College football predictions: Utah vs. USC, Kansas State vs. TCU, more

Conference championship weekend is finally upon us as the top teams in college football enter their final opportunity to make their case ahead of bowl season — or, for those select few, to sway the committee and earn a spot in the College Football Playoff.

With 20 teams vying for a conference crown over this jam-packed weekend, there’s no shortage of side bets to target across all 10 title matchups. Here are our favorite wagers at BetMGM heading into championship weekend, which kicks off early Friday:

Utah (+2.5) vs. USC (8 p.m. Eastern, Fox)

USC may be the hottest name in the Pac-12 right now, but Utah was the victor when these teams squared off in that thrilling 43-42 win back on Oct. 15. And it feels as if the Utes are being disrespected ahead of Friday’s rematch.

The Trojans’ offense has been electric behind Caleb Williams’ late-season heroics, yet this defense remains a serious concern after allowing 35-plus points in four of six games dating back to that Week 7 loss in Utah. That doesn’t count last week’s showing against Notre Dame, which finished with 408 yards and 22 first downs but scored just 27 points.

The Utes’ three losses don’t tell the full story — they’ve won five of their last six games with a lone loss at Oregon, which was coming off its first home loss in its last 24 tries. If USC can’t keep Cameron Rising in check on Friday, Round 2 could look awfully familiar for Trojan bettors.

Kansas State (+2.5) vs. TCU (12 p.m. Eastern, ABC)

The pressure is mounting for TCU to cap off an undefeated season in Sonny Dykes’ first year at the helm and earn this program’s first-ever trip to the playoff. I’m skeptical of the Horned Frogs’ ability to quiet the noise and survive a second test against Kansas State, which should have won that Week 8 clash and has seemingly used that stunning loss to fuel a second-half surge.

The Wildcats held a 28-10 lead in that first meeting before surrendering 28 straight points in the loss, but they’ve won four of five since and outscored their opponents by 21.2 points per game. That comes in sharp contrast to TCU, which had won seven straight games by 10 points or fewer before beating up on Iowa State a week ago.

That sort of good fortune in close games catches up to teams eventually, especially when matched up with an opponent that feels jilted from how the last meeting turned out. I’d expect Kansas State coach Chris Klieman to have a better plan on Saturday to (finally) end the Horned Frogs’ perfect season.

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Clemson vs. North Carolina under 63.5 total points (8 p.m., Eastern, ABC)

This total is clearly priced off the gaudy offensive numbers for these teams across the entire season. That simply doesn’t reflect the reality for both units heading into Saturday’s affair.

Clemson needed a pick-six and a safety last week just to score 30 points thanks to another concerning performance from slumping junior D.J. Uiagalelei (8-for-29, 99 yards). He’s thrown an interception in four of his last five games and exceeded 200 passing yards just once in that stretch, a key reason why the Tigers have averaged fewer than 30 points in that run.

Similarly, former Heisman hopeful Drake Maye has cooled off considerably over the last two weeks, leading North Carolina to its two lowest scoring totals (17, 27) of the season. These teams have seen a combined final score of 64-plus points just eight times in 24 games between them (33.3 percent), and I don’t expect this matchup to clear such an ambitious mark, either.