Week 14 of the 2024 College Football offers the final week of conference play and includes some historic rivalries that could play a part in determining who makes the college football playoff. After 14 weeks of play (don't forget Week 0), SMU (ACC), Oregon (Big Ten), Georgia (SEC) and Boise State (Mountain West) have clinched spots in the Power 5 conference championship games.
And the title game just means more this year - as each conference champion is guaranteed a top spot in the CFB playoffs.
Saturday, 6 AP Top 25 teams lost.
- No. 5 Indiana
- No. 7 Alabama
- No. 9 Ole Miss
- No. 14. BYU
- No. 15 Texas A&M
- No. 16 Colorado
- No. 19 Army
Indiana is now 10-1 and will likely remain in the CFB playoff. The BYU Cougars can still clinch a spot in the Big 12 title game, but need help Texas A&M, incredibly, gets in the SEC title game with a win over Texas. That's true even with their crushing loss at Auburn. Of those teams, all but Army (Notre Dame at Yankee Stadium) lost conference games on the road. None of the 7 covered ATS. Five were betting favorites.
Overall, there are 9 teams with a mathematical shot at the Big 12 title game.
Among the major rivalries to watch this holiday weekend: Notre Dame at USC, Arizona State at Arizona, Michigan at Ohio State, Auburn at Alabama and Texas at Texas A&M.
Bettors will be taking a deep look at college football odds with serious interest. College football betting sites have posted lines for dozens of games this week.
Opportunities abound all week and weekend on sports betting apps. For instance, BetMGM, FanDuel and ESPN BET have posted a healthy slate of futures concerning the college football playoff and season awards.
Take a look at our favorite college football picks for Week 14 of the 2024 season. Any team rankings are from the latest AP Top 25 Poll.
College Football Week 14 Best Bets To Back Today
Friday, November 29
Oklahoma State at Colorado, 12 p.m. (ABC)
Buzz: The Big 12 remains up for grabs - like those old big-screen TVs at Best Buy back in the day on Black Friday. Coach Prime and the Buffs got demolished by the Kansas running game Saturday. Overall, there are 9 teams with a mathematical shot at the Big 12 title game. The Buffs are one. Colorado fell from No. 1 in the Big 12 to No. 4 with their 37-21 loss. The only path CU to the Big 12 title game and a possible CFB Playoff spot is for it to win here. And have 2 of 3 teams - Iowa State, Arizona State, and BYU - to lose. The Buffs choked/were choked against/by Kansas. But they'll run it up here in Boulder. Especially given the timing of this must-win game (ahead of the other Big 12 entrants). The Pokes have lost 8 straight, including a 56-48 defeat at home to Texas Tech Saturday. This could well be Mike Gundy’s final game coaching for Oklahoma State.
Best Bet: Colorado -15.5 (-110) at DraftKings
Utah at UCF, 8 p.m. (FOX)
Buzz: The Utes are out of their element in Central Florida. Given the nighttime kickoff, weather won’t be a concern for the visitors. Utah’s last win came in September. Both teams enter their Big 12 finale coming off losses in which they gave up 31 points. UCF has been decimated by injuries this season. UCF has lost 5 of 6 Saturday after falling to West Virginia. (Both teams lost to Iowa State by 3 points.) Neither can be bowl eligible. Motivation will be hard for the visitors here. Especially on a 7-game losing streak.
Best Bet: UCF -7.5 (-110) at DraftKings
Saturday, November 30
Michigan at Ohio State, 12 p.m. (FOX)
Buzz: A year ago, the outcome of this game kept Michigan’s perfect season alive and helped propel the Wolverines to a national title. The 30-24 final capped an instant classic. This time around, 10-1 Ohio State is steamrolling toward a same-season rematch with . . . Oregon . . . in the B1G title game. Michigan, meanwhile, beat Northwestern Saturday to earn its bowl bid. The 20.5-point line falls into line with ESPN Analytics giving the Bucks a 91.8% chance to win. If this one gets out of hand in Columbus, will the Buckeye faithful be happy with just a win over that team from up North and a spot in the B1G title game? Or will OSU want to deliver a rout for the ages? In the last 2 games in which Ohio State beat Michigan, the margin of victory was 29 and 23 points. O-H-I-O.
Best Bet: Ohio State (-20.5) (-110) at DraftKings
Kansas at Baylor, 12 p.m. (ESPN2)
Buzz: Kansas (5-6 SU and ATS) has beaten 3 AP Top 25 ranked teams in succession – BYU, Iowa State and Colorado – for the first time in school history. Baylor (7-4 SU and 8-3 ATS) has covered in 5 straight games. The last 4 times as favorites. Saturday, the Bears beat Houston 20-10 for their 5th straight win. At 5-3 in the Big 12, the Bears are one of nine teams with a mathematical chance to reach the Big 12 title game. But they'll need lots of help. Still, Baylor was a 3-point favorite on the early line. It was cut by 2 points after KU's impressive 37-21 win over Colorado at Arrowhead Stadium.
Best Bet: Baylor -1 (-110) at DraftKings
West Virginia at Texas Tech, 12 p.m. (FS1)
Buzz: These teams are fairly evenly matched. Tech holds a one-game edge in common opponents. It beat ISU 23-22, while West Virginia lost to the same team, 28-16. QB Behern Morton and the Raiders are scoring 39.5 points per game. Morton went 35 for 50 for 366 yards and 4 TDS in Tech's 56-48 win over Oklahoma State Saturday. West Virginia clinched a bowl berth on Saturday with its Senior Day home win over UCF. Tech has covered in 4 of its past 5 games against West Virginia as betting favorites.
Best Bet: Texas Tech (-3.5) (-110) at DraftKings
Arizona State at Arizona, 3:30 p.m. (FOX)
Buzz: This year's Territorial Cup features a twist. ASU and Arizona meet for the first time as Big 12 combatants. ASU (9-2, 6-2 Big 12) clinches a spot in the Big 12 title game with win here. There are multiple ways ASU reaches the Big 12 title game with a loss, as well. Arizona (4-7, 2-5 Big 12) will be trying to win a third straight Territorial Cup, which it hasn’t done in 30 years. It won't happen this week, either. The Sun Devils have a share of the best record ATS at 9-2 of any FBS team. (Along with Marshall and Tulane.) If you bet $100 on ASU against the spread each week this season using standard -110 odds, you'd be up $628.10. ASU has covered the past 2 times it was favored in this game. The time of this kickoff means ASU won't have its title game spot secured - yet.
Best Bet: AUS -8.5 (-110) at DraftKings
Notre Dame at USC, 3:30 p.m. (CBS)
Buzz: The Irish appear to have survived that loss to Northern Illinois in terms of reaching the College Football Playoff. At 10-1 and 9-1 ATS, Notre Dame has a solid 71% chance to beat 6-5 USC here via ESPN Analytics. The Trojans covered in their 19-13 win over UCLA Saturday. The only ranked opponents the Irish have faced since September are Army and Navy. Notre Dame decimated both of the service academies, has covered in 7 straight games, and beat double-digit lines in 6 of those games. But USC will offer Notre Dame its toughest physical challenge of the season. And this game is at the Coliseum. Give us Denzel Washington and some Gladiators for the cover.
Best Bet: USC +7 (-110) at DraftKings
TCU at Cincinnati, 6 p.m. (ESPN+)
Buzz: Not your traditional Big 12 Thanksgiving weekend matchup. The Horned Frogs are bowl eligible and enter this week as 1 of 9 teams with a mathematical chance to win the Big 12. But their Big 12 title game fate will likely be sealed by the time this game begins. The 5-6 Bearcats will play for a postseason spot at home. TCU quarterback Josh Hoover has been spectacular this season. He had 3,233 yards passing, a 67.7% completion ratio, and 22 TD passes against just 8 picks in his first 10 games. But it will be tough for TCU to rally after likely learning there's not much to play for here on the road. Especially with kickoff temperatures in the low 30s.
Best Bet: Cincinnati +1.5 (-110) at DraftKings
Texas at Texas A&M, 7:30 p.m. (ABC)
Buzz: As if this legendary Lone Star Rivalry needed any more octane. This time, for the first time, Texas (10-1) and Texas A&M (8-3) meet with a shot in the SEC title game on the line. The math is easy. The winner gets Georgia in the SEC title game. The loser is out. Texas A&M suffered an upset for ages Saturday in a 4OT loss at Auburn. These teams are more evenly matched than they appear. Do the Aggies have any gas left after that soul-sucking loss at Jordan Hare? They'll have the 12th Man at their back at Kyle Field, along with about 107,000 fans. Texas showed some major flaws in a much-closer-than-it-should-have-been 31-17 win over Kentucky. This one screams a kick at the gun, or OT.
Best Bet: Texas A&M +7 (-110) at DraftKings
Kansas State at Iowa State, 7:30 p.m. (FOX)
Buzz: There are 9 Big 12 teams mathematically eligible to reach the Big 12 title game. Two of them are playing here. The Cyclones are in the Big 12 title game with a win. K-State needs lots of help. And their fate will likely be sealed before this game begins. Iowa State (9-2, 7-2 Big 12) went 5-1 ATS before failing to cover in 4 of its past 5 games. That included a way-too-close 31-28 win over Utah Saturday. The possibility of Iowa State closing out the season at home with hopes of a Big 12 title game spot and/or College Football Playoff will be the difference here. Iowa State QB Rocco Becht has posted solid numbers. And ISU doesn’t turn the ball over. It has lost only 3 fumbles all season, combined with just 8 picks against 18 TDs from Becht.
Best Bet: Iowa State (-3.5) (-110) at DraftKings
Houston at BYU, 10:15 p.m. (ESPN)
Buzz: Cougar-on-Cougar crime? BYU (9-2 SU, 7-4 ATS) is one of 9 Big 12 teams mathematically alive for a spot in the Big 12 Championship. BYU opened the season 6-0 ATS before failing to cover in 3 of 4 games. BYU was upended by Arizona State 28-23 for its second-straight loss. BYU still gets into the Big 12 title game with a win here. And losses by two of these three teams: Arizona State, Iowa State, and Colorado. BYU would be 7-2 in the Big 12 with a win. A 3-way, 7-2-conference-record tie between BYU, ASU and Colorado puts ASU and BYU in the title game. A three-way tie between BYU, Colorado and Iowa State at 7-2 in the conference means a BYU-Iowa State championship game. If Arizona State and Iowa State win their games earlier in the day - then BYU is out. Thus, this number could be a bit dangerous. Thus, take the Houston Cougars and the points.
Best Bet: Houston +11 (-110) at DraftKings
