Best College Football Parlays & Picks: Conference Championships (Friday)
It’s Week 15 of the college football season, and we have four conference championship games on the slate, with a potential Group of Five playoff spot on the line. Kickoff for both the Conference USA and Sun Belt games is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET, while the American and Mountain West conference games get underway at 8:00 p.m. ET. We’ve put together a couple of parlay possibilities and a teaser play, as we look to build our bankroll for the second half, the bowl season and the holidays. Let’s build our bankroll with our best college football parlays & picks.
Get instant alerts when a line reaches your target via the BettingPros App >>
Friday’s Best College Football Parlays & Picks
Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook | All bets are for 1 unit
Kennesaw State Owls (-134) at Jacksonville State Gamecocks (+114) | O/U 60.5 (-110/-110)
The Kennesaw State Owls (9-3) and Jacksonville Gamecocks (8-4) meet in the Conference USA championship game at AmFirst Stadium in Jacksonville, Alabama, at 7:00 p.m. ET on ESPN.
This is a rematch from November 15th when these two teams met in Jacksonville, as the Gamecocks won 35-26 as a 3.5-point underdog with the over (56.5) cashing. While the Gamecocks won, they also took advantage of four turnovers by the Owls. Kennesaw State actually had 32 first downs, to just 18 for Jacksonville State, while the Owls outgained the Gamecocks at a 579-to-451 total yards margin. Jacksonville State had 252 rushing yards, while Kennesaw State had 217 yards on the ground.
Gamecocks quarterback Caden Creel threw for 137 yards with 127 rushing yards and two scores. Running back Cam Cook had 132 yards and a touchdown. Owls quarterback Amari Odom posted 248 passing yards with zero touchdowns and three interceptions. Jacksonville State has won and covered the past three meetings, with the over also hitting three times.
Kennesaw State is 6-2-1 against the spread (ATS) in the past nine games, while cashing high in three in a row. Jacksonville State is 3-1 ATS in the past four outings, including the win and cover over the Owls, while the over is 3-1 in the past four games and 6-2 across the past eight outings. The venue is important in this one, and we’ll back the Gamecocks to cash as the total goes just under.
Picks: Jacksonville State +2.5 (-110) & Under 60.5 Points (-115)
The Troy Trojans (8-4) and James Madison Dukes (11-1) meet in the Sun Belt Conference title game. James Madison checked in at No. 25 in the College Football Playoff (CFP) rankings, so it has the inside track to make the CFP with an impressive victory and, perhaps, a little luck.
Troy has won and covered two in a row since a 33-0 emasculation at Old Dominion. The Trojans are still 7-2 ATS in the past nine games, while the under has hit in the past four outings.
James Madison has picked up 10 straight wins since a 28-14 loss at Louisville, and it has alternated covers and non-covers in each of the past five games, covering the 59-10 win at Coastal Carolina in the regular-season finale. The over is on a 5-1 run in the past six outings.
James Madison ranks 17th in the nation with 492.5 total yards per game, sixth with 261.5 rushing yards per game and eighth with 41.3 points per game (PPG). Dukes quarterback Alonza Barnett III has completed 61.6% of his passes for 2,440 yards, 20 touchdowns and seven interceptions, while running for 459 yards and 13 scores. Running back Wayne Knight - not Newman from Seinfeld - totaled a team-best 1,051 rushing yards and eight scores.
James Madison is laying a lot of points, but it also has a lot on the line. Back them to get the job done, and look for the over to hit, as the Dukes try to cobble together as many style points as possible.
The North Texas Mean Green (11-1) and Tulane Green Wave (10-2) meet in the American Conference championship game. This game can be viewed or streamed on ABC at 8:00 p.m. ET. It’s a battle between two top-25-ranked teams who are both very much alive in the race for a Group of Five playoff berth.
North Texas has been impressive offensively this season, going for 31+ points in every game this season, winning and covering six straight games since its lone loss at South Florida back on October 10th. The over is 6-1 in the past seven games, too.
For Tulane, it posted a 27-0 win over Charlotte in the regular-season finale, and the Green Wave has won four in a row, while going 2-2 ATS in those games. It is just 2-4 ATS in the past six outings, while the under has cashed in the previous three games. Tulane’s defense has been its calling card, allowing 19 or fewer points in five of its final seven games. The under is 7-2 in the past nine outings.
Like the Jacksonville State game above, venue matters, and we’ll take Tulane at Yulman Stadium with quarterback Jake Retzlaff at the helm. Both teams have coaches who have accepted new jobs, but both are also allowed to stay and coach their respective teams for the title game, and possibly in the CFP, should that occur.
The UNLV Rebels (10-2) head to Albertsons Stadium to meet the Boise State Broncos (8-4) at 8:00 p.m. ET on the Smurf Turf.
Boise State has won 10 consecutive meetings, including nine in a row as members of the Mountain West Conference. The last time UNLV won against Boise State was November 6th, 1976 - a 31-26 victory in Las Vegas. UNLV has never won in seven trips to Boise, including a 56-31 loss on October 18th earlier this season. The Broncos covered as 13-point favorites in that game, as the over (60.5) easily cashed. Boise State has covered the past five meetings, too.
Since a 40-35 loss at home against New Mexico, the Rebels have posted a 3-1 ATS mark, while the under has cashed at a 3-1 clip in that span, too.
For the Broncos, they edged Utah State on the road, 25-24, but they failed to cover as 2.5-point favorites as the under (54.5) cashed. The offense has 25 or fewer points in four of the past five games, while going 1-3-1 ATS in that five-game span, and the under is 4-1.
We’re taking Boise State, just on historical trends alone in this series. Make sure to also play the under, a strong trend for both teams down the stretch.
Best Same-Game Parlay
Parlay Odds: +180