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College Football Week 12 Best Bets
Our college football Week 12 best bets start in the noon (ET) window, with No. 20 (CFP) Clemson (7-2, 6-1 ACC) rolling into Pittsburgh (7-2, 3-2 ACC) as heavy favorites.
Elsewhere today, read on for our takes on No. 23 Missouri vs. No. 21 South Carolina and Boston College vs. No. 14 SMU.
How to Bet Clemson (-11.5) vs. Pittsburgh
Kickoff: 12 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Just two weeks ago, Clemson and Pitt were both undefeated in the ACC and ranked in the top 20 in the nation.
But Saturday, November 2, was not kind to either of these programs. The Tigers suffered a stunning 33-21 upset at home vs. Louisville, while the Panthers fell into a 31-3 hole at halftime vs. SMU in an ugly 48-25 loss.
While Clemson rebounded with a 24-14 win over Virginia Tech in Blacksburg last Saturday, Pitt lost at home to Virginia to all-but-eliminate itself from the ACC Championship Game conversation.
For all that went right for Pitt throughout its 7-0 start, this is a flawed team that needed last-second heroics in close wins over Cincinnati, West Virginia and Cal. Clemson, on the other hand, has largely been dominant since its Week 1 loss to Georgia (outside of its no-show vs. Louisville, of course).
The Tigers’ 10-point win over the Hokies last Saturday without star DE Peter Woods, who is expected to play on Saturday, gives me confidence that they’ll not only win, but cover.
The Panthers have A) not looked nearly as good as their record would indicate the last two weeks and B) could be without starting QB Eli Holstein for this game, as his status is going to be a game-time decision.
Give us Clemson, which has gotten five of its six ACC wins by at least 16 points, to comfortably cover here.
Clemson vs. Pittsburgh best bets:
- Clemson -11.5 (-110 at DraftKings) 1 unit
- Pitt Team Total Under 14.5 (+170 at DK) 0.50 units
How to Bet Boston College vs. SMU (-18)
Kickoff: 3:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)
In another ACC matchup where we’re bullish on the favorite to cover a double-digit spread, let’s dive into Boston College vs. SMU. This play is mostly about how unstoppable the Mustangs (8-1, 5-0 ACC) have been this year, especially at home.
SMU has scored at least 40 points in four of the five games it has played in front of its home fans this year, including a 48-25 beatdown of Pitt last Saturday. The only home game in which the SMU offense was held in check took place way back in Week 2, in an 18-15 loss to still-undefeated BYU.
That was the last game before SMU made a change at quarterback from Preston Stone to Kevin Jennings. The Mustangs haven’t lost a game since the move, and only two of their six wins with Jennings as the starter were close.
Boston College played well enough to knock off Syracuse 37-31 at home last week after a mid-game QB change that resulted in previous starter Thomas Castellanos entering the transfer portal this week.
But while now-starter Grayson James played well in relief of Castellanos last week, I don’t see him leading the BC offense to enough points to keep this game close for 60 minutes.
Boston College vs. SMU best bets:
- SMU -18 (-110 at bet365) 1 unit
- SMU Alt Team Total Over 38.5 (+150 at FanDuel) 0.50 units
How to Bet Missouri vs. South Carolina
Kickoff: 4:15 p.m. ET (SEC Network)
The last pick of the day for us takes us to Columbia, South Carolina, where the Gamecocks have massively exceeded preseason expectations thanks to one of the best defensive lines in the country.
Expect star DEs Kyle Kennard and Dylan Stewart to have a massive afternoon against Missouri, which is unlikely to have starting QB Brady Cook available. Cook missed last Saturday’s close loss to Oklahoma, and if he’s out for this game, it’s hard to see Missouri scoring given its struggles against good defenses this year.
The Tigers were blown out by Texas A&M, 41-10, and Alabama, 34-0, earlier this year.
We expect this offense to struggle again vs. South Carolina’s physical front seven, which has spearheaded statement wins over Oklahoma (35-9), Texas A&M (44-20) and Vanderbilt (28-7) the last three weeks.
Missouri vs. South Carolina best bets:
- South Carolina -13.5 (-108 at DraftKings) 1 unit
- Missouri Team Total Under 10.5 (+136 at FanDuel) 0.50 units
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