The Pac-12 starts conference play this weekend, so all of the Power 5 conferences will be up and running. The AAC also has Cincinnati and SMU, two teams that can pour on the offense (but the Bearcats are the class of the conference in terms of defense). As we approach the question of the College Football Playoff, we see that each of the major conferences has some titanic matchups coming this weekend. Who will win each conference?
If online betting on college football futures is part of your wagering, take a look at our thoughts about the four Power 5 conferences that have been playing football, along with the AAC.
NCAA News: Updated Conference Winners
ACC (Clemson / Notre Dame)
Clemson did not have Trevor Lawrence at quarterback on Saturday against BC, and the Tigers fell into a 28-10 hole against the Eagles. However, Travis Etienne put Clemson on his back and carried them to a 34-28 win, pulling off the biggest comeback in the history of the school. This week it won’t be as easy, as the top-ranked Tigers visit #4 Notre Dame in a conference game; this year, Notre Dame, usually an independent, is competing in the ACC as a football team instead of just all of the other sports, because of issues with scheduling games due to COVID-19. Saturday’s matchup could be a preview of the ACC Championship. These teams could split the two meetings, leaving one to win the ACC and the other to take another playoff spot, assuming they only have one loss.
Big 12 (Iowa State)
Oklahoma State had four turnovers in a home overtime loss to Texas this past weekend. They also made multiple mistakes on special teams. The other Big 12 unbeaten coming into last weekend was Kansas State, who got dismantled by West Virginia. The upshot is that neither team will go to the College Football Playoff now, but there are still a lot of teams who could grab the title. Oklahoma started 0-2 in Big 12 play but is now 3-2, and Texas is just a game out of first in the loss column. Right now, Iowa State is looking the steadiest of the top teams in the conference, and they’ve beaten Oklahoma already.
Big Ten (Ohio State)
Minnesota is already 0-2. Michigan lost at home to Michigan State despite coming in as a 21 ½-point favorite. Indiana and Northwestern are both 2-0. The only hint of normalcy from the Big Ten is Ohio State, who has rolled to a 2-0 start. Wisconsin actually has a quarterback who can throw the ball down the field, in Graham Mertz, and given their stout running game and play on both lines, that makes them a major threat…but Mertz, his backup and a number of other Badgers are in the COVID-19 protocol, which has cost them last week’s game against Nebraska and will cost them Saturday’s tilt with Purdue, so it’s hard to see them bouncing back from that to win the Big Ten West. For now, the Buckeyes have a hammerlock on the conference after beating the Nittany Lions last week.
SEC (Alabama)
Until someone beats Alabama, as happened last year when they met LSU, they’re the team to beat in the SEC. LSU has vanished from contention, now looking headed to a sub-.500 season. Frustrations emerged in a brawl between Missouri and Florida, in which Florida coach Dan Mullen showed more energy than half the players, earning a $25,000 fine for egging the situation on. This week, Florida plays Georgia in Jacksonville in the game that will likely determine the SEC East champion. But even if Georgia wins the division, they’ve already lost to Alabama this year.
AAC (Cincinnati)
Cincinnati has a terrific quarterback who can throw the ball down the field and burn defenses with his speed. The Bearcats have earned their #6 ranking in the national polls. It will be interesting to see what happens if they beat Houston this weekend and Clemson routs Notre Dame, or Florida takes down #5 Georgia.
College Football Betting Odds
Love betting NCAA football? | Xbet Sportsbook offers up to date college football lines
