Vegas expert reveals picks
Championship Week has arrived in college football with 10 conference title games set to unfold. Conference USA and the Pac-12 kick it off Friday night with the other eight games coming on Saturday. Every Power 5 conference title game could potentially impact the final College Football Playoff field. The latest SportsLine consensus Championship Week odds list No. 5 Oregon at -9.5 against No. 3 Washington in the Pac-12 title game on Friday.
On Saturday, No. 7 Texas is -14 against No. 19 Oklahoma State in the Big 12 title game, No. 1 Georgia is -5 against No. 8 Alabama in the SEC title game (4 p.m. ET, CBS), No. 4 Florida State is -3.5 against No. 15 Louisville in the ACC title game and No. 2 Michigan is -23 against No. 18 Iowa in the Big Ten title game. Before locking in any Championship Week college football picks, be sure to see the college football betting guide from legendary Vegas handicapper Bruce Marshall.
For years Vegas-based Marshall was synonymous with The Gold Sheet, the famed sports betting newsletter. With a background in play-by-play work and sports information while in college, Marshall joined TGS in 1981 when hired by the legendary Mort Olshan and served as executive editor for many years. He now supplies his unique and colorful brand of football and basketball analysis to SportsLine members.
An in-demand guest on numerous sports talk radio and TV shows across the country, Bruce’s vast array of editorial work has been featured in the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the New York Post and many other outlets. He has won various handicapping titles and also is working on several book projects.
Now, using his Tech Corner technique, Marshall has turned his attention to the latest college football odds for Week 14 and evaluated each matchup. Head here to see every pick.
Top college football predictions for Championship Week
One of the top college football picks Marshall is recommending for Week 14: He is backing No. 2 Michigan to cover the 23-point spread against No. 18 Iowa in the Big Ten Championship Game in Indianapolis at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday. He also likes the Under (35) in that matchup.
Michigan failed to cover in its first four games of the season, but has gone 6-2 against the spread since that point. The Wolverines tacked on a late field goal in The Game against Ohio State last week to win by six and cover the 3-point spread in that one. And while these teams didn’t meet in 2023, Michigan covered a 10.5-point spread when they played in 2022. Iowa is also on a seven-game Under streak, making that the value play on the total.
“The Wolverines are 11-3-1 vs. line in Big Ten play since early 2022, and 17-5-2 vs. points in Big Ten play since late 2021,” Marshall told SportsLine. See which other picks to make here.
How to make college football picks for Championship Week
Marshall has evaluated every other matchup and he’s backing a team on a 17-7 roll against the spread. Get betting analysis for each matchup at SportsLine.