Week 12 of the college football season has some terrific matchups on the calendar, and the College Football Playoff race is starting to heat up. Here are the five best college football Week 12 against the spread predictions for games taking place on Saturday.
Michigan State at Ohio State Week 12 Spread
Michigan State vs. Ohio State Preview
Best Bet: Michigan State +19
The Big Ten East Division is still wide open, but the champion will be decided in the final weeks of the season. Ohio State hosts Michigan State on Saturday as a massive 19.0 point favorite.
The Buckeyes are scoring over 46 points per game this season, but they haven’t been explosive in recent weeks. Michigan State is a solid defensive team, and they are going to make things difficult on the Buckeyes in this matchup.
Ohio State is going to stay undefeated in Big Ten play, but it won’t be easy. Take the 19 points and bet on the Michigan State Spartans on Saturday.
Iowa State at Oklahoma Week 12 Spread
Iowa State vs. Oklahoma Preview
Best Bet: Oklahoma Sooners -4
Oklahoma suffered their first loss of the year last weekend at Baylor, but they are returning home for this huge game against Iowa State. The Sooners struggled to score in that loss, but they are still averaging over 40 points per game.
Iowa State has had an interesting season, but they have really struggled to compete with the best teams on their schedule. The Cyclones are going to be able to keep this game interesting, but they aren’t going to be able to keep up for four quarters.
Take the Sooners -4.0 as they get back on track with a win.
Texas at West Virginia Week 12 Spread
Texas vs. West Virginia Preview
Best Bet: Texas +2.5
A pair of 4-6 teams are set to meet up on Wednesday in Morgantown, and each team is desperate to win this game. Texas just suffered a stunning loss to Kansas a weekend ago, and they are hoping to turn things around in a hurry.
The Longhorns have now lost five straight games, but they are still scoring over 37 points per game. Texas has been terrible on defense, but they aren’t facing a great offensive team in this matchup.
West Virginia has a real issue running the football, and it’s hard to see them scoring many points in this game. Texas might be an underdog in this matchup, but they are covering the spread and winning this game.
Nebraska at Wisconsin Week 12 Spread
Nebraska vs. Wisconsin Preview
Best Bet: Wisconsin -9.5
The Nebraska Cornhuskers have now lost four straight games, and they travel to Madison to take on a surging Wisconsin team. The Badgers are giving up just 14.6 points per game, and that defense should have another dominant performance in this game.
Nebraska just continues to find ways to come up short, and this game could get away from them in a hurry. The Badgers are rushing for more than 227 yards per game, and that rushing attack is going to be the difference.
Wisconsin stays red-hot and picks up another win by double-digits.
UCLA at USC Week 12 Spread
UCLA vs. USC Preview
Best Bet: UCLA -3
UCLA and USC have a terrific rivalry, and this should be one of the most exciting games of the weekend. Unfortunately, both teams have really struggled this season, but this will still be a close matchup that features some lead changes.
The UCLA offense is averaging over 204 rushing yards per game, and the Bruins can score points in a hurry. USC has struggled to defend the run all season long, and that’s going to be a difference in this game.
Don’t expect much separation at all, but UCLA is winning this game by a touchdown to cover the spread.
