College Football Picks for Conference Championship Weekend

There are five conference championship games this weekend. The games will cement the field for the 2022-23 College Football Playoff. Sports Betting Dime provides exclusive sports betting content to Newsweek.

No. 4 USC (-2.5) vs. No. 11 Utah is on Friday at 8 p.m. EST. Big 12 No 3 TCU (- 2) is playing No 10 Kansas State on Saturday at 12 p.,m., EST, Arlington, Texas. SEC No 1 Georgia (-17. 5) plays No 14 LSU at 4 p,m, EST and No 9 Clemson (-7.

No. 4 USC (-2.5) vs. No. 11 Utah is on Friday at 8 p.m. EST. Big 12 No 3 TCU (- 2) is playing No 10 Kansas State on Saturday at 12 p.,m., EST in Arlington, Texas. SEC No 1 Georgia (-17. 5) plays No 14 LSU in Atlanta on Sunday at 4 p,m, EST, and ACC No 9 Clemson (-7.

Georgia and Michigan are already in the CFP. USC needs to win to be included in it. TCU's status is a question mark. The CFA Selection Committee will have a difficult task if it's forced to choose between a one-loss Horned Frogs team and a two-losing Buckeyes.

USC is a 2.5-point favorite and -145 on the money line to beat Utah in the Pac-12 championship game. The Utes won the previous game 43-42 in Salt Lake City. USC dominated a surging Notre Dame team 38-27 in its regular-season finale. Utah has been a different team on its travels. The game will be played in Las Vegas. It will take place in a neutral-site game, which plays in USC's favor. USC's defense is still a problem, but it was encouraging against Notre Notre Irish. Ute's quarterback Cam Rising is struggling after a long season.

Purdue is in its first-ever Big Ten Championship. The Boilermakers are favored by 135 points. Michigan's defense is outstanding. Purdue's starting quarterback Aidan O'Connell has been absent due to a family tragedy. Michigan is averaging nearly three sacks per game and rates fourth in defensive efficiency. It's possible Purdue reaches the over late in the game. I will back the outstanding Michigan defense to dominate an overmatched opponent. iReport.com will pick the winner.

Purdue team is under 17.5 points. Newsweek earns an affiliate commission if you sign up through the links in this article.