Week 16 is a bit of a hybrid in college football this year, as the conference championships are underway, along with the Tropical Smoothie Cafe Frisco Bowl, set to feature Texas-San Antonio and Southern Methodist University. There are also teams playing make-ups of regular season matchups that were postponed due to COVID-19, even though they cannot qualify for their conference championships.There is a lot of intrigue in the ACC Championship; if Notre Dame can dispatch Clemson a second time, it would definitely bring some conversations as to whether Clemson deserves to be in with two losses — especially if Texas A&M can remain a one-loss team and if Cincinnati can knock off Tulsa to remain unbeaten as AAC champion. Should Ohio State qualify as a six-win team, if they beat Northwestern in the Big Ten Championship after the conference adjusted their rules to allow Ohio State to compete for the title despite having had three regular season games canceled?
Lots of questions — and we also have two parlay picks for your college football betting consideration.
NCAA News: Parlay Picks for Week 16
Make Money Mixing Mimosas (Early Parlay)
Northwestern (+21) vs Ohio State / Oklahoma (-6) vs Iowa State (12:00 pm ET)
Northwestern and Ohio State meet for the Big Ten title. Northwestern has posted a 6-1 record on the season, with their only loss coming in a somewhat shocking loss at Michigan State. Every team in the Big Ten, with the exception of Ohio State and Indiana, has at least one ugly loss on its resume (and Indiana got their loss by pushing Ohio State hard and losing by just seven). That loss at Michigan State is why this line is 21 points. It also doesn’t help that Northwestern is a slow, grinding team on offense, with three different tailbacks having put up over 200 yards through seven games. Quarterback Peyton Ramsey had nine touchdown passes — but also six picks. Northwestern has a stingy defense, led by Paddy Fisher’s 37 solo tackles and Brandon Joseph’s five picks.
Justin Field threw 15 touchdown passes against just three picks, stacking up 1,407 passing yards in five games. Tailback Master Teague III led Ohio State on the ground with 426 yards and six scores. Fields also ran for 239 yards and five touchdowns. The Ohio State defense has not been all that stout, but they haven’t had to be, as the Buckeyes’ offense has scored mostly at will all season long. But can they stay three touchdowns ahead of Northwestern? They need to if they want to make a solid case for making the College Football Playoff.
It’s interesting that Iowa State is ranked ahead of Oklahoma, and has already beaten Oklahoma once, yet comes in as a six-point underdog. The Sooners have won six in a row, with Spencer Rattler throwing seven touchdown passes over his last three games. On defense, the Sooners have tightened up down the stretch, now permitting just 22 points per game.
Iowa State has a five-game winning streak, and Brock Purdy has put up solid numbers in the passing game as well, with a 17:6 TD:INT ratio. His top targets have been Charlie Kolar and Xavier Hutchinson. Tailback Breece Hall has put up a terrific season with 1,357 yards and 17 touchdowns. On defense, the Cyclones have permitted 21.3 points per game, behind 81 tackles from Mike Rose and 8 ½ sacks from Will McDonald. Oklahoma might be able to win the rematch, but by a touchdown?
Parlay Pick:
Northwestern to cover / Iowa State to cover
Feast and Famine (Evening Parlay)
Alabama (-17) vs Florida / Tulsa (+12.5) at Cincinnati
This SEC Championship looked interesting after Florida rolled Georgia. However, all of that came to a screeching halt on a foggy evening, as Florida saw its College Football Playoff hopes likely dashed by a 37-34 loss to unranked LSU. Could a win over Alabama get the Gators in? It is possible, but it is hard to say that anyone considered that a possibility. Now the line is Alabama by 17, and you will have a hard time convincing me that Florida can dust themselves off mentally and come out and compete with the Tide. Mac Jones has thrown for 3,321 yards, 27 scores and just three picks in 10 games, and while Florida can score in bunches, their defense won’t stop the Tide.
Tulsa and Cincinnati were scheduled to meet last weekend too, in the regular season finale, but COVID-19 cases in the Cincinnati program caused that game’s cancellation. Tulsa, at 6-1, comes in on a six-game winning streak, with wins over SMU, Tulane and Navy — all in cardiac fashion, coming back late. Cincinnati, at 8-0, has not been challenged much this season, except for a 36-33 nailbiter in their last game, a win over UCF. Cincinnati has a dual-threat quarterback in Desmond Ridder who can win games with his arm and with his feet.
Parlay Pick:
Alabama to win and cover / Cincinnati to win and cover
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