Oklahoma Sooners: College Football TV Schedule & Gambling Picks - Conference Championship Edition

Technical difficulties nixed this week’s edition of Picks Trying Not to Suck on the Blatant Homerism Podcast. Instead, loyal listeners will have to make due with our college football picks against the spread in written form for the final week of the regular season. Since Jack is traveling to the game and is short on time, this works perfectly.

As usual, head down to the bottom of the page for this week’s college football schedule and live stream info.

Allen’s Picks for Week 15

(Last week: 3-2; Overall: 37-33)

Big 12 Championship: Baylor Bears vs. Oklahoma Sooners (-8)

Rob Ferguson-USA TODAY Sports

We’ll start with the game most likely on your mind if you’re reading this. I wrote up a preview of OU-Baylor II already for Athlon Sports, so you can find most of my thoughts on the matchup there.

Long story short, it seems to me that if the Bears weren’t going to beat the Sooners in that atmosphere in their first meeting, they probably won’t do it in this spot, either.

The pick: OU by 11.

SEC Championship: Georgia Bulldogs (+7) vs. LSU Tigers

Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

I doubt UGA is going to win this game. In fact, I suspect an easy LSU win is more likely than the Dawgs winning outright.

On the other hand, Georgia’s top-notch defense makes for a good play as an underdog. The Bulldogs can keep LSU within striking distance by flustering Joe Burrow and Co. before sneaking in the backdoor to keep the final margin within a touchdown.

The pick: LSU by not enough.

C-USA Championship: UAB Blazers (+7) vs. Florida Atlantic Owls

Joe Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports

Word on the street, i.e. every major college football writer alive, has it that FAU coach Lane Kiffin is shopping around for a new job with a higher-profile program. Sounds like a match made in heaven with Ole Miss. Kiffin’s players hear those same rumors, which means they’re likely as distracted as their coach by the swirling rumors.

UAB coach Bill Clark has to be wondering what makes him chopped liver compared to Monte Kiffin’s son. His Blazers will bog down the FAU offense and force the Owls into a lower-scoring affair than they prefer. Look for a critical FAU giveaway to make the difference here.

The pick: UAB in an upset.

ACC Championship: Virginia Cavaliers (+28.5) vs. Clemson Tigers

Jeff Blake-USA TODAY Sports

Aside from Dabo Swinney’s obnoxiously transparent carping about the lack of respect for his program, what reason does Clemson have to drop the hammer on Virginia this weekend? The Tigers aren’t moving up to the top spot in the rankings absent a miracle win by Wisconsin over Ohio State in the Big Ten title game. There are no style points to be earned here. That smells like an easy Clemson win, but not a cover.

The pick: Take the points.

Pac-12 Championship: Oregon Ducks (+6.5) vs. Utah Utes

Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports

A few weeks ago, conventional wisdom held that Oregon would be vying for a College Football Playoff bid against the Utes in this game. Now the Ducks are getting nearly a touchdown. Does that make sense?

Honestly, it’s unfortunate that we didn’t get the opportunity to bet Utah as an underdog in this game. This line swing feels like an overreaction to the developments in the closing weeks of the season. Bear in mind that Oregon probably has the best roster of any team that the Utes have seen this year.

The pick: Ducks.

The Skinny’s Picks for Week 15

(Last week: 2-3; Overall: 38-31)

Oregon (+6.5) vs. Utah
Cincinnati (+9.5) vs. Memphis
Ohio State (-16.5) vs. Wisconsin
Georgia (+7) vs. LSU
Boise State (-14) vs. Hawaii