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College Football Week 14 Odds: Early Lines for Georgia vs. Alabama, More
November 25, 2018
The odds are out for college football's championship week.
In the most anticipated matchup, the top-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide are 10-point favorites over the Georgia Bulldogs. The Texas Longhorns are also eight-point underdogs to the Oklahoma Sooners despite beating Oklahoma earlier in the year.
The 10-point spread in the SEC title game speaks to Alabama's dominance this season.
The Crimson Tide lead by just three points at halftime of the Iron Bowl before rolling to a 52-21 win. Alabama outgained its in-state rival 500-283, and Tua Tagovailoa went 25-of-32 passing for 324 yards and five touchdowns. The 31-point margin of victory meant Alabama won each of its first 12 games by at least 20 points.
Georgia is 13th in total offense, averaging 480.8 yards per game, and the running back duo of Elijah Holyfield and D'Andre Swift could slowly wear down the Alabama defense over the course of the 60 minutes.
The SEC Championship Game could turn into a blowout—much like every other game Alabama has played this year—but Georgia could make it closer than the opening spread.
Fans might want to stay away from the Big 12 Championship Game altogether because of Oklahoma's porous defense.
The Sooners have enough offensive firepower to hold their own against any team in the country. The defense is another matter.
Oklahoma has allowed 40 points in each of their last four games, with three decided by five or fewer points. According to Football Outsiders, the team is 84th in S&P+ defensive rating.
Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger is completing 66.4 percent of his passes and has 10 touchdowns to two interceptions in the month of November, per ESPN.com. He also threw for 314 yards and two touchdowns in the Longhorns' three-point win over Oklahoma in October.
Even if Texas is unsuccessful in trying to upset the Sooners, Ehlinger might do enough to keep the margin of defeat closer than the oddsmakers expect.
The ACC and Big Ten title games have national title implications. The Clemson Tigers will be into the College Football Playoff as long as they lock up a conference championship, while the Ohio State Buckeyes could play themselves into the semifinals with a convincing performance against the Northwestern Wildcats.
Clemson has generally rolled over its conference foes, while Ohio State is fresh off a 62-39 manhandling of the Michigan Wolverines. The two should cover their respective spreads Saturday.