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College football conference championship game expert picks, predictions for 2022

By Cody Williams

SALT LAKE CITY UT- OCTOBER 15: R.J. Herbert #11 of the Utah Utes tackles Caleb Williams #13 of the USC Trojans during the first half of their game October 15, 2022 Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City Utah. (Photo by Chris Gardner/ Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY UT- OCTOBER 15: R.J. Herbert #11 of the Utah Utes tackles Caleb Williams #13 of the USC Trojans during the first half of their game October 15, 2022 Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City Utah. (Photo by Chris Gardner/ Getty Images) /
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College football expert picks conference championship games
TCU Horned Frogs, Kansas State Wildcats (Photo by Peter G. Aiken/Getty Images) /

Big 12 Championship Game picks: Kansas State vs. TCU

Among the many comebacks that Sonny Dykes’ TCU Horned Frogs have pulled off to come into the Big 12 Championship Game unbeaten, one of the most impressive was against Kansas State. Trailing 28-17 at halftime, Max Duggan and Kendre Miller led a second-half charge that saw the Frogs put 21 unanswered on the board to win 38-28.

Outside of blowing out Iowa State last week, though, one thing that we saw down the stretch was that the book might be out on the TCU offense now as Texas Tech’s poor defense only gave up 34 points, Texas held the Frogs to 17, and Baylor kept them under 30 as well.

I expect fewer points in this rematch. At the same time, though, Kansas State has been much more consistent and, frankly, better with Will Howard since he came in against TCU. I think the Horned Frogs get caught trailing again but, this time, they fall short of the comeback, which will raise questions about whether they’ll make the CFP — even if that’s completely ludicrous at this point.

Prediction: Kansas State 28, TCU 27 (Kansas State covers +2.5, Under 61.5)

MAC Championship Game picks: Toledo vs. Ohio

If you’re curious as to why Toledo is favored in this matchup despite having two fewer wins than Ohio, it comes down to Bobcats quarterback Kurtis Rourke being ruled out for the rest of the season with an injury, a huge blow to the offense as he was one of the most underrated players in the country this season.

Even with that being the case, we did see one game from sophomore CJ Harris after Rourke’s injury and Ohio still put up 32 points in a win over Bowling Green, a team with a solid defense. Meanwhile, Toledo has been dealing with quarterback injuries of its own with Dequan Finn being banged up and Tucker Gleason looking much like a freshman. That’s why the Rockets come into this matchup off of two losses against Bowling Green and Western Michigan.

From what I’ve seen in recent MACtion, Ohio is just more well-rounded and sound on that side of the ball coming into this game. There’s a reason the line has been moving steadily in their favor and I don’t see that changing on Saturday afternoon.

Prediction: Toledo 20, Ohio 27 (Ohio covers +1.5, Under 54.5)

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