Top College Football Odds and Best Bets Today (Predictions and Picks for Conference USA and PAC-12 Title Games)

Conference Championship week starts on Friday with a pair of title games and one with College Football Playoff implications.

UTSA looks to make it two Conference-USA titles in as many years as they host North Texas at the Alamaodome on Friday night for the second time this season after a close call in October. The main event comes in Las Vegas when USC and Utah have their rematch from one of the games of the season with USC vying for a College Football Playoff berth.

Here is how I'm eying conference title Friday with my best bets below:

North Texas vs. UTSA Prediction and Pick

UTSA needed a touchdown in the final 30 seconds to outlast North Texas at the end of October in a game that featured three touchdowns in the final three minutes.

Both teams play at a rapid pace, both checking inside the top 20 in terms of plays per minute, but the Roadrunners are able to shut down the run game, 11th in success rate allowed on the ground. This is a run-first North Texas team that has an incredible deep group of running backs that has withstood injuries all season long, three backs have more than 500 yards rushing on the ground.

In the first meeting, UTSA was able to shut down the run game, allowing just over one yard per carry, but they struggled with defending explosive passes, the bread and butter of the UNT pass game. Veteran quarterback Austin Aune isn't very accurate, but the team pushes the ball downfield, ninth in yards per pass attempt nationally, and it was no different against UTSA a few weeks back, completing 15-of-31 passes on 9.85 yards per attempt.

UTSA's defense wins on a down-to-down basis, top 50 in success rate, but is bottom 20 in explosive run and pass rate. They are vulnerable to chunk plays and that can be an issue against a Mean Green offense that thrives off of it. Not to mention, North Texas is top 20 in tackles for loss allowed as well as sacks, this offensive line is constantly winning at the line of scrimmage.

On the other side, expect veteran quarterback Frank Harris to continue to dominate. The Roadrunners are top 10 in terms of points per drive, averaging more than three per game and Harris is completing more than 67% of his passes.

North Texas defense is allowing six yards per play (104th in the country) and is bottom 20 in success rate.

This total has dropped more than five points from the prior game, but I believe that's too far of a shift. Both teams can take the top off the defense and the Roadrunners offense should be able to put up a big number on the scoreboard, they have scored at least 30 points in all CUSA games, including 40 or more in four of them.

I'll grab the over on the fast track of the Almaodome.

Utah vs. USC Prediction and Pick

The first meeting was a shootout as neither defense could stop the opposition. USC checked in with a 54% success rate (94th percentile this season) and an EPA/Play of .38 (96th percentile) on offense while the Utes posted marks of 57% (97th percentile) and an EPA/Play of .47 (98th percentile).

It was a clinic that was decided in the final minute on one play. The game could be looked at as a coin flip, so why has this line shifted from Utah as a favorite of over a field goal to USC a favorite of a field goal on a neutral field?

The Trojans don't have Travis Dye anymore, who had 76 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries and 43 receiving yards in the first meeting, and the USC defense continues to thrive off of a turnovers. While Caleb Williams is a special talent, the Trojans defense is going to hold them back in this one.

USC is +22 in turnover margin this season, +8 to the next best team in the country (Duke). To show how big of a difference that is, that difference is the same between Duke and the 29th best team in terms of turnover margin.

Utah is pretty good in this department, +7 on the year, and quarterback Cameron Rising is typically protective of the rock. A few bad bounces against Oregon led to a three interception night, but he only has seven on the year. He also carved up this USC defense to the tune of 415 passing yards, five total touchdowns and a 66.7% completion percentage.

The USC defense remains poor, 102 in defensive line yards, 110th in red zone touchdown percentage and 126th in success rate. The Utes offense can go blow-for-blow with the Trojans, 20th in yards per play, seventh in line yards and 10th in red zone touchdown percentage, that I don't see how either team can be laying more than a field goal.

Take the points and don't be surprised if Utah makes it two in a row over USC.

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Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.