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Here’s a look at some betting angles for a couple of college football conference championship games:
Clemson vs. Notre Dame, ACC
A movie sequel rarely tops the original, and this season’s first Clemson-Notre Dame duel was arguably the best game of the season to date. The Fighting Irish won 47-40 in double overtime Nov. 7 after senior quarterback Ian Book capped a dramatic 91-yard drive with a tying 4-yard touchdown pass with 22 seconds left in regulation. Notre Dame’s win as a 5.5-point home underdog sets the stage for the sequel.
Something was missing, however, in the teams’ first meeting — Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who figures to be the star of this show. Last month, with Lawrence sidelined by COVID-19, freshman D.J. Uiagalelei passed for 439 yards and two touchdowns. Uiagalelei was not the reason the Tigers came up short. Clemson’s defense allowed 518 total yards and the Tigers’ star running back, Travis Etienne, was limited to a season-low 28 yards on 18 carries. Book triggered the Irish attack by accounting for 377 total yards (310 passing, 67 rushing), and freshman Kyren Williams carried 23 times for 140 yards and three touchdowns, including a 65-yard run in the first minute.
The Tigers were beat up with defensive injuries at the time but are closer to full strength now. Lawrence returned to start the last two games and completed 64.4 percent of his passes for 598 yards and three touchdowns as Clemson outscored Pittsburgh and Virginia Tech by a combined 97-27. The Irish avoided potential flat spots on the road by following the Clemson upset with double-digit wins at Boston College and North Carolina.
The ACC made a business decision by giving Clemson and Notre Dame byes last week and advancing both teams to the league title game. If the Tigers and Irish each claim spots in the four-team playoff, they could meet for a third time.
Book triggered the Irish attack by accounting for 377 total yards (310 passing, 67 rushing), and freshman Kyren Williams carried 23 times for 140 yards and three touchdowns, including a 65-yard run in the first minute.
The Tigers were beat up with defensive injuries at the time, but are closer to full strength now. Lawrence returned to start the past two games and completed 64.4 percent of his passes for 598 yards and three touchdowns as Clemson outscored Pittsburgh and Virginia Tech by a combined 97-27. The Irish avoided potential flat spots on the road by following the upset of Clemson with double-digit wins at Boston College and North Carolina. The ACC made a business decision by giving Clemson and Notre Dame byes last week and advancing both teams to the league title game. If the Tigers and Irish each claim spots in the four-team playoff, they could meet for a third time.
Clemson is favored by 10.5 points, and oddsmakers inflated the line based on the popular expectation that the Tigers will win the rematch with Lawrence leading the way. Notre Dame is a likely playoff team even with a loss, although a bad showing in a blowout could change things. The Irish defense is legit, so the underdog should put up a good fight.
Oklahoma vs. Iowa State, Big 12
While the Big 12 is out of the College Football Playoff, a New Year’s Six bowl bid will be on the line when Oklahoma and Iowa State meet in the conference championship game. It’s a rematch of their Oct. 3 meeting in Ames, Iowa, where the Cyclones upset the Sooners 37-30 as 7.5-point home underdogs.
Oklahoma had its annual goal of making the CFP, but a 1-2 start put that goal out of reach. Nonetheless, the Sooners have won six straight to reach the league title game for the eighth time in nine years. Iowa State is making its first appearance in the game. In fact, Iowa State can win its first conference title in football since 1912, when the Cyclones won the Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association.
Matt Campbell has taken the program to a higher level with a combination of his recruits and those of predecessor Paul Rhoads. The Cyclones have 13 fifth-year seniors, while Oklahoma has just three.
The line opened Oklahoma -7, but support has come for Iowa State, and the Sooners are now just 6-point favorites at BetMGM. Oklahoma is the more experienced program on the big stage, but Iowa State is the more veteran team. Will the moment be too big for the Cyclones? Or has Campbell finally cemented the program on a different level?
