College Football Odds: Point spreads for every conference championship game

The opening lines for every conference championship game in college football this weekend and the best bets for you to win some money.

It’s the last week of the year before bowl season, with exception of the Army-Navy game on Dec. 12, so that means it’s the weekend for conference championship games where College Football Playoff spots are hanging in the balance.

There are eight conference championship games but before the previews, predictions and projections come filtering in throughout the week, let’s take a look at the important stuff, the point spreads.

Studying the college football odds are a national past time for many fans and this will be their last chance to win some money on wagers before the madness of bowl season, so let’s check out the opening lines, via oddsshark.com, and an early opinion on what side you should be betting.

MAC Championship Game – Friday at 7

Bowling Green vs Northern Illinois +8

The Huskies have been decimated by injuries at the quarterback position and Bowling Green has had their number in recent years so this line makes a lot of sense. Bowling Green head coach Dino Babers has been linked to job openings across the country, but seems focused on winning the Falcons second MAC championship in the last three years and I think they win and cover.

AAC Championship Game – Saturday at 11

Temple at Houston -7

It looks like Houston will hang on to Tom Herman but Temple may not be as lucky to keep their head coach Matt Rhule. Houston has been an offensive force while Temple has a stout defense. The spread makes sense to me and I think Houston wins straight up. They dominated a one-loss Navy team last week and should be playing with a lot of confidence, meanwhile Rhule could have one foot out the door. I like Houston to cover.

Conference USA Championship Game at 11

Southern Miss at Western Kentucky -7.5

Western Kentucky quarterback Brandon Doughty is one of the best in the country while Todd Monken has done a tremendous job getting Southern Miss back to the top of the Conference USA standings. I think Doughty is the difference in this game, but think Southern Miss can cover the spread.

SEC Championship Game – Saturday at 3 from the Georgia Dome

Florida vs Alabama -17 (Georgia Dome)

Alabama is just too good and I don’t see how Treon Harris leads this Florida offense to enough points to hang with Heisman front-runner Derrick Henry in this game. I think Alabama wins in a rout and I have no problem laying this many points. Bet with confidence. This is the easiest game to predict this weekend and the only thing that can slow down Nick Saban’s team this weekend is if the entire team gets a case of food poisoning from the team breakfast.

Mountain West Championship Game – Saturday at 6:30

Air Force at San Diego State +3.5

This is one of the biggest surprise matchups of the weekend. No one outside the Air Force or San Diego State programs thought these teams would be in the Mountain West Championship Game, but here they are one win away from the title. San Diego State is riding an eight-game win streak while Air Force was upset last week by New Mexico State. Both teams rank in the top 15 in rushing offense (SDSU 15th, AF 3rd) but San Diego State has a top 10 scoring defense I believe will be the difference. I’ll take the points because I think San Diego State wins outright.

Pac-12 Championship Game – Saturday at 6:45 from Levi’s Stadium

Stanford vs USC +4

Both teams have momentum on their side with Stanford getting a last-second comeback win against Notre Dame and USC beating rival UCLA and having Clay Helton named as the head coach after a 5-2 record as the interim head coach. USC may have a better roster of talent, but no player on either team has played as well as Stanford’s Christian McCaffrey who leads the FBS in all-purpose yards. Further, Stanford quarterback Kevin Hogan is arguably the most improved quarterback in the country this year. I like Stanford to win, but I think the Trojans cover.

Big Ten Championship Game – Saturday at 7 from Lucas Oil Stadium

Michigan State vs Iowa +4

The winner of this game is guaranteed of a playoff berth. Beyond that, nothing is guaranteed. Iowa is undefeated, but hasn’t beat the same caliber of team that Michigan State has to get to this game. The Spartans have wins over Oregon and Air Force in non-conference play and wins over Michigan and Ohio State in Big Ten play. Iowa has wins over Pitt, Wisconsin and Northwestern. I like this Iowa team, but this will be their toughest test to date while Michigan State has been prepped for this with their schedule. I like the Spartans to win and cover.

ACC Championship Game – Saturday at 7 from Band of America Stadium

Clemson vs North Carolina +6.5

North Carolina is vastly improved this year and the hire of defensive coordinator Gene Chizik is one of the main reasons for the Tar Heels resurgence. This should be a high-scoring affair, however, and I have more faith in Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson, my No. 2 in the Heisman standings, to be the difference and I just can’t trust Marquise Williams on a stage like this. Clemson is undefeated and the No. 1 team in the country and I think they will be after this game as well. I like Dabo Swinney’s Clemson team to win and cover.

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— What teams are you betting on this weekend? Let us know in the comments section and that’s where you can tell me I’m wrong with my early predictions on this weekend’s games as well.

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