and Kenyatta Jackson Jr., there were two monkeys left on their backs: (1) beat Michigan and (2) win a Big Ten Championship.
The first of those to-do items has been completed handily.
We’ve seen Ryan Day in this situation now a half-dozen times — when stuff gets serious, particularly in the postseason, the Buckeyes put their foot down in undeniable fashion.
Indiana seems like an impenetrable team and, when looking at the underlying metrics, it is. Almost.
The Hoosiers are prone to the occasional explosive play. Those usually come in desperation when a team trails by 30, which, this year, has been fairly frequent. But the ability is there.
Oregon, Maryland and Illinois all sprung long touchdown passes on an aggressive secondary. It’s a nitpick, but when you’re dealing with the top two teams in the country that combine for 24-0, nitpicking is about all you have left to do.
Day gets incredibly aggressive in big games. Just look at last year’s playoff run when Ohio State jumped all over Tennessee and Oregon early on with downfield passes.
After playing coy all year, I anticipate a few deep shots early on to the now-healthy duo of Tate and Jeremiah Smith.
Whether the Buckeyes successfully do it or not, Day’s approach in big games is to shock teams early and then sit on them late (see: Michigan just last week).
Ohio State’s core is dangerous enough to connect with those even against top-flight competition. I’m looking for two first-half touchdowns here.
Pick: Ohio State 1H Team Total Over 13.5
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Virginia vs Duke Pick
This is a tough spot for Duke running back Nate Sheppard.
Virginia has been a top-30 run defense in the country in EPA/Play allowed, and it took away the ground game in the first meeting.
I expect the Cavaliers to keep the same defensive strategy of bringing pressure with a heavier box, considering it was very successful in the first matchup.
That's going to make it tough sledding for Sheppard, especially at a number over 80 yards.
Pick: Nate Sheppard Under 81.5 Rushing Yards
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