College Football Championship Week Best Bets Saturday: Predictions, Player Props & ATS Picks

Mike Spector

Last Updated: December 7, 2024 5:00 AM EST • 4 min 44 sec read. Twitter link Google News Link

Arizona State Sun Devils running back Cam Skattebo against the Arizona Wildcats during the Territorial Cup as we look at our college football championship week best bets. — Arizona State Sun Devils running back Cam Skattebo against the Arizona Wildcats during the Territorial Cup. Photo by Mark J. Rebilas/Imagn Images

Saturday’s college football slate features six conference championship games for bettors to sift through.

There's no six-plus-point favorite in any of the conference championship matchups
Arizona State, Texas, Oregon, and SMU all look for championships during the first years of playing in new conferences
Clemson is seeking its ninth straight conference championship under Dabo Swinney

Our college football championship week best bets include two player prop wagers on running backs, and the selections back two favorites to cover the spread.

Best college football picks for Saturday

College football odds subject to change. Track the college football scores for the latest line movement and matchup info.

Cam Skattebo Over 120.5 rushing yards (-114 via FanDuel) vs. Iowa State ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Brashard Smith to score 2+ touchdowns (+190 via FanDuel) vs. Clemson ⭐⭐
Miami (OH) -1.5 (-118 via FanDuel) vs. Ohio ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Oregon -3.5 (-105 via Caesars) vs. Penn State ⭐⭐⭐

Saturday's college football odds & schedule

(Odds via BetMGM)

Iowa State (+2) vs. Arizona State (-2), noon ET
Ohio (+2) vs. Miami Ohio (-2), noon ET
Georgia (+3) vs. Texas (-3), 4:00 p.m. ET
Marshall (+5.5) vs. Louisiana (-5.5), 7:30 p.m. ET
Penn State (+3.5) vs. Oregon (-3.5), 8:00 p.m. ET
Clemson (+2.5) vs. SMU (-2.5), 8:00 p.m. ET

College football props for Saturday

College football picks made Friday; odds subject to change. Our NEW college football player prop odds tool can help you find the best odds on any market across legal sportsbooks in your area!

Cam Skattebo Over 120.5 rushing yards ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Best odds: -114 via FanDuel | Implied probability: 53.27%

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Arizona State’s Cam Skattebo has rushed for 1,398 yards and 17 touchdowns this year (he's logged 19 total touchdowns). And unlike many players who padded a lot of their statistics in non-conference play, Skattebo really took off once Big 12 competition started.

Skattebo has run for 147-plus yards in five of his last seven games. And he was given 25 carries during one contest in that span when the tailback was held to just 73 yards, which is tied for his third-highest this season.

Skattebo now gets a juicy matchup against a Cyclones defense allowing more than five yards per carry (ranks 112th), and it's giving up 173.7 rushing yards per game (96th).

This total here risen from 117.5 earlier in the week after the news broke that the Sun Devils will be without leading receiver Jordyn Tyson as he deals with an unspecified injury.

But that should mean an uptick in volume for Skattebo, and I'm wagering $10 on this play with the hopes of netting an $18.77 payout.

Skattebo might thrive, but in my college football upset picks I still leaned toward Iowa State. However, Gabe Henderson is taking the other side in his Iowa State vs. Arizona State early picks.

Brashard Smith to score 2+ touchdowns ⭐⭐

Best odds: +190 via FanDuel | Implied probability: 34.48%

SMU running back Brashard Smith has scored at least one touchdown in nine of 12 games this season (including five straight), and multiple touchdowns in five games.

The Mustangs have ridden Smith during the back end of ACC play, as he's registered 16 carries in each of the last five games, and three-plus receptions in four of the last five contests.

Smith is a bulldozer who's averaging 3.5 yards after contact. He's a great value play to find the end zone twice against a Clemson defense that ranks outside the top 100 in broken tackles allowed. The unit is also one of the worst-ranked FBS defenses in defensive rush EPA.

The +190 odds at FanDuel trump the +180 odds that BetMGM offers for the same wager.

Brenden Schaeffer dove further into this matchup in his Clemson vs. SMU early picks.

College football game predictions for Saturday

Miami (OH) -1.5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Best odds: -118 via FanDuel | Implied probability: 54.13%

This is one of the more curious lines of all conference championship games, as Ohio has won and covered the spread in five consecutive outings.

However, none of the last seven teams playing in a conference championship on a five-game streak of winning or covering has covered, and only two won their games outright.

Miami (OH) did a great job turning its season around after a 1-4 start, and its seven-game winning streak entering this matchup includes a 30-20 triumph over Ohio.

I'm backing the Redhawks to win and cover during the rematch after they recorded double-digit wins during six of their final seven games. They also boast an elite defense that ranks ninth among FBS teams in stop rate (73.5%) and allows just 1.40 points per drive.

FanDuel is alone among our best sportsbooks while offering a line of -1.5, as all others are at -2. The extra half-point of value is worth the slightly increased juice at -118 odds for one of your college football championship week predictions.

Oregon -3.5 ⭐⭐⭐

Best odds: -105 via Caesars | Implied probability: 51.22%

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I feel compelled to fade the Nittany Lions until Penn State head coach James Franklin proves he can consistently win big games.

Franklin’s teams have won just seven of 32 games outright as an underdog, including dropping nine straight. And his teams (including dating back to coaching Vanderbilt) have beaten a top-five opponent just once in 17 tries, all while covering the spread only five times in that span.

I'm comfortable laying the 3.5 points with Oregon since the favorites have won each of the last seven Big Ten Championship games, which may also lead to me involving the Ducks in some moneyline parlays.

I expect Dan Lanning’s Ducks, who are the college football championship odds favorites, to be out for revenge after losing outright as near double-digit favorites during last year’s Pac-12 Championship to eventual runner-up Washington.

All of the best sports betting sites are in unison while featuring a spread of -3.5. But Caesars is one of the only ones charging less than the standard -110 juice to back the favorites.

Phil Wood examined this matchup further in his Penn State vs. Oregon early picks.

College football betting odds pages

College football championship odds	College football win totals	Big Ten championship odds	Mountain West championship odds
Heisman Trophy Odds	FCS Championship odds	Big 12 championship odds	MAC championship odds
College Football Playoff Odds	SEC championship odds	ACC championship odds	College bowl game odds

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Written By:
Mike Spector

Mike started in the sports writing industry in July 2019, and gained a lot of followers in his first year after finishing with the No. 2 overall record in an annual NFL betting competition, which made picks against the spread, and from an Over/Under and moneyline perspective. Mike is an avid fan of the NFL, MLB, tennis, and all college sports. In his opinion, March Madness is the best sporting event there is, and he's especially euphoric starting with conference tournament time in college basketball. Mike's a big advocate of "fading the public" and making plays that are contrarian, constantly citing that "there are reasons why they have those big shiny buildings in Las Vegas." When making wagers, Mike always scours the best odds at all of the major sports betting sites, where he mostly sifts through DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM, and bet365. He's tried several others and is of the firm belief that bettors should not just stick to one sportsbook, as there is always likely better value to be had with the same wager. In addition, while Mike received his undergraduate degree from Villanova University, he has no issue betting against the Wildcats when it comes to college basketball wagering, and suggests other bettors should always put their “head” before their “hearts.”