College Football Week 12 Odds, Picks & Predictions (2024)
Gear up for another awesome weekend of college football action with BettingPros! We’ll have you covered with all of our top picks for the week along with our projected spreads and totals to help guide your college football bets. Below are our top picks and predictions for Week 12’s college football games.
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Top College Football Odds & Picks: Week 12
Oregon vs. Wisconsin
Wisconsin’s best shot at securing an upset lies in establishing the run and keeping Dillon Gabriel and the Ducks offense off the field as much as possible. The Badgers, as they often do, have a strong run game that averages close to 175 yards per game. But it will not be easy to gain traction against a solid Oregon run defense (117.4 ypg allowed). However, along with establishing the run, Wisconsin will need its top-ten pass defense to slow down the Duck’s high-octane passing game. If the Badgers can succeed in this, the game could be closer than expected. But they’ll have no room for error, and Wisconsin is not playing well enough this year to go mistake-free vs. the No. 1 team in the country.
Pick: Oregon -13.5
-Travis Pulver
Texas vs. Arkansas
The key to a win is simple for the Longhorns-get that passing game on track early and score points. Because the sooner they can force Arkansas to abandon the best part of its offense, the run game, the better. Arkansas, on the other hand, will do everything it can to establish the run. However, while they have a strong run game that averages over five yards a carry, the Texas run defense is no joke. But Arkansas does not want to turn this game into a shootout. Texas has more weapons and a better quarterback. The line opened at +16.5 for Arkansas, but it looks like it will close at +12.5. Texas is the better team and will probably win, but not by more than 12 points.
Pick: Arkansas +12.5
-Travis Pulver
Clemson vs. Pittsburgh
After a 7-0 start, Pitt has proven to be a fraudulent ACC contender. The Panthers have dropped consecutive games to SMU and Virginia, with the latter coming as 7-point home favorites. Now in comes a Clemson team with no room for error and on its second consecutive road trip. This isn’t the best matchup for the road favorites. Clemson’s offense runs through Phil Mafah and the ground game, but Pittsburgh’s elite against the run, ranking sixth nationally. And Pat Narduzzi tends to pull off at least one massive upset per season. This could be the one.
Pick: Pittsburgh +11.5
-Matt Barbato
Utah vs. Colorado
Does Utah have anything left after losing in heartbreaking fashion to BYU in the Holy War last Saturday night? I find it hard to see these shorthanded Utes rebounding after losing their fifth straight game in what will turn out to be their Super Bowl. Bowl eligibility likely won’t be much of a motivator for a team that had CFP aspirations. The Utes also lost another quarterback to a season-ending injury, leaving the offense completely in flux. That being said, I’m not laying it with a Colorado team that I simply can’t get behind as a big favorite. The Buffs are still very one-dimensional offensively, and Colorado’s inability to run the ball could cause some trouble against a Utah secondary that still ranks 18th in passing defense. While I do like a play on the full game total, I’m going to isolate the first half under as my best bet. The Utah offense is broken, the Colorado offense may struggle to find its passing game early on. And keep in mind this will be a 10 a.m. local kickoff, which could have both teams coming out of the gates slowly.
Pick: 1H Under 23.5
-Matt Barbato
Virginia vs. Notre Dame
This may look like another walk in the park for the Fighting Irish en route to a College Football Playoff berth. But Virginia is no slouch despite their otherwise ordinary 5-4 record. The Cavaliers knocked off ranked Pittsburgh on the road last week, and covered as 20.5-point underdogs at Clemson last month. The way to beat this Virginia defense is through the air, where it ranks 98th in yards allowed per pass attempt. However, Notre Dame’s strength and preference is to keep the ball on the ground. Under Riley Leonard, Notre Dame is below average nationally in passing offense, but its 13th-ranked ground game could face some resistance against a Virginia defense that ranks top-50 in defending the run. Conversely, Virginia’s strength offensively is through the air, which also happens to be the biggest strength of the Fighting Irish stop unit. The Irish have allowed fewer than 150 passing yards per game, second best in the nation. While I wouldn’t be stunned if the Hoos kept things close, I’d prefer a +24 before getting involved. Instead, I like the under in a matchup between two teams who cancel out each other’s biggest strengths on offense.
Pick: Under 50.5
-Matt Barbato
Boston College vs. SMU
SMU heads into the weekend with the only unbeaten record in the ACC at 5-0 with three games remaining. The Mustangs try to keep their hopes alive for College Football Playoff berth, and after Miami’s upset loss at Georgia Tech last week, SMU is in the driver’s seat in the ACC, the first year in the conference. SMU’s only loss is against unbeaten BYU, the leader in the Big 12, and also a playoff hopeful. Boston College is simply looking to attain bowl eligibility, sitting at 5-4, needing a win in the next three games to go to the postseason. The Mustangs have won six in a row, while covering five of those contests. The Over has hit in five of six games, if you’re interested in Same-Game Parlay (SGPs), too. The Eagles have won just once in the past four games, while going 2-4 ATS in the past six outings. The Over has hit in three in a row, with the defense allowing 31 or more points. We’ll lean to the Over in this ACC battle, and remember SMU laying the points.
Pick: Over 53.5
-Daniel Dobish
LSU vs. Florida
LSU could have survived the loss to Texas A&M, but after getting dominated by Alabama, their CFP hopes are dashed. That could mean the team enters the game vs. Florida angry and looking to take it out on someone, or they might lack focus, making them ripe for an upset. More than likely, Brian Kelly will have his team ready to play. As for Florida, it has been one of those years. With six ranked teams on their schedule, they were thrown to the wolves relatively early. Florida has struggled on offense all season, especially regarding passing. LSU, however, has one of the best passing offenses in the country. The Tigers should make quick work of the Gators as long as LSU doesn't come out flat.
Pick: LSU -3.5
-Travis Pulver
Tennessee vs. Georgia
Even after their terrible performance last week, the Bulldogs are favored by 9.5 points over the seventh-ranked team in the country. Considering the Volunteers have won four in a row, bettors are likely to be all over them this week. However, the Bulldogs are the right play. The Volunteers haven’t looked great in recent weeks, as they’ve been in tight contests with three mediocre opponents in four of their last five games, losing to Arkansas during that stretch. This game is going to come down to the Bulldogs’ run defense shutting down the Volunteers’ incredible rushing attack,. The Volunteers haven’t faced a unit as good as Georgia’s this season. Running back Dylan Sampson will struggle against the 17th-ranked run defense in the nation, and the Bulldogs will do enough to win this game by at double-digits.
Pick: Georgia -9.5
-Phil Wood
Kansas vs. BYU
The Cougars are only favored by 2.5 points in this game, which is a trap. The team is undefeated and ranked sixth in the country, and yet, they’re not even favored by more than a field goal against a 3-6 team at home. Beyond this being a trap, the Jayhawks have looked really good of late. They’ve won two of their last three, and they just put up 45 points against one of the best defenses in football. Their only loss over the last three weeks was a two-point loss at Kansas State. And though the Cougars are undefeated, they needed to mount an 11-point second-half comeback last week just to win by one point over the 4-5 Utah Utes. Three of the Cougars’ last five wins have been by six or fewer points. With how the Jayhawks are playing, the Cougars can’t afford to mess around this week. Quarterback Jalon Daniels continues his hot play, and the Jayhawks win this game outright.
Pick: Kansas +2.5
-Phil Wood
Nebraska vs. USC
The Cornhuskers have lost three games in a row, including an ugly 27-20 loss to UCLA last week. Meanwhile, the Trojans have lost four of their last five, and they’re in serious danger of missing out on a bowl game this season. Since neither of these teams have been very consistent this season, I can’t confidently make a play on the spread, even if -7.5 seems like a lot of love for the Trojans. Instead, I’ll play the Under. The Trojans are averaging 30.6 points per game this season, but that’s where everything favorable for the Over ends. Both of these teams rank in the top 35 in the nation in points allowed, as they’re both allowing fewer than 23 per game. Plus, the Cornhuskers are averaging just 22.3 points per game. The Cornhuskers have scored 20 or fewer in four consecutive games. Look for that to become five consecutive this week, as both teams struggle to find the end zone.
Pick: Under 51.5
-Phil Wood