With Rivalry Week in the books, the regular season for college football has come to a close. The latest College Football Playoff poll came out, and despite needing to go four overtimes to defeat an unranked team, Alabama is still ranked #3 in that poll, behind Georgia and Michigan, and ahead of Cincinnati. This weekend will bring the conference championship games, and those outcomes could still cause shifts in the top four spots in the poll.
Let’s take a look at the latest CFP Top 25 as well as some college football betting leverage for you this weekend.
NCAA News: Top 25 Analysis & Betting Opportunities
| Rank | Team | Record |
| 1 | Georgia | 12-0 |
| 2 | Michigan | 11-1 |
| 3 | Alabama | 11-1 |
| 4 | Cincinnati | 12-0 |
| 5 | Oklahoma State | 11-1 |
| 6 | Notre Dame | 11-1 |
| 7 | Ohio State | 10-2 |
| 8 | Ole Miss | 10-2 |
| 9 | Baylor | 10-2 |
| 10 | Oregon | 10-2 |
| 11 | Michigan State | 10-2 |
| 12 | BYU | 10-2 |
| 13 | Iowa | 10-2 |
| 14 | Oklahoma | 10-2 |
| 15 | Pitt | 10-2 |
| 16 | Wake Forest | 10-2 |
| 17 | Utah | 9-3 |
| 18 | N.C. State | 9-3 |
| 19 | San Diego State | 11-1 |
| 20 | Clemson | 9-3 |
| 21 | Houston | 11-1 |
| 22 | Arkansas | 8-4 |
| 23 | Kentucky | 9-3 |
| 24 | Louisiana | 11-1 |
| 25 | Texas A&M | 8-4 |
#1 Georgia (-6) vs #3 Alabama
SEC Championship
Alabama’s reputation is what has them in the top four, as they struggled to beat an unranked Auburn team, struggled to beat an unranked LSU team at home and could not beat a then-unranked Texas A&M team. Even so, a win over Georgia in the SEC Championship could give the Tide the top seed in the playoffs. Georgia should be able to dominate the line of scrimmage with their front seven against Alabama’s iffy offensive line. On the other side of the coin, quarterback Bryce Young could turn this into his own Heisman moment, on national television. I’m not sure that Georgia has gotten Alabama out of their heads; can Kirby Smart become the second former Nick Saban assistant ever to beat him in a game? I’m not sure I see it.
Alabama to cover: Bet the Game Today
#5 Michigan (-10.5) vs #16 Iowa
Big Ten Championship
Since losing at Wisconsin, Iowa has won four in a row, taking the Big Ten West when Wisconsin fell at Minnesota last week. However, those four wins came in this fashion: at lowly Northwestern by five, at home against an iffy Minnesota team by five, at home against Illinois by ten, and then at Nebraska by seven. In other words, the Hawkeyes had a skate to the finish. Michigan may come out a little bit down after the huge win over Ohio State, but they should get their rhythm going and win.
Michigan to win and cover: Bet the Game Today
#7 Oklahoma State (-6) vs #8 Baylor
Big 12 Championship
Interesting note — neither of the Big 12 teams that are heading to the SEC (Texas and Oklahoma) even qualified for the Big 12 Championship this year. Oklahoma’s Lincoln Riley has jumped ship for USC. Football for those two longtime blue bloods is about to become a real struggle.
Now, to the game. Oklahoma State’s defense was the difference against Oklahoma last weekend in the Bedlam game. The Cowboys have already beaten Baylor once this season, and now Baylor has injury worries with Gerry Bohanon, which could put a backup quarterback at the helm. I don’t think the sports bettors think Oklahoma State can make much out of that, though.
Oklahoma State to win and cover: Bet the Game Today
#11 Oregon (+3) vs #19 Utah
Pac-12 Championship
Utah beat Oregon two weeks ago to drop the Ducks out of the College Football Playoff conversation, so this is the Ducks’ chance to get some revenge. The winner here would get to go to the Rose Bowl — and Utah just looked a lot tougher the first time around.
Utah to win and cover: Bet the Game Today
College Football Betting Odds
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