2011 College Football: Week 12 Picks Against the Spread

The 2011 college football regular season is starting to wind down, and many teams around the country are positioning themselves for the upcoming bowl season.

Professional sports bettors definitely know that certain teams will remain highly-motivated, while others may start packing it in for the winter.

Let's take a look at some of this week's top games from a betting perspective.

Ohio Bobcats at Bowling Green Falcons

The Ohio Bobcats are completely focused on winning the Mid-American Conference this year and are just two wins away from winning the East division title.

That sets up well for bettors, with the winner in this series covering nine consecutive meetings in the series.

The program has also tallied an 8-1 against-the-spread (ATS) mark in weekday affairs, including covers in both opportunities in 2011.

Pick: Ohio Bobcats (-6.5)

North Carolina Tar Heels at Virginia Tech Hokies

The Virginia Tech Hokies have rattled off five consecutive wins, including a 37-26 victory over the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets as two-point road favorites last Saturday.

North Carolina Tar Heels quarterback Bryn Renner is listed as questionable due to concussion symptoms, but with the team's last game being played on Nov. 5, he will likely be under center for this prime-time affair.

Bettors will find that the Tar Heels are 2-0 ATS as an underdog of 10.5 to 21 points, while the Hokies are 0-4 ATS as a favorite within the same range.

Pick: North Carolina Tar Heels (+11)

Louisville Cardinals at Connecticut Huskies

All the talk out of Louisville has been centered around the immaturity of the football program after suffering a 21-14 loss to the Pittsburgh Panthers as three-point home favorites Saturday.

The team was feeling good when entering on a three-game win streak, which came directly after three consecutive losses.

The Connecticut Huskies aren't going to have you running to the windows, but the program is 7-0 ATS in November the last two-plus seasons.

I'm not about to lay the small number with a youthful roster that will likely be dressing up as road favorites for the first time.

Pick: Connecticut Huskies (+1)

Arizona Wildcats at Arizona State Sun Devils

The Arizona Wildcats have nothing to play for with a 2-8 record, but an in-state rivalry against an opponent that can't defend the pass will likely have quarterback Nick Foles motivated in practice this week.

It's going to be very hard for the Arizona State Sun Devils to cover a double-digit spread when bringing in the nation's 98th-ranked pass defense, especially when facing a signal-caller that has already thrown for 3,607 yards and 23 touchdowns this season.

Foles will do just enough to move the underdog to 7-1 ATS in this series.

Pick: Arizona Wildcats (+10.5)

Oregon Ducks at USC Trojans

The Oregon Ducks have plenty to play for after registering a convincing 53-30 win over the Stanford Cardinal as 2.5-point road underdogs, moving up to the No. 4 spot in the most recent BCS standings.

With an impressive showing in this week's contest against the USC Trojans, it's likely the program will move ahead of the Alabama Crimson Tide in the rankings.

USC has lost the rushing battle in two games this season, failing to cover each contest.

The Trojans will not out-gain the Ducks on the ground inside Autzen Stadium.

Oregon is a dominating 19-7-2 ATS as a home favorite of 10.5 or more points, while the home team in this series has come away with the cash in four of the last five meetings.

Pick: Oregon Ducks (-14.5)

Penn State Nittany Lions at Ohio State Buckeyes

The Penn State Nittany Lions suffered through one of the more emotional weeks in the program's history, losing a 17-14 affair as three-point home underdogs to the Nebraska Cornhuskers.

With everything that's about to transpire with the firing of head coach Joe Paterno, bettors shouldn't expect a heroic effort in this one.

The Ohio State Buckeyes have also covered with ease in the last three meetings when favored, including a 38-14 home win last year.

The home faithful inside Ohio Stadium will watch their beloved team move to 8-1 ATS when hosting in this series come Saturday.

Pick: Ohio State Buckeyes (-6.5)

Boise State Broncos at San Diego State Aztecs

The picture inside this slide says it all: the Boise State Broncos have no chance of reaching the BCS Championship Game due to last week's 36-35 loss to the TCU Horned Frogs as 16-point home favorites.

I'm not about to lay the same type of number on the road, especially with a deflated football program that held a lead late in the fourth quarter.

The San Diego State Aztecs have covered their only opportunity as a home underdog of 14.5 to 17 points the last two-plus seasons.

Pick: San Diego State Aztecs (+16.5)

SMU Mustangs at Houston Cougars

The SMU Mustangs got caught looking ahead to this Conference-USA showdown last week, dropping a 24-17 contest to the Navy Midshipmen as eight-point home favorites.

Houston has been scoring at will this season, averaging 54.7 points and 628.8 yards per game.

Before laying this type of number, it's important to note that the Cougars have failed to cover the number in four consecutive games versus winning teams.

The underdog is also 5-2 ATS in the series.

Pick: SMU Mustangs (+20)

California Golden Bears at Stanford Cardinal

The California Golden Bears are playing their best football of the season, but maybe it was due to playing back-to-back home games against the Washington State Cougars and Oregon State Beavers.

Stanford Cardinal quarterback Andrew Luck watched his team drop a 53-30 decision to the Oregon Ducks on Saturday night as a 2.5-point home favorite.

The loss ended any chance of a BCS Championship Game berth, while also potentially eliminating the squad's chances of reaching the Rose Bowl.

I'm deflated just writing this slide.

I wonder how Stanford feels.

Pick: California Golden Bears (+20)

Mississippi State Bulldogs at Arkansas Razorbacks

The Arkansas Razorbacks' entire season rides on next week's game against the LSU Tigers.

Mississippi State needs to register wins in the final two weeks of the season to become bowl eligible.

Sounds like an underdog situation to me, especially with the team getting points walking away with the cash in 11 of the last 16 meetings.

Pick: Mississippi State Bulldogs (+13)