Yes, we have finally reached one of the most exciting football weekends. College football rivalry week will see many great matchups around the country. Of course, this means there will be many exciting college football betting spots as well. But before we get into the games, let’s take a look at the most recent College Football Playoff rankings that were released earlier this week.
New College Football Playoff Rankings & Matchups
- Georgia (11-0) (At Georgia Tech)
- Ohio State (10-1) (At No. 5 Michigan)
- Alabama (10-1) (At Auburn)
- Cincinnati (11-0) (At ECU)
- Michigan (10-1) (Hosting No. 2 Ohio State)
- Notre Dame (10-1) (At Stanford)
- Oklahoma State (10-1) (Hosting No. 10 Oklahoma)
- Baylor (9-1) (Hosting Texas Tech)
- Ole Miss (10-2) (Beat Mississippi State On November 25th)
- Oklahoma (10-1) (At No. 7 Oklahoma State)
Georgia stayed on top of the playoff rankings with a win over Charleston Southern 56-7. The Bulldog defense is still proving to be one of the best units we’ve seen in a number of years. They rank first in the NCAA in total defense, giving up only 236 total yards per game. On top of that, Kirby Smart’s squad has only given up nine touchdowns to opponents all year. Absolutely wild. The rest of the rankings fell into place, with Ohio State moving up one spot after absolutely destroying Michigan State last weekend. Cincinnati entered the top-four for the first time this season, and it seems like if they win out, they will get in.
On the outside looking in, all Michigan seemingly needs to do is beat Ohio State on Saturday and then beat whoever comes out of the Big Ten West in the conference championship game. Easier said than done for Jim Harbaugh, who is somehow still winless versus Ohio State since taking over the program in 2015. Notre Dame needs a lot of help to get in, starting with a Cincinnati loss. Without a Cincinnati loss the Irish would need a ton of help in front of them to make the final four. Finally, Oklahoma state also has a pretty simple path to the playoff. They have to beat Oklahoma on Saturday night, and win the Big 12 Championship game, and probably have an Alabama or Cincinnati loss, but that should get them in. However, it’s time to let the playing do the talking, so here’s your best bets for rivalry week across college football.
Best Bets For Rivalry Week | College Football Betting
College football betting odds are taken from BetMGM Sportsbook.
Oklahoma vs Oklahoma State
Spread: OU +4.5 (-110) | OSU -4.5 (-110)
Moneyline: OU (+160) | OSU (-200)
Total: 49.5 — Over (-110) | Under (-110)
This is going to be one of the weirdest “Bedlam” games in recent memory. Oklahoma’s offense has not been its usual self this season. They’ve struggled to put points on the board versus Kansas and in their loss against Baylor. After making the quarterback switch to Caleb Williams, things haven’t gone as smoothly as planned. With that being said, this is a very dangerous Oklahoma team. Williams was the class of 2021’s top-ranked quarterback and he’s proved his worth with big runs versus Texas and Iowa State last weekend. However, the Cowboys defense is very, very good. Caleb Williams will need to have a good game, as will running backs Kennedy Brooks and Eric Gray.
Now, let’s talk about this Oklahoma State defense. They are third nationally in total defense, giving up only 268 total yards per game. In their last three games, they have held West Virginia, Texas Tech and TCU to 20 total points. Defensive linemen Brock Martin, Tyler Lacy, Collin Oliver and Israel Antwine have combined for 18.5 sacks this season. They are a force to be reckoned with.
Finally, Oklahoma State has been a bettor’s friend this year, going 9-1 against the spread. On top of that, Oklahoma and Lincoln Riley are 5-6 against the spread this year. It will be a “black out” in Stillwater tomorrow night and Mike Gundy and the Sooners cover the spread.
Prediction: Oklahoma State -4.5
Alabama vs Auburn
Spread: Bama -20.5 (-110) | AU +20.5 (-110)
Moneyline: BAMA (-1400) | AU (+800)
Total: 57.5 — Over (-110) | Under (-110)
I’ll be the first to admit this is not one of Nick Saban’s best teams. Freshman quarterback Bryce Young has kept the offense humming, while Will Anderson is keeping the defensive side of the ball locked down. If this game had been played two weeks ago, I would say Auburn has a good chance to cover the spread, and possibly win. However, quarterback Bo Nix is out with an ankle injury, meaning this one could get ugly quickly. Nix isn’t the best quarterback, but he makes a lot of plays out of nothing and has been very good at home throughout his career. However, it’s going to be all Crimson Tide Saturday afternoon.
Likely Heisman finalist, Young, has been sensational this season and is looking to put on a great performance, with his counterpart CJ Stroud looking to make a big impact in another big game. I think this is the best game Young will play all season. The Auburn defense has been severely inconsistent this season, and Saban will use his athletes to take advantage of that. With all that being said, the idea of Will Anderson as a Heisman finalist is laughable, but he is very, very good for the Crimson Tide. I think Alabama and Nick Saban are up two-plus touchdowns at half, then wear out a tired Auburn defense in the second half.
Prediction: Alabama -20.5
Ohio State vs Michigan
Spread: OSU -7.5 (-110) | MICH +7.5 (-110)
Moneyline: OSU (-300) | MICH (+240)
Total: 64.5 — Over (-110) | Under (-110)
Ah, another meeting between Michigan and Ohio State. It feels like every year the hatred between these two schools rises. However, this result won’t be much different from the one Wolverine fans have seen in this game over the past five or six seasons.
Ohio State head coach Ryan Day has quarterback CJ Stroud looking liking a Heisman winner. Last week, Stroud completed 32/35 passes for over 400 yards and six touchdowns. This was against a good Michigan State team that came back to beat Michigan a month ago.
On top of that, the biggest threats for the Buckeyes are the wide receivers. All three of Garrett Wilson, Chris Olave and Jaxon Smith-Njigba will have great afternoons after getting snubbed for the Biletnikoff Award. Look for the Buckeyes to become the sixth program ever to have three receivers pass the 1,000 receiving club.
For Michigan, they need some help from above to pull this one off. This might be the best offense Jim Harbaugh has seen from Ohio State. Aidan Hutchingson is a future top-10 pick and should be able to get pressure on Stroud. However, outside of that, Ohio State has a major advantage. On offense, Blake Corum and Hassan Haskins are a great one-two punch on the ground, but the Wolverines don’t have many deep threats. Unfortunately for Michigan, they will not end the losing streak to Ohio State this year.
Prediction: Ohio State -7.5
