College football betting, Week 12: Picking USC-UCLA and five other top picks

Both Oregon and UCLA lost as double-digit favorites last Saturday. Only USC has a chance to reach the College Football Playoff. USC plays against crosstown rival UCLA this week. TCU, Tennessee, Clemson, North Carolina and LSU also need to win to stay in the CFP hunt. The penultimate week of the regular season is sure to bring more carnage.

No. 7 USC plays No. 16 UCLA on Saturday at 8 p.m. (FOX). The game is the biggest Crosstown Rivalry game in years. The teams have similar strengths of schedule and similar offenses. UCLA has home field and less pressure.

Illinois is at No. 3 Michigan (-18) on ABC. Illinois has lost two games in a row and is on a two-game losing streak. Michigan is No 19 nationally in yards per play and more than a full yard better per snap than Illinois.

K-State is playing West Virginia at 2 p.m. on ESPN+. West Vrity beat Oklahoma last week. K-state has been as up and down as any good team in the country. The Wildcats have been significantly better than WVU in almost every statistical category.

No. 2 Ohio State is 1-2 against the spread on the road and must cover a big number to beat Maryland. The Terrapins' offense has struggled lately behind Taulia Tagovailoa, who may still be nursing a knee injury. Maryland has been 4-1 at home and has a better record than Ohio.

Western Kentucky is a team that has been disappointing this year. Auburn has played better recently, but focus may be waning as Auburn winds down under interim coach Cadillac Williams. WKU has spread the defense and waited for a blown coverage. The last time WkU played a power conference team, it threw away a game down the stretch against Indiana.

Georgia Tech is on the road against North Carolina. The Tar Heels are having a great season and are three wins away from reaching the CFP. Drake Maye is a Heisman candidate. North Carolinians have won six straight ACC games. They have clinched a spot against Clemson in the ACC title game.

Last week, last week's picks were 3-3 straight up and 3 -3 against the spread.

This year's college football betting is 45-21 straight up, 32-33-1 ATS.