Predictions/picks against the spread for Championship Weekend

Tua Tagovoiloa raises the national championship trophy in January 2018.

By Brandon Scalea

There is nothing more exciting to me than breaking down chaotic College Football Playoff scenarios, and there is no question that this weekend can create havoc. In past years, championship weekend has been somewhat of a formality—that is not the case this season.

By late Saturday night, we are either going to have a clear playoff picture or absolutely no idea of what it is going to look like until the committee makes its final decision next Tuesday.

Here are my betting predictions for the Power 5 conference title games, as well as outright score predictions. I will also make my final CFB playoff prediction at the risk of ridicule from the 50 or so loyal page viewers I get every week. Enjoy. 

PAC 12 Championship: Nov. 30, 8 p.m.

17 Utah vs. 11 Washington (-5.5)

This game will likely have not have a winner in the playoff, but I think it’s a really interesting matchup. Utah has proven year after year that it is a force in that conference, but the team has not quite established itself as an elite team in the PAC 12.

On the other hand, Washington was a team a lot of people had in their preseason playoff predictions. The Huskies, particularly their hyped-up quarterback Jake Browning, have been a letdown this year. I think Washington has lost interest in the remainder of their season and will play down to this Utah opponent.

Pick against the spread: Utah

Score prediction: 35-24 Utah

Big 12 Championship: Dec. 1, noon

14 Texas vs. 5 Oklahoma (-8)

This is a rematch of the Red River Rivalry that gave Oklahoma its only loss of the season. Tom Herman’s Texas squad has been impressive this year, but I think the Longhorns are still a year or two away from legitimate national title contention. The Sooners have already been in that conversation, year after year, for the better part of a decade.

I think Oklahoma uses its experience and offensive prowess to revenge its earlier defeat to Texas. It will be another one of those ugly, Big 12 shootout games, and the Sooners will just be too difficult to stop. Oklahoma wins and finds itself in the Playoff for the second straight season.

Pick against the spread: Oklahoma

Score prediction: 49-34 Oklahoma

SEC Championship: Dec. 1, 4 p.m.

4 Georgia vs. 1 Alabama (-13.5)

This game has monumental implications, needless to say. It also provides some pretty interesting potential scenarios. I think if Georgia wins, Alabama still gets into the playoff at No. 3 or No. 4 irrespective of how the teams fare who are on the bubble. A lot of people can make a pretty sound argument that Georgia is the second-best team in the country.

The Bulldogs are also coming into this game with a little more edge. That 2^nd and 26 play in overtime has likely been playing in their heads since January. Kirby Smart is a Nick Saban protegee, and he likely knows a thing or two about how the latter functions in big games. One thing is for certain: this is going to be a hell of a ballgame, and I think a two-touchdown line is pretty hefty. However, Alabama is the most dominant team I have seen in years and they aren’t stopping now.

Pick against the spread: Georgia

Score prediction: 35-27 Alabama

ACC Championship: Dec. 1, 8 p.m.

Pittsburgh vs. 2 Clemson (-27.5)

I think this is going to be a weird game. There is no question that Clemson is unequivocally better than Pitt in every aspect of football, but the Panthers have been a tough team for certain powerhouses to put away. The previous 2 seasons, Pitt has upset Clemson and Miami, both ranked No. 2 at the time.

I’m not going to say that Pitt will win the football game because that is simply not going to happen. I think at the end day Clemson is Alabama’s biggest challenge because it can score a lot of points. But the Tigers will look sluggish and ugly, and there is no way in hell they are covering a four TD spread.

Pick against the spread: Pitt

Score prediction: 27-13 Clemson

Big Ten Championship: Dec. 1, 8 p.m.

21 Northwestern vs. 6 Ohio State (-14)

This is another game that I think can be very interesting, particularly early on. Northwestern will come out fired up. We know Ohio State fans travel well, but Indy is not far from Chicago, and I think the NU fans will show up loud and proud. The Wildcats have been a solid football team in the Big Ten for a long time, but this is their first real opportunity to establish themselves as the real deal. This game means a lot more to Northwestern than it does Ohio State.

Yes, the Buckeyes are jacked up from their absolute beatdown of Michigan last week. Yes, Ohio State still has a decent shot of getting into the Playoff. The Buckeyes will win, but only by doing so after asserting their dominance late in the game. There is still a clear gap in talent between Ohio State and a middle-of-the-road Big Ten team.

Pick against the spread: Ohio State

Score prediction: 38-21 Ohio State

CFB Playoff prediction:

1. Alabama
2. Clemson
3. Notre Dame
4. Oklahoma

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Prediction: Alabama will win highly contested SEC

By Brandon Ferris

Nick Saban exits the field after last year's thrilling national title game.

Year after year we see that the SEC is top heavy. The few heavyweights that dominate the SEC beat each other up each year, which usually leads to only one SEC team getting that prestigious college playoff berth. However, last year was the exception. 

Predictability is not always the most exciting route, but in the SEC, we’ve come to see that predictable is the norm. After winning its fifth national championship in the last nine years, it seems as though Alabama is the team to beat. Indeed, the Crimson Tide lost a lot of players in the NFL draft (as always), but Nick Saban can always rebuild within a few months. Players like Calvin Ridley, Minkah Fitzpatrick, Ronnie Harrison, and Bo Scarbrough will not be returning this year. A record 12 players were selected from Alabama in the NFL draft, but there are more than enough players for Saban to use. But, all eyes will be on the starting quarterback battle.

Speaking of quarterbacks, two teams that could dethrone Alabama have Heisman candidates leading their team. Jake Fromm of Georgia and Auburn's Jarrett Stidham look to lead their teams to the college football playoff.

Kirby Smart and the Bulldogs should have an easy time winning the East Division of the SEC, similar to last year. Georgia finished 13-2, with a 7-1 conference record. While they lost key contributors like Nick Chubb and Roquan Smith, a healthy Jake Fromm can take Georgia back to the SEC championship and maybe back to the College Football Playoff. Florida and Missouri may present tough challenges, but the Bulldogs should run all over them.

On the East side, look for Auburn and Alabama to take control. An Iron Bowl with huge implications is great for the SEC and college football. Auburn will look to control their games with their tough defense and Gus Malzahn will hope that Stidham can take the next step as an elite QB. Even though Auburn will present a tough challenge, the Tide will meet the Bulldogs in the SEC championship this year. 

With sleepers like Missouri, LSU, and Texas A&M with Jimbo Fisher, the SEC could have more of a level playing field this year. There are a lot of good quarterbacks in the south that can lead their team to many victories. 

However, the Tide will come out of the SEC and will look to win its sixth national title in 10 years. 

Breaking down first CFB Playoff rankings

By Brandon Scalea

It's that time of year — we are eight weeks into the college football season, which means the venerable College Football Playoff committee has released its first rankings.

I can happily say that for the first time since the committee's inception a few years ago, there were actually a few surprises in the rankings. Here they are, in case you missed them:

1. Georgia 
2. Alabama
3. Notre Dame
4. Clemson

First two out: Oklahoma, Ohio State 

Undefeated Alabama has been No. 1 in the AP and Coaches' Polls since the beginning of the season, so the committee is really making a statement here putting the Bulldogs in the top spot. While Georgia is also unbeaten with arguably a tougher schedule, the Crimson Tide have made easy work of every opponent, including 59-0 and 66-3 beatdowns of Vanderbilt and Ole Miss, respectively.

With only LSU and Auburn left as slight challenges, you can expect Alabama to finish the regular season 12-0 and earn a spot, yet again, in the SEC Championship in Atlanta. Georgia has all but earned the SEC East division title, so a No. 1 vs. No. 2 showdown is pretty much set to decide who wins the SEC and who gets the spot in the playoff. Despite both teams playing tremendously this season, it would be a long shot to have two SEC teams in the four-team playoff.

Notre Dame has quietly stormed through its schedule after a week 2 loss at home to Georgia, 20-19. Since then, the Irish have dominated rival USC and nationally-ranked NC State. The team still has a very tough road ahead, with road games at Miami and Stanford. If ND finishes the season 11-1 with their only loss to Georgia — especially if the Bulldogs win the SEC — then the team should be a lock for a playoff spot.

Clemson has probably the worst loss out of all the top one-loss teams — to Syracuse a few weeks back. That game wasn't a fluke either, the Orange thoroughly outplayed the then-No. 2 Tigers. But Clemson has impressive road wins over Louisville and Virginia Tech, and a home win against Auburn. As the defending national champion, the Tigers will probably stay at No. 4 if they can win the ACC.

It's interesting to note that there are currently no Big Ten teams in the top four. Penn State had been ranked No. 2 and seemed destined for a national title run after a miraculous road win over Iowa, and a vengeful 42-13 win over No. 19 Michigan. But the Nittany Lions had a fourth quarter collapse to Ohio State, and now the Buckeyes are the favorite to win the Big Ten.

Penn State certainly isn't out of the race, but a lot will have to go right for them to get back into the top four. After all, Ohio State finished 11-1 last season, did not even play in the Big Ten Championship, but still finished the season No. 3.

There are still four weeks left until championship weekend, and right now, it's safe to say that no one is a lock for the playoff just yet.

Brandon Scalea can be reached at brandonscalea22@gmail.com or scaleasports@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @brandonscalea.