How and where to bet on college football conference championships this Saturday

For the first time since Week 0 in August, the world of college football will not offer a slate that features dozens of games from across the country. However, nine games are on tap, beginning on Friday, and each scheduled tilt will decide a conference champion. After Friday delivers the Conference USA, Mountain West and American Athletic Conference championship matchups, the headline-grabbing conferences arrive on Saturday, with four automatic berths to the College Football Playoff on the line and high-level stakes for each of the eight teams involved in those matchups.

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College football conference championships on Saturday

The first game of Saturday’s slate will feature the Iowa State Cyclones taking on the Arizona State Sun Devils in Arlington, Texas with the Big 12 title on the line. In the afternoon window, the Texas Longhorns and Georgia Bulldogs will square off in Atlanta for the SEC Championship, as Texas aims to win the title in the program’s debut season in the conference.

In the evening, the ACC will showcase a battle between the SMU Mustangs and the Clemson Tigers for conference supremacy, just as the Big Ten will pit the Penn State Nittany Lions against the Oregon Ducks in a battle between consensus top-five teams in the nation.

The SEC and Big Ten matchups feature four teams likely to reach the College Football Playoff no matter the outcome. That does not diminish the value of a conference title, but it does change the stakes in comparison to the ACC and Big 12 matchups. For Iowa State, Arizona State, Clemson and SMU, the path to the playoff is far less clear with a loss, potentially placing even more value on the conference championship and an automatic bid.

Below, we will highlight some intriguing bets for the big matchups on Saturday, weighing odds from across the industry’s best sportsbooks.

Big 12: No. 16 Iowa State vs. No. 15 Arizona State

AT&T Stadium, the home of the Dallas Cowboys, hosts the matchup between Iowa State and Arizona State on Saturday. Neither team was widely projected to reach the Big 12 Championship Game and, in the case of Arizona State, it is a shock relative to the team’s dismal preseason expectations that Kenny Dillingham’s unit is one win away from the CFP.

Due to the vagaries of a 16-team conference, Iowa State and Arizona State have not met this season. Both teams finished 10-2 overall and 7-2 in Big 12 play in 2024. Iowa State opened the season with seven straight wins before a two-game losing streak, and the Cyclones closed strong with wins over Cincinnati, Utah and Kansas State to reach Arlington. On the other side, Arizona State won its final five games, including a pair of wins over ranked opponents in Kansas State and BYU. 

Iowa State led the Big 12 in scoring defense this season, allowing only 19.6 points per game. The Cyclones also had a pair of 1,000-yard wide receivers in Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel on the offensive side, and head coach Matt Campbell is renowned for getting the most out of the talent on Iowa State’s roster. 

After a 3-9 season in 2023, Arizona State entered the campaign with lackluster expectations, but the Sun Devils have been impressive. The team ranked in the top five of the Big 12 in both scoring offense and scoring defense, leading to a consistently impressive baseline. Running back Cam Skattebo is also one of the most dynamic offensive weapons in the country, producing more than 1,800 total yards and 19 touchdowns. 

Bet to consider: Under 51 points (Caesars)

These are two teams led by their defenses, and the championship game should be no different. Iowa State comfortably led the Big 12 in passing defense in 2024, and while Arizona State likes to rely on its running game, the Cyclones can load up on Skattebo with extra bodies. In a matchup in which both teams are allowing 6.4 yards per pass attempt or fewer, the margins project to be thin, and drives should end in punts and field goals. 

SEC: No. 5 Georgia vs. No. 2 Texas

For the second time in 2024, the Georgia Bulldogs and Texas Longhorns will meet in a highly anticipated matchup. On Oct. 19, Texas hosted Georgia for the first meeting between the teams as SEC rivals, and the Longhorns put their No. 1 ranking on the line. Georgia was the better team in Austin on that occasion, winning 30-15 and suffocating the Longhorns’ previously explosive offense. 

The rematch was far from a lock to transpire, as Georgia needed help elsewhere in the final weeks of the SEC campaign, and Texas needed to top Texas A&M in a rivalry tilt a week ago. Still, the stars aligned and both teams are expected to reach the College Football Playoff regardless of the result in Atlanta on Saturday afternoon. 

Georgia has been dominant in SEC play for the last several years, reaching the conference championship game in four straight seasons. However, Kirby Smart’s team won only one of the first three trips, losing twice to Alabama in Atlanta. Georgia also scuffled down the stretch, losing to Ole Miss before a lackluster showing against UMass and narrowly winning an eight-overtime thriller against Georgia Tech.

Texas finished the season 11-1 with the only loss coming to Georgia in mid-October. The Longhorns won the next five games, including a defensively dominant throttling of Texas A&M last week in College Station. The Longhorns also reached the College Football Playoff last season and aim to win the national title in 2024. 

Bet to consider: Georgia +2.5 (-105, multiple sportsbooks)

Kirby Smart is just 2-4 in the SEC Championship Game, but this is a different animal for Georgia. The Bulldogs are not entering as favorites, even though they dominated the first meeting. Georgia also has the potential for home-field advantage in Atlanta, and the Bulldogs are getting points in this familiar setting. Georgia also generated a whopping seven sacks in the first meeting and, while Texas has the superior defensive numbers for the season, the Bulldogs also had a sizable edge in the running game that could continue in the rematch. 

ACC: No. 17 Clemson vs. No. 8 SMU

Much like in the SEC, the matchup between Clemson and SMU in the ACC was not a foregone conclusion. In fact, Clemson needed considerable help in the season’s final week to earn a trip to Charlotte. Miami fell at the hands of Syracuse, pushing the Tigers into the game, while SMU’s perfect conference record thrust the Mustangs into the spotlight. 

SMU and Clemson did not meet in the regular season, making this the first matchup between the programs since the Mustangs joined the ACC. After an early-season loss to BYU, SMU rattled off nine straight victories, and only one of those wins came by fewer than seven points. The Mustangs are 11-1 this season.

On the other side, Clemson lost two of its final five games, including an excruciating loss to in-state rival South Carolina last week. The Tigers are 9-3 this season, though Clemson’s Week 1 loss to Georgia feels like a lifetime ago at this juncture. Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte hosts the matchup, with Clemson almost certainly needing a win to reach the College Football Playoff and SMU potentially having more wiggle room in the event of a close-fought loss. 

Bet to consider: Clemson +2.5 (multiple sportsbooks)

The Tigers are the more battle-tested team. Clemson played solidly well a week ago against another playoff hopeful in South Carolina. That game did not break toward the Tigers, but Clemson’s schedule has been more grueling. Clemson also has eight straight wins in ACC Championship settings, and Dabo Swinney knows how to handle this week.

Big Ten: No. 3 Penn State vs. No. 1 Oregon

Only one power-conference team reached this season’s conference championship weekend without a loss, and that was the Oregon Ducks. The Ducks will face the Penn State Nittany Lions in Oregon’s first trip to the Big Ten Championship Game since joining the conference. 

Though Oregon’s schedule was not the most grueling, it did feature wins over Boise State, Illinois, Michigan and Ohio State, and the Ducks punctuated their 12-0 run with a blowout win over Washington last week. Dan Lanning’s team had only one narrow win over the last six games, producing five blowouts along the way, and Oregon is No. 1 in the country in all available rankings.

Penn State received help from the Michigan Wolverines a week ago, as the Nittany Lions advanced only after Ohio State’s stunning loss. Still, James Franklin’s team is 11-1 this season, losing only in a one-score game to the Buckeyes. The Nittany Lions are looking for their fifth Big Ten title and their first since 2016.

Bet to consider: Oregon -3.5 (-105, DraftKings)

Oregon has been the best team in the country to this point, and that does not project to change in Indianapolis. It is notable that this number is more than a field goal, but Penn State’s struggles in big games are difficult to ignore. James Franklin is only 1-13 as Penn State’s head coach against top-five opponents, and Dan Lanning’s team should be well-prepared for this game.

Oregon rates as a top-flight team on both sides of the ball, and the Ducks can make life difficult for the Penn State offense. The Ducks are also 2-0 against the spread against ranked opponents this season, while the Nittany Lions posting a 0-2 ATS mark against ranked foes.