Bruce Marshall is a handicapper for CBS Sportsline. Here are his college football notes and trends for the conference championship games:
Friday
Mountain West: UNLV at Boise State (-4, 57½): The Broncos have won and covered the past two meetings with the Rebels, including earlier this season at Allegiant Stadium. But UNLV is 10-2 against the spread on the road under coach Barry Odom and 5-0 as a road underdog. Boise State is on a 1-3 ATS skid overall. Edge: UNLV.
American Athletic: Tulane (-5½, 46) at Army: The teams didn’t meet in the regular season. The Green Wave are 9-3 ATS this season, and coach Jon Sumrall is on a 28-12 ATS run dating to his time at Troy. The Black Knights are on a 1-4 ATS skid. Edge: Tulane.
Conference USA: Western Kentucky at Jacksonville State (-5, 57½): A quick rematch after Western Kentucky covered as a 1-point favorite in a 19-17 win last week. The Hilltoppers are on a 6-2 over run on the road, while Jacksonville State is on an 11-6 over run overall. Edge: Slight to over.
Saturday
Big 12: Iowa State vs. Arizona State (-2, 50) (at Arlington, Texas): The teams didn’t meet in the regular season. The Sun Devils are 10-2 ATS this season, while the Cyclones are on a 2-4 ATS skid. Arizona State is also on a 4-1 over run. Edge: Arizona State and slight to over.
Mid-American: Ohio vs. Miami (Ohio) (-2½, 44½) (at Detroit): Miami has won and covered this matchup the past two seasons, including a 30-20 home win Oct. 19. The Redhawks have won seven straight overall (5-2 ATS). Ohio has won and covered five straight, but the Bobcats are 3-3 ATS on the road this season. Edge: Slight to Miami.
SEC: Georgia vs. Texas (-2½, 49½) (at Atlanta): The Bulldogs won 30-15 as 4-point road underdogs at Texas on Oct. 19, but that was one of Georgia’s three covers this season (3-9 ATS), extending its ATS skid to 8-17-1. The Longhorns are on their own 3-5 ATS skid. Georgia is on a 7-2 under run away from home, while Texas is on a 6-1-1 under run overall. Edge: Under.
Sun Belt: Marshall at Louisiana (-6, 57): The teams didn’t meet in the regular season. The Thundering Herd are 10-1-1 ATS this season, including 5-0-1 on the road and 3-0-1 as underdogs. The Ragin’ Cajuns are on a 5-1 ATS run, but they’re only 2-4 ATS at home this season. Edge: Marshall.
ACC: Clemson vs. SMU (-2½, 56) (at Charlotte, N.C.): The teams didn’t meet in the regular season. The Tigers are on a 1-5 ATS skid, and they’re 1-4 ATS as underdogs since 2019, including 0-1 this season. The Mustangs have won nine straight (7-2 ATS). Edge: SMU.
Big Ten: Penn State vs. Oregon (-3½, 50) (at Indianapolis): The teams didn’t meet in the regular season. The Nittany Lions are 3-7 ATS as underdogs since 2021. The Ducks closed the regular season on a 5-2 ATS run. Both teams are on under runs (Penn State 10-6, Oregon 6-3). Edge: Under and slight to Oregon.
