Week 12 is annually one of the worst in college football in terms of marquee matchups because many teams – especially those in the SEC – schedule cupcake opponents simply to stay healthy and avoid any upsets ahead of rivalry weekend in Week 13, which closes the regular season.
Odds courtesy of OddsShark.com
No. 1 Alabama is hosting The Citadel. No. 15 Florida is hosting Idaho. No. 7 LSU takes on Rice (all rankings from most recent CFP Top 25). And so on and so on. From a betting perspective, just forget the SEC is in action this Saturday.
The top game appears to be No. 13 Syracuse facing No. 3 Notre Dame at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx. The Irish are two wins from a guaranteed spot in the College Football Playoff, while the Orange have eyes on a New Year’s Six bowl. Notre Dame is a 9.5-point favorite and expected to get back starting quarterback Ian Book after he missed last Saturday’s easy win over Florida State due to injury. The Irish have covered just one of their past six in November.
Speaking of Florida State, it has the nation’s longest consecutive bowl streak of 36 years but that will almost surely end with a loss Saturday against No. 17 Boston College as it would drop the Seminoles to 4-7. Occasionally, 5-7 teams earn a bid if there are not enough six-win teams to go bowling, but that’s highly unlikely for FSU, which probably won’t beat rival Florida next Saturday regardless.
Florida State is only a 1.5-point underdog, however, against the Eagles. Boston College is 7-1 ATS in its past eight on the road.
Staying in the ACC, Pittsburgh will clinch the Coastal Division for the first time in school history with a victory at Wake Forest. The Panthers are 4.5-point favorites, with Wake Forest just 1-6 ATS in its past seven at home.
No. 6 Oklahoma could clinch a spot in the Big 12 Championship Game on Saturday with a win over sad-sack Kansas and some help elsewhere. It’s safe to say the Sooners will win considering they are 36.5-point favorites over arguably the worst Power 5 football program in the country. KU has lost the past 13 in this series by an average of nearly 31 points.
