X
Skip to content

ATS Locks For Week 12

Two weeks of the 2021 college football regular season remain for most teams — and for bettors — so you want to get some good college football picks in before the campaign is over. We’ve taken a look at this week’s schedule and focused in on three games that we are the most confident about. Read on for our ATS locks for Week 12 of the college football season.

Michigan State Spartans at Ohio State Buckeyes

Odds: Ohio State -19

michigan state spartans at ohio state buckeyes
BRIAN BAHR / Getty Images via AFP

This is the game of the weekend, with major College Football Playoff implications no matter how it turns out. The Spartans are No. 7 in the latest CFP rankings, while the Buckeyes are No. 4. The winner of this game gets the inside track to the Big Ten East division title and a spot in the Big Ten Championship Game in two weeks.

Michigan State bounced back from its only loss of the season two weeks ago with a 40-21 victory over Maryland last weekend. The Spartans have been in this position before, upsetting the Buckeyes on the road in 2015 on their way to a CFP berth, and coach Mel Tucker would love to see it happen again.

Running back Kenneth Walker III (1,473 yards, 17 touchdowns) will be the key, helping to milk the clock and keep the ball out of the hands of the Buckeyes’ offense. If the nation’s leading rusher can have another big performance, the Spartans could have a shot at the upset.

The problem for Michigan State is when Ohio State has the ball, as the Buckeyes average 353.6 passing yards per game and the Spartans allow 329.0 yards per game through the air. Quarterback C.J. Stroud (3,036 yards, 30 touchdowns) should have another big game in this one.

Ohio State is the pick if you’re going for the straight-up win, but Walker and the Spartans should be able to score some points as well to at least keep the game closer than the 19-point spread. When you’re betting online on this contest, take the over and the Spartans to at least cover.

Pick: Michigan State +19

Oregon Ducks at Utah Utes

Odds: Utah -3

The Ducks may be the least heralded No. 3 in the College Football Playoff rankings ever. Oregon has a win at No. 4 Ohio State on its resume and only an overtime loss to Stanford on its record, yet it is an underdog on the road to the Utes.

Not that Utah is a slouch. The Utes are ranked No. 23 and have won three straight coming into this one. But the three teams that Utah has beaten in that streak — Arizona, Stanford and UCLA — are a combined 7-15 in conference play, with four of those wins belonging to the Bruins. This is a definite step up in class for the Utes.

Both of these teams lead their respective divisions in the Pac-12 — Oregon by two games in the North and Utah by one game in the South — so this could be a preview of the Pac-12 title game in two weeks.

Oregon has more to lose in this one and has won each of its last three games by double digits. We like the Ducks to keep flying in this one to clinch their spot in the conference championship game.

Pick: Oregon +3

Oklahoma State Cowboys at Texas Tech Red Raiders

Odds: Oklahoma State -10

Speaking of teams on a roll, the Cowboys have won three straight since their only setback of the season, holding their three opponents to a total of 23 points. Oklahoma State is tied for the top spot in the Big 12 standings with Oklahoma and, at No. 9, still has a shot at the College Football Playoff top four if things fall its way.

Texas Tech got a big win against Iowa State last weekend, but the Red Raiders should be outmatched in this one. While they are scoring 33.6 points per game, Oklahoma State is allowing just 16.4 per contest. Two weeks before the Iowa State win, Texas Tech fell by 31 to Oklahoma, giving up 541 yards of total offense.

We like quarterback Spencer Sanders (1,758 yards, 14 touchdowns) and the Cowboys to have the same kind of success in this one, outdoing the NCAA odds with a victory by more than two touchdowns.

Pick: Oklahoma State -10

Did you find this article interesting?

Comments (0)