College football odds, score predictions for conference championships: Picks for Big Ten, SEC, ACC title games

Conference championship week is upon us, and with it comes plenty of drama about who will be in and who will be left out of the College Football Playoff. 

When the playoff expanded to 12 teams, many wondered if it would eventually doom conference championship games or cheapen them, but there's no shortage of motivation for every team playing this weekend. For one, winning a conference title remains one of the big goals for every program, and you could argue it's harder than ever to win one in the world of expanded, division-less mega-conferences. 

In the Big Ten Championship game, Ohio State and Indiana will battle for the title of the lone undefeated in FBS football this season. In the SEC, Alabama and Georgia will meet again for bragging rights -- and for the Dawgs, a chance at revenge. The Tide need a win to guarantee their spot in the playoff, as does BYU in the Big 12 title game against Texas Tech. Virginia vs. Duke is a shocking ACC title game pairing, but both will have a chance to make some program history with a win. 

And then there's the American title game between North Texas and Tulane, where the winner heads to the playoff. In the Sun Belt, James Madison is a massive favorite over Troy, and if the Dukes take care of business, they'll have a chance at the playoff as well, depending on what happens Saturday in the ACC. 

The stakes for this weekend are incredibly clear, and while not everyone is fighting for their CFP lives, every single one of those teams wants desperately to hoist a trophy this weekend. 

NOTE: Rankings are from the previous week's CFP Top 25.

CBS Sports 136: Ohio State finishes regular season as unanimous No. 1 in college football rankings

Chip Patterson

North Texas vs. No. 24 Tulane

If you want Friday night fireworks, the American title game should be for you. It'll be fascinating to see how each of these teams manage the situation given North Texas' Eric Morris is headed to Oklahoma State and Tulane coach Jon Sumrall is headed to Florida as soon as this season is over, but I think the expectation should be that both teams will be focused on the task at hand. There's too much at stake not to be, as the winner makes the playoff. 

It's hard to envision this game being anything other than a shootout given the way this season has gone for both teams. The Mean Green have scored 50+ in five of their last six games, with the exception coming against a Navy team determined to limit possessions. Tulane hasn't scored quite at that pace, but they're certainly capable of putting points up in bunches. 

The question for me is which defense is better equipped to get a few stops. I think the answer is Tulane, but Drew Mestemaker and this Mean Green offense will ask every question of them. I expect this to be a game where the lead changes a bunch of times and both fan bases are sweating until the end, but I'll take the Wave to just edge out a win and punch their ticket to the CFP. PICK: Tulane 38-34 over North Texas

No. 11 BYU vs. No. 5 Texas Tech 

Rematches are hard to win a second time, but Texas Tech outclassed BYU in their first meeting to the tune of a 29-7 win in Lubbock. They will meet again at AT&T Stadium in Dallas-Fort Worth and the challenge for the Cougars is cracking the code on a Texas Tech defense that is among the best in the country. 

The Red Raiders had a minor hiccup in the middle of the season, but they refocused and got back to choking the life out of opposing offenses late in the year, allowing just 16 combined points in their final three games. That included the first game against BYU, where the Cougars rushing attack was completely shut down and Texas Tech was able to force 38 passing attempts from Bear Bachmeier. 

That can't happen again for BYU to have a chance at the Big 12 title, but aside from a couple games in the middle of the season, no one has been able to really open it up in the rushing game against this Red Raiders defense. I think they'll once again dare Bachmeier to beat them through the air, and I don't believe he can make that happen. 

This game might look a lot like the last one, and I see Texas Tech rolling to the playoff and making a case for a top-4 seed. PICK: Texas Tech 31-13 over BYU

No. 10 Alabama vs. No. 4 Georgia

Rematches are especially hard when you're facing Kirby Smart and Georgia in their home away from home in Atlanta. 

To me, this is a situation where two teams have met each other on different trajectories. That game in Athens featured an Alabama team on the rise (they peaked later in the Tennessee game) and a Georgia team still figuring themselves out. The Tide took advantage and eked out the win, but this time around it's Georgia that appears to be hitting its stride while Alabama's flattened out down the stretch. 

The difference here, to me, will be the play of the Georgia defense. They have looked far more like a Kirby Smart defense over the last month, and I think they'll have some wrinkles in store for Ty Simpson and the Bama offense to get him moving off his mark and see if they can't force him into the kinds of mistakes we saw Oklahoma create a few weeks back. 

I don't expect a blowout, but I think Georgia dictates the pace early in a low-scoring first half and leans on Bama en route to a win that's not huge on the scoreboard but feels much more comfortable than the final will indicate. PICK: Georgia 24-19 over Alabama

Duke vs. No. 18 Virginia

What have we said all season? Always pick whatever is the worst outcome for the ACC. This week, that would be five-loss Duke winning the ACC Championship and creating a scenario where the conference misses out on the playoff entirely. 

We saw these two teams play a few weeks back in a 31-17 Virginia win. But as noted above, it's never as easy to win in the rematch. Duke was in a bad place that week coming off a loss at UConn, but they've found new life with wins over rivals North Carolina and Wake Forest. The key here will be the Duke offense hitting its stride and avoiding the kinds of mistakes that have plagued them all season. They played extremely flat in the first matchup, particularly on the ground where they got absolutely nothing against a solid Cavaliers unit. They'll need Darian Mensah to bring his A-game to get the job done, but they're capable of the kind of offensive performance needed to win. 

Virginia could certainly get this done and punch their ticket to the playoff as the most shocking participant of the season. However, it'd be far more fitting of this season in the ACC if Duke wins a close one and the committee has to determine whether to rank the 8-5 Blue Devils above a 12-1 James Madison squad. PICK: Duke 31-28 over Virginia

No. 1 Ohio State vs. No. 2 Indiana

These two teams are locked into the playoff and locked into a first-round bye, but that doesn't mean the Big Ten title game will lack juice. 

Indiana is trying to win its first conference title since sharing that title with Purdue and Minnesota back in 1967. Both teams are trying to finish as the nation's only undefeated team in FBS. And quarterbacks Julian Sayin and Fernando Mendoza are the Heisman favorites and whoever can put up a strong performance in a win will very likely win the award. 

That seems like plenty to play for, and this will be a fascinating matchup of the two most dominant teams this season. Ohio State is No. 1 in the nation in scoring defense, allowing a paltry 7.8 points per game. Indiana is No. 2 at 10.9 ppg. Indiana is second in the country in scoring offense at 44.3 ppg. Ohio State is 13th at 37.0 ppg. 

Both teams have faced very few true tests, but when they have been pushed, they've passed with flying colors. Indiana went out to Oregon and picked up a huge 30-20 win that stamped them as a legit contender this season. Ohio State dominated on defense in the opener against Texas and finally snapped their losing streak to Michigan in impressive fashion last week. 

Now, we find out who is best prepared for the challenge in this game. I think Indiana will acquit themselves solidly, especially on the defensive side of the ball. I think they can apply some pressure to Sayin and while the Buckeyes eventually broke loose on the ground against Michigan, I think they'll find it tougher to wear down this Indiana front. On offense, I think the Hoosiers become the first team to break the 16-point barrier against the Buckeyes this season. We saw against Oregon that, even against a great defense, Mendoza can identify opportunities and get into the end zone. 

With all that said, I'm still going with the Buckeyes. The defense is absolutely filthy, and while I think the Hoosiers can hit 20, I don't think they're going to be able to hit the kinds of explosives they want to against this Ohio State team. Sayin and the offense, meanwhile, are ruthlessly efficient and as we saw against Michigan, they will find the opportunities to attack 1-on-1s in the secondary and when they get those, Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate usually win and Sayin rarely misses them when they do. It'll be tense and competitive, but give me the Buckeyes. PICK: Ohio State 27-20 over Indiana