Outside of the playoffs, there is perhaps no bigger weekend in college football than the one we are about to watch. It is Conference Championship Weekend, which means that we will the all the conference champions crowned, but perhaps more importantly, we will know which 4 teams will be in the playoffs. Rather than their usual Tuesday announcement, the Playoff Committee will gather on Sunday and deliver their final rankings. The Cincinnati Bearcats have a shot at becoming the first Group of 5 team to make it into the postseason, but that only happens if they take down the Houston Cougars in the AAC Conference Championship Game. The Bearcats come into this huge game as a 10 ½ point favorite, with the point total for this one set at 52 ½. Let’s take a look at both teams and how they arrive to this Houston vs Cincinnati matchup so you can bet against their College Football odds.

College Football Betting: Houston Cougars vs Cincinnati Bearcats

Houston Cougars at Cincinnati – AAC Championship Game Info

• When: Saturday, December 4 at 4 PM EST
• Where: Nippert Stadium, Cincinnati
• TV: ABC

Why bet on the Houston Cougars

While all the focus here is in the Bearcats and their quest for a playoff spot, it would not be wise to overlook this Houston Cougars team, regardless of what the odds suggest. Since losing to the Texas Tech Red Raiders in the opening week of the season, the Cougars have been perfect, rolling of 11 straight wins, including a perfect 8-0 record in conference play. Offensively, their numbers are very similar to that of Cincinnati, so they can certainly hang with their opponent if it gets into shootout mode. They are, though, up against it here, as they have just 1 win in their last 7 visits to Cincinnati. Furthermore, they are just 2-8-1 ATS in their last 11 games versus Cincinnati overall. They have also failed to cover in each of their last 5 games played in the month of December. The OVER has hit in 6 of their last 9 games.

Why bet on the Cincinnati Bearcats

This is the biggest game of the season for both teams, but you have to say that almost all the pressure is on Cincinnati, as the playoffs beckon if they win. They do, though, have a huge advantage in that they will be playing this one on home field, where they have a 22-game win streak currently in progress. Again, the pressure here is greater than usual, so who know how much of an advantage home field will actually be. This is a team that has averaged 36 PPG this season and who deliver a balanced attack through the air and on the ground. As good as they have been, they are just 2-4 ATS in their last 6 games and just 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games played in the month of December. The UNDER has hit in 4 of their last 5 games this season.

Expert Pick and Final Score Prediction

I do like Cincinnati to come away with the win in this one, but I am a little concerned about that point spread, especially when you consider how good the Cougars are on the offensive side of the football. I like the OVER in this one and the Cougars to cover.

Pick: Houston Cougars 30 Cincinnati Bearcats 35