College Football Championship Week Expert Picks: Saturday's Best Championship Predictions
With just one final Saturday slate of games before the College Football Playoff field is officially announced, our college football championship week expert picks focus on all six games this Saturday.
- With neither program doing enough to climb the College Football Playoff odds to earn an at-large bid, the Big 12 Championship between Iowa State and Arizona State is essentially a CFP play-in game
- While both their Heisman Trophy odds bids fell short, Quinn Ewers and Carson Beck get a rematch in the SEC Championship
- In the Big Ten Championship, college football championship odds favorite Oregon looks to clinch the No. 1 seed with a win against Penn State
Our experts make their favorite bets for each conference championship on Saturday as part of our college football championship week predictions.
College football expert picks for Championship Week
College football odds subject to change. See all of our college football picks for more on this week's top matchups.
| Matchup | Rob Paul | Gabe Henderson |
|---|---|---|
| Iowa State vs. Arizona State - Big 12 | Cam Skattebo Over 119.5 rushing yards (-114 via FanDuel) | Arizona State -1.5 (-112 via DraftKings) |
| Ohio vs. Miami (OH) - MAC | Parker Navarro Over 65.5 rushing yards (-114 via FanDuel) | Miami (OH) -1.5 (-118 via FanDuel) |
| Georgia vs. Texas - SEC | Quinn Ewers Under 236.5 passing yards (-115 via bet365) | Under 49.5 (-105 via Caesars) |
| Marshall vs. Louisiana - Sun Belt | A.J. Turner Over 47.5 rushing yards (-115 via bet365) | Marshall +6 (-105 via Caesars) |
| Penn State vs. Oregon - Big Ten | Drew Allar Under 201.5 passing yards (-115 via bet365) | Under 50.5 (-114 via FanDuel) |
| Clemson vs. SMU - ACC | Brashard Smith Over 83.5 rushing yards (-114 via FanDuel) | Clemson +2.5 (-110 via BetMGM) |
Rob Paul's championship game player prop picks
Our NEW college football player prop odds tool can help you find the best odds on any market across legal sportsbooks in your area!
Ohio vs. Miami (Ohio) prediction: Parker Navarro Over 65.5 rushing yards ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Tim Albin has a chance to do what Frank Solich never could, win the MAC Championship. He'll need to lean on QB Parker Navarro's legs to do so against a stout Miami (Ohio) defense.
Since losing to the RedHawks on Oct. 19, Ohio has won five straight while Navarro has rushed for 81-plus in four of those games. He's been a weapon this season and has the seventh-most rushing yards after contact among QBs (517) in college football, per PFF.
If he can hit 66-plus rushing yards for the seventh time in nine games, a $10 bet pays an $8.77 profit.
Best odds: -114 via FanDuel | Implied probability: 53.27%
New customers only. Deposit min. $5. Place first bet of $5+ and get $200 in Bonus Bets (within 72 hours).
Penn State vs. Oregon prediction: Drew Allar Under 201.5 passing yards ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Penn State wasn't supposed to be here, it got lucky that an Ohio State teamit previously lost to choked spectacularly to put the Nittany Lions into the Big Ten Championship.
However, Drew Allar has proven to be a weak schedule merchant this season. Against the Nittany Lions' only ranked opponents (Ohio State, Illinois) Allar made zero big-time throws, had zero touchdown passes, and averaged just 140.5 passing yards.
Oregon's defense is fifth in the country in EPA per dropback and allows the eighth-fewest passing yards per game in the country (171.5). If the Ducks' defense shuts down Allar, a $10 bet pays an $8.70 profit.
Best odds: -115 via bet365 | Implied probability: 53.49%
*Deposit required. Bonus Bets wager excluded from returns. T&Cs, time limits and exclusions apply. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER
Clemson vs. SMU prediction: Brashard Smith Over 83.5 rushing yards ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rhett Lashlee has turned SMU into what Miami thought it would be this season, and he's done it with former Hurricanes like Brashard Smith.
The Mustangs have given diehard fans flashbacks to the 1982 Pony Express team thanks to the big-play ability of Smith. The wide receiver convert has topped 83.5 rushing yards in six games and is a big reason why SMU is fifth in SP+ on offense.
As for Clemson, its defense has not lived up to the hype, allowing the fourth-most rushing yards per game in the ACC (150.3). If Smith can take advantage of the Tigers defense, a $10 bet pays an $8.77 profit.
Best odds: -114 via FanDuel | Implied probability: 53.27%
Gabe Henderson's championship game picks
Iowa State vs. Arizona State prediction: Arizona State -1.5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Iowa State's rush defense is subpar - and that's being generous. The Cyclones allow 173.3 rushing yards per game, 96th of 133 teams. This spells bad news for a team that will face one of the best running backs in the country with a conference title on the line.
Cam Skattebo has carried Arizona State's offense all season and he's one of the biggest reasons Kenny Dillingham's team has the joint-best ATS record of any team in college football (10-2).
DraftKings has the lowest spread on the market while other books list the line at Arizona State -2 to -2.5. For this reason, we don't mind paying a bit of vig to marginally lower the spread.
Best odds: -112 via DraftKings | Implied probability: 52.83%
Terms and conditions apply.
Georgia vs. Texas prediction: Under 49.5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
I can't quite wrap my head around this total. 49.5 points is a fairly low Over/Under for college football, but in my opinion, it's too high for this contest.
I believe the best college football betting sites have overcorrected as a result of Georgia's eight-overtime win against Georgia Tech in Week 14. We can look to the Oct. 19 meeting between Georgia and Texas as evidence of this, as it ended 30-15 in favor of the visitors.
The Longhorns are just 3-7-2 betting the Over, with more than 50% of their games going Under. Caesars has the best value on the market for Under bettors with -105 odds on a 49.5-point total.
Best odds: -105 via Caesars | Implied probability: 53.49%
New users only. Must use promo code. Min. $10 deposit. Max. additional winnings $2.5K per token. Tokens expire in 14 days. Void where prohibited. Full terms.
Marshall vs. Louisiana prediction: Marshall +6 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
If the best sports betting sites give me the nation's best ATS team as a 6-point underdog, I'm running to the window.
Marshall has a 10-2 ATS record on the season, tied for the nationwide lead with Arizona State. Five of those six covers have come on the road too. Meanwhile, Louisiana is covering the spread at a 33% clip at Cajun Field.
The Thundering Herd boasts a top-20 rushing attack, and the Ragin' Cajuns surrender over 150 yards per game on the ground. That'll be the key for the visitors as they look to improve their cover rate to 84.62% on the season. Caesars once again has the best college football odds at -105.
Best odds: -105 via Caesars | Implied probability: 53.49%
–– Gabe Henderson (SBR | Twitter/X)
More Championship Week expert picks
College football betting odds pages
Here are our best college football betting sites:
- Caesars Promo Code: SBRBONUSDYW | Read our Caesars Review
- BetMGM Bonus Code: SBR1550 | Read our BetMGM Review
- bet365 Bonus Code: SBRBONUS | Read our bet365 Review
- FanDuel Promo Code | Read our FanDuel Review
- DraftKings Promo Code | Read our DraftKings Review
(21+. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER)
* Bonuses not applicable in Ontario.
Not intended for use in MA.
Each betting site featured on SBR has been meticulously researched and selected by our team of experts. If you sign up through our links, we may get a commission
Related pages
- Best Sports Betting Sites | Best Sportsbook Promos (U.S. only)
Related Articles
