College Football Odds Week 12: Picks, Score Predictions for Top 25 Teams

It's going to take a lot for college football's Week 12 action to match the sheer insanity that was Week 11. 

The College Football Playoff race took a turn toward crazy with Nos. 2, 3 and 4 all facing upset losses in the same week. Now, the deck has been reshuffled in time for a slate that includes many a tough game for ranked foes, including three games in which ranked teams will take on each other. 

This is where the season starts to get interesting. Each game starts to impact hypothetical scenarios, and the field of teams that will actually have the opportunity to play for the national championship gets clearer every week. 

Here's a look at the complete schedule for Top 25 teams, the latest spreads from Odds Shark and a look at some of the top games of the week. 

Rank	Team	Opponent	ATS Pick
1	Alabama	vs. Chattanooga	N/A
2	Ohio State	at Michigan State	MSU +22
3	Louisville	at Houston	HOU +14.5
4	Michigan	vs. Indiana	MICH -24
5	Clemson	at Wake Forest	CLEM -22.5
6	Wisconsin	at Purdue	WISC -28
7	Washington	vs. Arizona State	WAS -27
8	Oklahoma	at No. 10 West Virginia	WVU +3
9	Penn State	at Rutgers	RUTG +28
10	West Virginia	vs. No. 8 Oklahoma	WVU +3
11	Utah	vs. Oregon	UTAH -14.5
12	Colorado	vs. No. 20 Washington State	CU -4.5
13	Oklahoma State	at TCU	TCU -4
14	Western Michigan	vs. Buffalo	BUFF +35
15	USC	at UCLA	USC -13
16	LSU	vs. No. 21 Florida	:LSU -13.5
17	Florida State	at Syracuse	CUSE +21
18	Auburn	vs. Alabama A&M	N/A
19	Nebraska	vs. Maryland	NEB -13
20	Washington State	at No. 12 Colorado	CU-4.5
21	Florida	at No. 16 LSU	LSU -13.5
22	Boise State	vs. UNLV	BSU -28
23	Texas A&M	vs. UTSA	TAMU -27.5
24	San Diego State	at Wyoming	SDSU -10
25	Troy	vs. Arkansas State	TROY -8

Louisville Cardinals at Houston Cougars

Remember when this game was circled on the calendar at the beginning of the season? This—along with the Oklahoma game the Cougars won—was to be the matchup that decided if Houston was worthy of the College Football Playoff. 

The college football season comes at ya fast. 

The Cougars might not have lived up to expectations, but this game still has playoff implications. 

The Louisville Cardinals are still in contention for a spot. According to Ed Feng and Bleacher Report's numbers, the Cardinals have the third-best odds to be included in the final field:

However, what was once considered a huge spot for the Cougars has now become a trap for Louisville. 

Despite the lack of coverage and stakes we figured would surround this game when the Cougars toppled the Sooners and became playoff contenders, it's still a game the team is going to be up for. 

"It's like playing Oklahoma again," linebacker Steven Taylor said, per Joseph Duarte of the Houston Chronicle. "There's going to be a lot of energy. We're going to come out attacking."

Slowing down Heisman Trophy candidate Lamar Jackson won't be an easy task, but the Cougars have a quarterback of their own who is going to be hard for Louisville's athletic front seven to track down in Greg Ward. The electric playmaker is recovering from a shoulder injury but says he'll be ready to go come game time, per Duarte:

This game might not have the feel it once did, as Houston is coming in with two losses, but it still has the potential to be the big upset of the week, as the Cougars can draw Louisville into a shootout on the road. 

Cardinals 42, Houston 38

Oklahoma Sooners at West Virginia Mountaineers

Joshua Gateley/Getty Images

For those clamoring to see a Big 12 championship game, Week 12 is as close as you'll get in 2016. The winner of this will be in the driver's seat in the conference. 

The Sooners have yet to drop a game in conference play but do have two losses outside the conference, while West Virginia's only blemish was a road loss to Oklahoma State. 

The matchup to watch in this game will be the Sooners offense against the Mountaineers defense. It's no secret that the Oklahoma defense has not been great this season. Some say that Patrick Mahomes is still scoring touchdowns against the secondary to this day. 

The Sooners have thrived on being able to outscore all opponents, and given the relative lack of strong defenses in the conference, that's been a good way to play. However, the West Virginia defense is best equipped to slow them down.

The Mountaineers are first in the conference in passing yards allowed per attempt at 6.5 and second in quarterback rating allowed. 

Oklahoma WR Dede Westbrook Is Shattering Records & Entering Heisman Race

Dede Westbrook is obviously the biggest threat. Baker Mayfield's favorite target has 1,254 yards and 14 touchdowns on the season.

However, WVU has a corner who may have the skills to contain the dynamic receiver. According to Pro Football Focus, Rasul Douglas has been the closest thing to a shutdown corner the conference has:

The Sooners are slight favorites in this game, but going on the road against the best defense in the conference is a tough spot. The Mountaineers should prevail as slight underdogs for the second time in two weeks. 

West Virginia 28, Oklahoma 21

Washington State Cougars at Colorado Buffaloes

Christian Petersen/Getty Images

This matchup and the West Virginia-Oklahoma game are kindred spirits.

Both have high stakes in the race to be conference champion. Washington State and Colorado sit atop their respective divisions going into the game. 

Both feature a high-profile passing attack against one of the top defenses in the conference. Much has been made of Luke Falk and Mike Leach's high-powered offense, but if there's a team equipped to slow them down in the conference, it's the Buffs. 

Colorado's defense is ninth in the nation in Football Outsiders' S&P+ rankings overall and 12th in defending the pass. 

That will be important in this one, as stopping Falk has to be top priority. As Chris Low of ESPN notes, Falk has been playing the game on junior varsity difficulty in his last three games against California, Arizona and Oregon State:

That difficulty will definitely be increased on Saturday, though. 

Much like the West Virginia-Oklahoma game, the Buffs defense against the pass and the fact that they are at home should be the deciding factors. The Colorado offense is explosive in its own right with dual-threat quarterback Sefo Liufau, and the defense is first in passer rating allowed in the conference. 

Look for Falk's string of amazing stat lines to come to an end as Colorado does just enough to limit the offense and outpace the Cougars at home. 

Colorado 38, Washington State 30