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KSL.com Sports' College Football Pick'em conference championships preview

J.Johnson3 months ago

Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes

SALT LAKE CITY — It's time to crown conference champions in this week's KSL.com Sports' College Football Pick'em.

Make your picks here .

No. 5 Oregon (11-1) vs. No. 3 Washington (12-0)

Friday, Dec. 1 at 6 p.m. MST (ABC)

A College football playoff berth and potentially a Heisman on the line in the Pac-12 title game.

Why Oregon will win: Michael Penix Jr. and the Huskies might be undefeated, but Bo Nix is the current favorite to win the Heisman.

Nix leads the nation in passing yards with 3,906 and trails only LSU's Jayden Daniels in touchdown passes with 37. The Ducks haven't played a close game since the 36-33 loss to Washington on Oct. 14, winning their last six games by an average of 26 points, including a 31-7 win over Oregon State last week.

Why Washington will win: The Huskies didn't lose the last time these teams met and haven't lost a game all year.

Washington's limits were tested down the stretch with just 22 and 24 points scored in the final two games, and defeating Oregon State and Washington State by a combined 5 points. A return to peak offensive form would all but guarantee the final Pac-12 title and potentially a Heisman trophy for Penix Jr.

Line: Oregon -9.5

Over/under:

No. 18 Oklahoma State (9-3) vs. No. 7 Texas (11-1)

Saturday, Dec. 2 at 10 a.m. MST (ABC)

The Longhorns are looking to take the Big 12 title in their final season in the conference.

Why Oklahoma State will win: Where there's an Ollie, there's a way.

Running back Ollie Gordon II ran for 166 yards and five touchdowns last week against BYU to reach 20 scores on the year and to send the Cowboys to the Big 12 title game.

Why Texas will win: It wasn't always pretty, but the Longhorns made it to the postseason with just one loss, falling 34-30 to Oklahoma on Oct. 7.

Quarterback Quinn Ewers has 17 touchdowns and five interceptions on 2,709 passing yards, and Texas smoked Texas Tech 57-7 last week to gain some momentum heading into its biggest postseason in over a decade.

Line: Texas -15.5

Over/under:

Boise State (7-5) vs. UNLV (9-3)

Saturday, Dec. 2 at 1 p.m. MST (FOX)

A Mountain West championship on the line in Las Vegas.

Why Boise State will win: It's not often a five-loss team makes a conference championship, but the Broncos finished 6-2 in Mountain West play with three straight wins to close out the regular season and make it to Vegas.

Running back Ashton Jeanty has been the story of this team, with 13 touchdowns on 1,113 rushing yards.

Why UNLV will win: The Rebels led the Mountain West for much of the season before a regular-season finale loss to San Jose State that almost put the Spartans in the title game.

Quarterback Jayden Maiava has 14 touchdowns and six interceptions on 2,628 passing yards, the third-best total in the Mountain West.

Line: Boise State -2.5

Over/under:

No. 1 Georgia (12-0) vs. No. 8 Alabama (11-1)

Saturday, Dec. 2 at 2 p.m. MST (CBS)

Can the Crimson Tide pull off another miracle to upset the Bulldogs in the SEC title game?

Why Georgia will win: The Bulldogs made it through three top-20 teams in the last four games of the regular season to finish undefeated.

Carson Beck has 22 touchdowns on 3,595 passing yards, and running back Kendall Milton has come alive down the stretch with five touchdowns over the last three games.

Why Alabama will win: It took a fourth-and-31 miracle against Auburn last week for the Crimson Tide to finish the regular season with just one loss, but they did it.

Jalen Milroe delivered a deep dime to the back of the end zone to complete a rocky but positive first season as Alabama's starting quarterback with 21 total touchdowns on almost 1,000 fewer yards than Beck.

Line: Georgia -6.0

Over/under:

No. 14 Louisville (10-2) vs. No. 4 Florida State (12-0)

Saturday, Dec. 2 at 6 p.m. MST (ABC)

Can the Cardinals take down the undefeated Seminoles in the ACC championship?

Why Louisville will win: The Cardinals almost finished the regular season with just one loss before falling by a touchdown to Kentucky last week.

Quarterback Jack Plummer will have to keep the turnovers in check with 11 picks on the year, but trusting in running back Jawhar Jordan with 13 touchdowns on the year should help the Cardinals stay in it.

Why Florida State will win: Quarterback Jordan Travis is done for the season, but Tate Rodemaker did enough in the final two games to complete the undefeated regular season.

The Seminoles still have elite talents on offense, with running back Trey Benson putting up 14 touchdowns and top NFL prospect Keon Coleman catching 11 touchdowns this season.

Line: FSU -2.5

Over/under:

Don't forget to make your picks here .