College Football Conference Championship Odds & Cheat Sheet: Schedule, Injuries, Betting Notes

The college football regular season is in the rearview mirror. After a chaotic Rivalry Week, the table is set for a loaded slate of conference championship odds with still plenty at stake. Multiple teams likely punched bids to the College Football Playoff — Oregon, Texas, Penn State, Notre Dame, Georgia, Indiana, and Tennessee — but tickets also still sit unfilled. The ACC and Big 12 still have an automatic spot in the playoff, and at least one of those offers a first-round bye. The Mountain West championship between Boise State and UNLV likely will determine the fifth automatic berth. Can three-loss teams like Alabama, South Carolina, or Ole Miss sneak in?

Many questions will be answered this Friday and Saturday. The rest on Selection Sunday, Dec. 8.

Below is a comprehensive rundown of championship game scenarios, impact injuries, betting notes, weather, and more.

College Football Conference Championship Odds

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Line Movement: College Football Conference Championship Odds

Check out early movers and the opening lines below:

• Jacksonville State moved from a -1.5 favorite to -4 against Western Kentucky, and the total rose from 56.5 to 58.5
• The total in Tulane at Army fell from 48.5 to 47.5
• UNLV fell from +5.5 to +3.5 at Boise State by Monday
• Arizona State flipped from a +1 underdog to a -2.5 favorite against Iowa State
• Miami (OH) also flipped from a +1 underdog to a -2.5 favorite against Ohio, and the total fell from 45.5 to 44.5
• Texas opened as a -1.5 favorite but climbed to -2.5 and approaching the key number of -3 against Georgia
• The point total in Marshall at Louisiana dropped from 58.5 at open to 57 points by Monday morning
• SMU flipped from +1.5 to -2.5 against Clemson, and the total rose from 54.5 to 55.5, through a key figure
• Oregon moved off its opening key number of -3 to -3.5 against Penn State, and the total dropped from 51.5 points to 49.5

Matchup Notes for College Football Conference Championship odds

All kick times below listed in ET.

Conference USA Championship: Western Kentucky at Jacksonville State, Friday (7 p.m., CBSSN)

• Game will be at AmFirst Stadium in Jacksonville, Alabama
• WKU leads the all-time series 5-2, dating back to FCS matchups
• Western Kentucky (+1.5) beat Jacksonville State at home last week. WKU needed the victory to get into the CUSA championship, while Jax State had already clinched its spot
• Early bets favor the Gamecocks, pushing this opening line through a key figure (-3)
• Monitor the status of Jax State QB Tyler Huff, who left Week 14 after being rolled up on
• Jacksonville State began the year 0-3 before winning its next eight in a row

American Championship: Tulane at No. 24 Army, Friday (8 p.m., ABC)

• Game will be at Michie Stadium in West Point, New York
• Tulane leads the all-time series 13-9-1, which was played annually between 1996-2011, both as members of CUSA and when Army was independent
• Tulane won each of the last four meetings, most recently in 2020
• The Green Wave were eliminated from College Football Playoff contention with a 34-24 home loss to Memphis in Week 14
• Tulane coach Jon Sumrall sits at the center of multiple openings, namely North Carolina and UCF
• These teams are a combined 16-6-1 against the closing spread this year
• Army is 7-3-1 ATS but failed to cover its final two games
• Army is the only team to have a game next week, as it plays its annual rivalry game against Navy
• The Black Knights played in just one one-score game this year, last week’s 29-24 win over UTSA
• Watch for weather here! Temperatures are forecast to dip into the 20s and possibly teens with wind chill

Mountain West Championship: No. 19 UNLV at No. 10 Boise State, Friday (8 p.m., Fox)

• Game will be at Albertsons Stadium in Boise, Idaho
• Boise State leads the all-time series 10-3 and has not lost to UNLV since 1976
• Boise State (-4) beat UNLV in Week 9 on the road, 29-24. Ashton Jeanty was held to 3.9 yards per carry
• UNLV performed well on the road this year, finishing 5-1 ATS with upset wins over Kansas and Houston — however, note when those games were played, when KU and UH were playing poorly. The Rebels caught teams at advantageous positions. They went 1-1 ATS to close the year on the road
• While offense scored fewer points on the road (31.5 ppg versus 40.6 at home against FBS foes), defense held opponents to fewer points (21.5 versus 24.5 on the road)
• UNLV head coach Barry Odom sits at the center of many open head coaching jobs, namely West Virginia
• Boise State featured some close calls down the stretch, edging out Nevada and Wyoming by one score apiece
• Winner of this game will likely clinch a spot in the College Football Playoff

Big 12 Championship: No. 16 Iowa State vs. No. 12 Arizona State, Saturday (noon, ABC)

• Game will be at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas
• First meeting between these two teams
• Arizona State finished 10-2 ATS on the season, covering all 10 outright wins (0-2 ATS in outright losses)
• ASU leading receiver Jordyn Tyson suffered a collarbone injury in Week 14 and sported a postgame sling
• Iowa State won 10 games for the first time in program history, regular or postseason
• The Sun Devils finished 6-1 in one-score games this season; the Cyclones went 4-1 in such games
• Winner will clinch a spot in the College Football Playoff

MAC Championship: Ohio vs. Miami (OH), Saturday (noon, ESPN)

• Game will be at Ford Field in Detroit
• Miami leads the all-time series 56-42-2, but this will be the first time the “Battle of the Bricks” will play out in the MAC championship
• Ohio is seeking its first MAC title since 1968; it is 0-5 in MAC championship games (last: 2022)
• Miami is 4-2 in MAC championship games, including winning last year’s title over Toledo
• Miami (-3.5) beat Ohio by a score of 30-20 at home in Week 8
• Ohio beat its final five opponents by 135 combined points. That stretch included 6-2 Buffalo and 4-4 Toledo (final MAC records)

SEC Championship: No. 5 Georgia vs. No. 2 Texas, Saturday (4 p.m., ABC)

• Game will be at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta
• Texas leads the all-time series 4-2
• Georgia (+4) beat Texas earlier this season, 30-15, behind a stellar defensive performance in Austin
• In that game, QB Quinn Ewers was tallied for seven turnover-worthy throws, only one of which was intercepted, and he was benched briefly for Arch Manning
• Games involving Texas this year are 7-3-2 to the under
• Since their last meeting, Texas’ defense forced 13 turnovers (five games); against Tennessee and Georgia Tech; UGA had one combined turnover
• Winner will clinch a bye week in the College Football Playoff

Sun Belt Championship: Marshall at Louisiana, Saturday (7:30 p.m., ESPN)

• Game will be at Cajun Field in Lafayette, Louisiana
• Louisiana won both prior meetings, a home-and-home in 2021 and 2022
• Marshall finished the season 10-2 ATS, including an outright upset of James Madison (+4) on the road in Week 14
• Head coach Charles Huff is heavily rumored to be leaving the program for Southern Miss; watch for this to happen before this game takes place
• Louisiana QB Ben Wooldridge suffered a collarbone injury in Week 12 and will miss this game, though he could return for a later bowl game

ACC Championship: No. 18 Clemson vs. No. 8 SMU, Saturday (8 p.m., ABC)

• Game will be at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina
• First meeting between these teams
• SMU outscored ACC opponents by nearly 24 points per game (8-0)
• Two of Clemson’s final three ACC foes finished the season with winning records; no such ACC foe did before then (combined 11-29 ACC record)
• The Tigers are 8-1 outright in ACC championships, only losing in 2009 — they’ve won eight straight appearances since
• Clemson returned two starting offensive linemen last week in a loss to South Carolina
• Clemson played four top-60 defenses in points per drive this year. It went 1-3 outright in those games (SMU: ninth)
• Winner will clinch a spot in the College Football Playoff

Big Ten Championship: No. 3 Penn State vs. No. 1 Oregon, Saturday (8 p.m., FS1)

• Game will be at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis
• Penn State has won three of the four meetings between these two, including the 1995 Rose Bowl (just the second meeting since 1965)
• Oregon finished the season as the lone unbeaten FBS team (6-1 ATS over its last seven games)
• The Nittany Lions won their lone previous Big Ten championship appearance (2016)
• Penn State played two teams ranked in the top 35 in aggregate industry power rankings; it went 0-2 ATS in those games (vs. Ohio State, at Minnesota)
• Oregon played three such teams this year, going 2-1 ATS
• Watch for an injury to Jordan Burch that sidelined him in Week 14 (also missed games earlier to a different injury)
• Winner will clinch a bye week in the College Football Playoff

Impact Injuries On College Football Conference Championship Odds

All times Eastern

Western Kentucky at Jacksonville State, Friday

Starting Jax State QB Tyler Huff had his ankle rolled up on in Week 14 against WKU. Huff didn’t return as the Gamecocks fell by a score of 19-17. Monitor his status for this rematch. Starting center Brock Robey suffered a season-ending injury in mid-October.

WKU has been without preseason starting QB T.J. Finley since Week 3, but QB Caden Veltkamp threw for over 2,600 yards and 22 touchdowns (10 interceptions) in his starts.

Other injuries & absences for conference championship weekend

• Jordyn Tyson, WR, Arizona State (OUT)
• Mason Randolph, C, Boise State (OUT)
• DeMonte Capehart, DL, Clemson
• Trevor Etienne, RB, Georgia
• Colbie Young, WR, Georgia (OUT)
• Ben Wooldridge, QB, Louisiana (OUT)
• Elijah Metcalf, WR, Marshall (OUT)
• Jordan Burch, DL, Oregon
• Kevin Winston Jr., SAF, Penn State
• Jake Bailey, WR, SMU
• Jaylan Knighton, RB, SMU (OUT)
• R.J. Maryland, TE, SMU (OUT)
• Derek Williams, SAF, Texas (OUT)

Other Roster & Staff Impacts on College Football Conference Championship Odds

Tulane at Army, Friday

Tulane head coach Jon Sumrall has been heavily linked to open Power Conference jobs like North Carolina and UCF. Sumrall arrived at Tulane this year from Troy. Despite departures to the NFL and transfer portal, Sumrall has the Green Wave positioned for a conference title. After a loss to Memphis, Tulane bounced from CFP contention. Open jobs move fast as recruiting needs to get under way, and Sumrall could be taking an interview or two this week.

No. 22 UNLV at No. 11 Boise State, Friday

Similar to Sumrall, Barry Odom has been rumored to be a candidate for multiple current openings. A Nov. 20 rumor emerged linking Odom to West Virginia before the Mountaineers fired Neal Brown. However, UNLV could be the Group of Five’s representative in the CFP with a win at Boise State. Though programs may have interest in Odom, he seems less likely to be solely focused on his next position.

Marshall at Louisiana, Saturday

Rumors surfaced Sunday that Marshall head coach Charles Huff would be leaving to take the vacant Southern Miss head coaching position. An official report has not come out, but several sources familiar with Southern Miss shared the rumors. Watch for this coaching change, although the rest of the staff will likely remain unchanged for this game.

Weather Impacts On College Football Conference Championship Odds

Weekly college football weather reports will be released later this week as forecasts become more certain. But here are a few spots to keep tabs on early in the week.

Early forecasts Monday suggest a persistent cold snap lingering in the northeastern US. Tulane, which hails from New Orleans, visits Army in West Point, New York. Temperatures Friday night for the area will dip into the 20s, and a steady breeze will drop the “feels like” temps into the teens. Army’s ground-and-pound style is proven to be less impacted by bitter temperatures; for a recent example, see Air Force vs. Baylor in the 2022 Armed Forces Bowl.

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