Conference Championship weekend in college football rolls on with five games on Saturday, December 6th. Welcome to our CFB Best Bets as we break down CFB picks for this week’s action. Let’s focus on two matchups for our top CFB predictions. Plus, check out more college football bets below.  

Saturday’s college football slate features some entertaining and intriguing conference championship matchups, like Georgia vs. Alabama and BYU vs. Indiana vs. Ohio State. That means we have plenty of ways to go for our CFB picks. Note that all bets below are for one unit unless otherwise noted, and all odds are accurate as of this writing. Without further ado, let’s dive into our CFB Best Bets. 

 

 

 

CFB Picks, Predictions & Best Bets: Conference Championships Saturday, 12/6

Let’s kick off Saturday’s CFB Best Bets with a Top 10 showdown in the SEC Championship as No. 3 Georgia takes on No. 9 Alabama. Plus, the ACC Championship features No. 17 Virginia against Duke in a pivotal matchup. Be sure to check out more CFB picks below for other notable Week 15 games, including Indiana vs. Ohio State and BYU vs. Texas Tech. That includes some intriguing college football player props as well. Good luck!  

 

 

 

Georgia vs Alabama Prediction: Saturday, December 6th

For the fourth time in the past eight years, Georgia and Alabama will meet in the SEC Championship. This is always a big-time matchup, especially for these rivals. This year, though, the winner could lock up a first-round bye and a home game in the College Football Playoff. 

This will be a rematch from earlier in the season when Alabama earned a 24-21 victory on the road at Georgia. The Crimson Tide have now won 10 of the last 11 meetings over the Bulldogs. Yet, UGA is favored in this game. You can realistically make a case for either team, so let’s look at the total instead. 

Bank on a higher-scoring game between these SEC powerhouses. Notably, this has been a trend in the league’s title game over recent years. There has been an average of 63.6 combined PPG over the past seven SEC Championship games, with six of those featuring at least 47 total points. Let’s count on both offenses setting the tone on the turf field in Atlanta. 

As noted, Alabama eked out a 24-21 win over Georgia earlier this season. That game probably should’ve been higher-scoring, though. There were 38 combined points in the first half, before both defenses took over. Plus, the teams combined for 754 total yards of offense. A missed field goal and a turnover on downs inside the 10-yard line both would’ve pushed the total higher. 

Georgia’s pass defense has struggled at times this year, and it’s a matchup that the Alabama passing attack can exploit. The Bulldogs are 81st in the FBS in passing yards allowed in conference play. They’ve been vulnerable against some of the better SEC offenses as well. UGA’s defense also ranks 83rd nationally in EPA against the pass. 

In the prior meeting, Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson threw for 276 yards and 2 TDs with a 63.2% completion rate in a true road environment. In this rematch, Simpson and Bama’s slew of talented pass-catchers can have success against Georgia’s shaky secondary to generate explosive plays and string together productive drives. The Tide rank 13th in college football in passing EPA, 15th in passing success rate, and 18th in passing yards per game. 

On the other side, meanwhile, Georgia’s offense is also one to trust. The Bulldogs averaged 32.9 PPG in conference play (19th in FBS) while ranking 28th nationally in EPA/Play and 29th in success rate. They boast a balanced offensive attack that will stretch the Bama defense out. Georgia’s run game, with dual-threat QB Gunner Stockton being a factor, can especially be a difference-maker in this matchup. 

 

 

 

Duke vs. Virginia Prediction: Saturday, December 6th

The ACC Championship will feature Virginia taking on Duke with plenty of College Football Playoff implications. The Cavaliers will more than likely lock up a CFP berth with a victory. If the Blue Devils win, though, the ACC might be left out of the bracket entirely. There’s a good chance James Madison and the North Texas/Tulane winner would both be ranked higher and earn auto birds over a conference-champion Duke. 

There is a path to the upset, but let’s back the favored Cavaliers to get the job done. We actually just saw this same matchup less than a month ago, when Virginia took a 34-17 home victory over Duke. It was a comfortable win for the Cavs, who led 31-3 at one point in the fourth quarter and out-gained the Blue Devils by 285 yards. 

Considering how both teams have been playing lately, a repeat of that result could be coming this weekend. Virginia is 9-1 in its last 10 games, with the only loss in this stretch coming by 7 points to Wake Forest, in which QB Chandler Morris was knocked out of the game early. The Cavaliers have responded with a pair of double-digit victories since, including the win over Duke, with Morris back under center. 

Meanwhile, Duke honestly shouldn’t be in this ACC title game. The Blue Devils clinched a spot on the fifth tiebreaker that featured a slightly better combined win percentage of league opponents compared to Miami, SMU, Pittsburgh, and Georgia Tech – who all shared Duke’s 6-2 ACC record. The Devils are just 3-3 over their last 6 games, allowing 33.3 PPG to their final six opponents. 

Duke’s struggling pass defense will be an issue this weekend. The Blue Devils are giving up 273.7 passing yards per game, which is 131st in the entire country. They also rank 134th in defensive EPA against the pass and 126th in defensive success rate vs. the pass. 

Virginia has the balanced offense to exploit this Duke defense. We saw it in the prior meeting when the Cavs put up 540 total yards of offense as both the running and passing games had success. Morris had one of his best games of the season, throwing for 316 yards and 2 TDs in the victory. Stud running back J’Mari Taylor also had a day with 133 rushing yards and 2 TDs. 

Virginia’s offense can pace this game and make it tough for Duke to match the scoring. The Blue Devils have a dangerous passing attack with QB Darian Mensah. However, UVA brings in an upper-tier pass defense. The Cavaliers rank 13th nationally in success rate vs. the pass and 16th in defensive EPA against the pass. 

 

 

 

Best CFB Prop Bets & Other Picks: Saturday, 12/6


 

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