2011 College Football: Week 14 Picks Against the Spread

The 2011 college football season is winding down, and this week's schedule is dominated by conference championship games.

Underdogs have definitely been barking in the closing weeks, posting a 384-360-9 against the spread record through the first 13 rounds of action.

Let's take a closer look at Week 14 from a betting perspective.

West Virginia Mountaineers at South Florida Bulls

The West Virginia Mountaineers are coming off a highly-emotional 21-20 win over the Pittsburgh Panthers in the Backyard Brawl and will now have to quickly refocus for this particular contest.

South Florida has fallen on hard times, dropping six of seven games, including a 34-24 home loss to the Louisville Cardinals as 5.5-point home favorites last Friday.

The Bulls need this game to become bowl-eligible, and the home team has proven victorious in the last four meetings.

Bettors will also find that the underdog is enjoying a nice 4-1 ATS mark in this series.

Pick: South Florida Bulls (+1.5)

UCLA Bruins at Oregon Ducks

The Oregon Ducks bounced back from suffering a 38-35 home defeat to the USC Trojans in Week 12, handing the Oregon State Beavers a 49-21 blowout loss in the Civil War between the Pac-12 Conference rivals.

Ducks head coach Chip Kelly will lead his team to a Rose Bowl berth with a victory in the inaugural conference championship game, which should have Autzen Stadium rocking.

UCLA was dominated in its crosstown rivalry game and has failed to cover its last three road games by a combined 83 points.

I'm still not eager to lay this type of number.

Pick: UCLA Bruins (+31)

Southern Miss Golden Eagles at Houston Cougars

The Houston Cougars may find themselves in a BCS bowl game if they come out of this Saturday's Conference USA championship game with a win over the Southern Miss Golden Eagles.

Cougars star quarterback Case Keenum leads a passing attack that will make things difficult for the Golden Eagles, which will ultimately be the difference.

Bettors will also gain comfort in the home team covering the last five meetings.

Pick: Houston Cougars (-13)

Georgia Bulldogs vs. LSU Tigers

The LSU Tigers are likely in the BCS National Championship Game regardless of Saturday's result inside the Georgia Dome, while the Georgia Bulldogs are looking to crash into a major bowl game.

Georgia has rattled off 10 consecutive wins since starting the season 0-2, but has not played the likes of Alabama or LSU this season. Its last trip inside this venue resulted in a 35-21 season-opening loss to the Boise State Broncos.

From a situational standpoint, this particular series hasn't seen a double-digit spread since at least 1990, something that I'm not about to lay here.

Pick: Georgia Bulldogs (+11)

Oklahoma Sooners at Oklahoma State Cowboys

The Oklahoma State Cowboys were idle last week after suffering a 37-31 overtime loss to the Iowa State Cyclones as 26.5-point road favorites on Nov. 26.

Oklahoma out-gained Oklahoma State by 211 yards in last year's 47-41 win as 2.5-point road favorites, but will certainly miss senior wide receiver Ryan Broyles' experience in this rivalry matchup.

Both Cowboys quarterback Brandon Weeden and the Sooners' Landry Jones threw three interceptions in Stillwater in 2010, which could make turnovers a key to this game.

Saturday's host is one of the best at creating them, which will prove to be the difference.

Pick: Oklahoma State Cowboys (-3)

Clemson Tigers vs. Virginia Tech Hokies

The Virginia Tech Hokies are back in a familiar spot, taking part in another ACC championship game inside Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte.

Hokies head coach Frank Beamer will have no trouble getting his troops motivated for this contest, seeking revenge for a 23-3 home loss to the Clemson Tigers as seven-point home favorites on Oct. 1.

Clemson has dropped two consecutive games, but may have been caught looking ahead to this showdown.

Tremendous value is found on the underdog.

Pick: Clemson Tigers (+7)

Michigan State Spartans vs. Wisconsin Badgers

The Wisconsin Badgers were in full control of this year's earlier meeting until Michigan State sacked quarterback Russell Wilson with 13:10 remaining in the second quarter. Michigan State cut the deficit to 14-2 with that momentum-swinging play and went into the break with a 23-14 lead.

The Spartans ended up winning the game inside Spartan Stadium on a Hail Mary pass that ended the Badgers' hopes of potentially running the table and playing for the national title.

Wisconsin may get its revenge, but Michigan State will have defensive star William Gholston on the field, who missed the first meeting on Oct. 22 due to a suspension.

Pick: Michigan State Spartans (+10)