College football conference championship game expert picks, predictions for 2022

Making our college football expert picks for every 2022 conference championship game with predictions for winners, ATS picks and more. 

Goodbye, regular season. Welcome to championship week. Over Friday, Dec. 1 and Saturday, Dec. 2, college football fans will be treated to one conference championship game after another. In total, 10 conference titles will be on the line, some with higher stakes than others, however, to be sure.

The SEC Championship Game was robbed of its stakes after LSU fell to rival Texas A&M in the final week of the season but they’d still love to be the first team to beat Georgia, though it won’t have an effect on the Bulldogs’ place in the College Football Playoff. The same isn’t true for USC and TCU having rematches against Utah and Kansas State, respectively. Both teams seem to be in position where they need to win in order to avoid the danger of being jumped in the Top 4 by Ohio State or even Alabama.

And let’s not forget a game like the AAC Conference Championship Game as Tulane and UCF battle for a spot in the Cotton Bowl as the highest-ranked Group of 5 team. Don’t sleep on the entertainment coming in Conference USA, the MAC, the Sun Belt and much more.

Let’s dive into these matchups, though, with our college football expert picks for every 2022 FBS conference championship game with score predictions and picks against the spread.

College football expert picks: Predictions for all 10 FBS conference championship games

Conference USA Championship Game picks: North Texas vs. UTSA

When the Mean Green and Roadrunners faced off in the regular season at the end of October, things got absolutely wild between the C-USA foes. After it was just 6-3 in favor of North Texas in at halftime, things got loose, especially late. There were three touchdowns in the final 2:15 of play with UTSA scoring the go-ahead score to earn the 31-27 victory.

The strength of both teams is on the offensive side of the ball, make no mistake.There is also no real momentum advantage as both teams had been rolling prior to emerging victorious in clear look-ahead spots in the final week of the regular season.

To me, though, this is a spot that UTSA quarterback Frank Harris, the coaching staff and the roster as a whole is more familiar with after the success the Roadrunners enjoyed a season ago. Particularly with this game in the Alamodome, I like for UTSA to make a more decisive effort in this rematch and cover as they claim the C-USA crown.

Prediction: North Texas 28, UTSA 38 (Roadrunners cover -8.5, Under 69.5)

Pac-12 Championship Game picks: Utah vs. USC

If the season ended without the Pac-12 Championship Game being played, USC would be into the College Football Playoff. But the conference title tilt offers the Trojans to leave no doubt about their spot in the Top 4 with a chance to avenge their one loss on the season in a rematch with Utah.

While the Utes were victorious in the first meeting, it was quite literally a matter of who had the ball last with reasonable time remaining on the clock. Trailing 42-35, Utah scored and elected to go for the two-point conversion, which they were successful, leaving Caleb Williams and the Trojans not enough time to mount a comeback.

That game was in Rice-Eccles Stadium on a night when Utah was honoring teammates who’d passed away. Moreover, Williams has turned into a Super-Saiyan of late while Cameron Rising doesn’t look 100 percent healthy. I think we see the Utes cough the ball up a couple of times while USC has the same success offensively to earn a decisive victory and lock up its CFP spot.

Prediction: Utah 31, USC 42 (Trojans cover -2.5, Over 67.5)