College Football Handicapping Articles

National Championship Game Picks for Clemson vs. LSU
by Trevor Whenham - 1/10/2020

The ownership of the nickname Tigers is on the line. Or at least it should be. The loser should have to go by the Kittens going forward. But sports aren't quite that cool. Having two teams named the Tigers side by side in this game is going to lead both to some confusion and to some truly horrible puns during the broadcast. But we can get past that because this is one heck of a showdown between teams.

Strong Underdogs for Bowl Game Betting: Possible Moneyline Paydays
by Trevor Whenham - 12/10/2019

There is a while yet until bowl season gets rolling and a long time until the whole slate of games will be done with. We have lots of time to dissect the games from all sorts of angles. At this point, though, we're interested in first instincts. When I looked over the games after they were set, and the first numbers assigned by the oddsmakers, five games stood out above the rest as particularly interesting because they have live bowl underdogs.

Expert College Bowl Game Handicapping: Coaching Uncertainty
by Trevor Whenham - 12/10/2019

There are so many great things about college football - too many to count. But there are some really stupid things as well. Among the more stupid things is the timing of coaching changes. Coaches who are in demand get poached between the regular season and a bowl game. Too often, the reward a low or mid-tier program gets for having serious success is that they lose their coach before their bowl game. And higher-tier schools can lose a key coordinator before their bowl appearance.

NCAA Bowl Game Wagering: Toughest Games to Handicap
by Trevor Whenham - 12/10/2019

There are some bowls games that you have a strong sense of how they will turn out as soon as the pairing is announced. It just feels obvious. You hardly even need to handicap them. These six games here are certainly not like that. In chronological order, here as the six toughest bowl games to handicap on the board this year from where I am sitting:

College Bowl Game Betting Advice: Biggest Mismatches
by Trevor Whenham - 12/10/2019

A lot of bowl games are tight, hard-fought battles. When you have to put together this many games, though, you are inevitably going to find some that are less competitive than we might dream of. There were six games on the slate this year that opened with a double-digit favorite. Our job here is simple - to look at the biggest bowl mismatches on the board and to see where the value might be. Interestingly, it's not all with the favorites despite their clear advantages.

NCAA Football Betting Odds: Championship Week Line Movements & Last-Minute News
by Chris Vasile - 12/6/2019

Ladies and gentlemen, after 14 longs weeks of grueling and exciting college football, we've reached what matters (second) most; Championship Weekend. There are 20 teams with a chance to win their respective conference title. And for a handful of them, (six) this game is the last obstacle they must overcome if they want to be playing in the College Football Playoff at the end of December.

SEC Championship Game Picks: Georgia vs. LSU
by Trevor Whenham - 12/5/2019

At this point, it's not about whether the SEC is going to have a playoff team. That's a stone-cold lock. It's about whether they can have two. And that comes down to Georgia in this game. If LSU wins, then they are in as a top two seed, and Georgia is out. But if Georgia wins, then they would be in, and LSU would be very tough to exclude as a one-loss team with a quality schedule and a lot of style points amassed along the way.

Big Ten Championship Game Picks: Ohio State vs. Wisconsin
by Trevor Whenham - 12/5/2019

There isn't a whole lot of drama here. If Ohio state wins this game, then they are in the playoff - and likely as no worse than the second seed. And, if they lose this game… they are very likely still in the playoff, though as a lower seed. Given their dominance to this point, and the quality wins they have, it is quite unlikely that a one-loss Ohio State team would be passed by a one-loss Utah, Oklahoma or Baylor team. If they were to get absolutely humiliated by Wisconsin, and one of the other teams were to win in very dominant fashion, things might get a little tense, but Ohio State fans don't need to spend too much time worrying this week.

Big 12 Championship Game Picks: Baylor vs. Oklahoma
by Trevor Whenham - 12/5/2019

All you need is a chance, and both teams have one. But it's not a very good chance in either case - and much worse for Baylor than Oklahoma. Both teams need to win here in dominant fashion, but that is only a small part of the picture. They also need Utah to lose, or at least to not look very good in winning, because the Utes are currently ranked above both Big 12 squads. If that happens, they still need a playoff spot to open up. If Clemson, Ohio State and Georgia all win their conference championship games, then the Big 12 champ is likely out of luck no matter how well they play.

ACC Championship Game Picks for Clemson vs. Virginia
by Trevor Whenham - 12/5/2019

The story here is pretty straightforward. If Clemson wins this game, which they absolutely should, they will make the playoff as an undefeated conference champion. If they find a way to lose this game, though, it is very unlikely that they will be a playoff team. Their schedule has been very soft - partly the result of their very weak conference and partly due to their weak nonconference schedule. They would be measured up against other potential one-loss teams, and it wouldn't likely be flattering.

College Football Betting Advice: Wagering on Championship Week Games
by Trevor Whenham - 12/5/2019

When it comes to the keys to betting conference title games in college football, we can all figure out the basics. Which team is more talented? Which team is in better recent form? How do the coaches match up? Is the neutral site really neutral, or does geography or familiarity give one team the edge? How do the teams stack up in terms of big game experience? What are the big public biases in the game, and how accurate are they?

Pac 12 Championship Game Picks: Oregon vs. Utah
by Trevor Whenham - 12/5/2019

The Utes have a solid chance of making it into the playoff, but they don't control their own destiny. They got the fifth spot in the last playoff ranking ahead of Oklahoma, which certainly makes things easier. But they still need a break. Their game is up first of the five major conference championships, so their first job is to win against Oregon and to score some style points in the effort. If they lose, they are out. If they win, though, they still need a spot in the top four to open up.

College Football Playoff Predictions: How the Championship Games Could Play Out
by Trevor Whenham - 12/4/2019

We are down to the last five football games that have a bearing on how the College Football Playoff will shape up this year. Perhaps more so than some years, though, we still don't know too much. All five of the major conference championship games could have a direct and significant impact on what the four-team playoff looks like.

NCAA Football Predictions: Week 15 Opening Line Report and Picks
by Alan Matthews - 12/2/2019

Here we are in December already, and it's conference championship weekend around college football, meaning it's also our last Opening Line Report story for this season. Hopefully, these were helpful and profitable for you. Doc's will of course have every bowl game covered through the National Championship Game, and we'll be back at it again next season as well (God-willing).

NCAA Football Betting Odds: Week 14 Line Movements & Last-Minute News
by Chris Vasile - 11/29/2019

I've watched plenty of football games in my lifetime, and I've seen some of the dumbest and most absurd plays there are to see. Yet, despite all that, nothing comes close to what I witnessed last night in the Mississippi/Mississippi State game. I mean, who in their right mind thinks of pissing on the ball like a dog during their touchdown celebration? Come on, Elijah Moore. You have to be better than that.

NCAA Football Betting Advice: How Handicapping Rivalry Games Is Different
by Trevor Whenham - 11/27/2019

We are on the eve of the best week of the college football regular season. And it's not close. It's Week 14 in college football, so there is a whole lot to decide. And for teams with grand ambitions, the games are absolutely crucial, But, on top of that, we also have the best rivalry games of the year to entertain us. Some, like The Game between Ohio State and Michigan, the Iron Bowl between Alabama and Auburn, Bedlam between Oklahoma and Oklahoma State, and Paul Bunyan's Axe between Wisconsin and Minnesota, have major playoff implications.

Georgia State Panthers Picks for Week 14 in Doc's Specialization Series
by Ricky Dimon - 11/27/2019

Can the Georgia State Panthers bookend their regular season with impressive wins? That is the question heading into Saturday's in-state rivalry matchup against the Georgia Southern Eagles. Georgia State kicked off its 2019 campaign by upsetting Tennessee and now has the opportunity to topple a squad that owns a victory over then-No. 20 Appalachian State (now No. 25).

Wyoming Cowboys Football Picks Week 14 vs. Air Force: Specialization Series
by Chris Vasile - 11/26/2019

It seems like just yesterday we were prepping for the start of the college football season when in reality the regular season is coming to a screeching halt and all that's left to do is play out the conference title games and then take part in Bowl mania. From a Wyoming perspective, this season has been nothing short of inconsistent.

NCAA Football Predictions: Week 14 Opening Line Report and Picks
by Alan Matthews - 11/25/2019

Going to change up in this week's Opening Line Report and preview some of Friday's top games because it's always one of my favorite college football days of the year. Most everyone is off from work (except us sportswriters), there are plenty of leftovers from Thanksgiving and the women in our lives won't bother us at all as they go stand in line at 4 a.m. for some 50 percent off crockpot at Target on Black Friday.

NCAA Football Betting Odds: Week 13 Line Movements & Last-Minute News
by Chris Vasile - 11/22/2019

Another week of college football is upon us, and there is yet another College Football Playoff ranking debate to be had despite the Top 4 teams remaining as they were two weeks ago. From the top, LSU, Ohio State, Clemson and Georgia remain as the final four teams, but there are plenty of talking points outside the CFP bubble.