I went 13-11 against the spread last week.

I would normally title this week’s college football betting picks as ‘Conference Championship Week’, but due to COVID-19, there are a handful of other games that schools are making up due to them being postponed earlier this season.

Conference championship games can be tricky for teams that are in the driver’s seat for a spot in the College Football Playoff. Teams have been caught overlooking their conference opponents in the past. 

We at ‘America’s White Boy’ pick all 22 college football games against the spread in Week 16 of the 2020-21 NCAA Football season (December 19th, 2020).

Northwestern vs Ohio State (-20.5) – My pick is Northwestern Wildcats

Ohio State is clearly the better team, but this point spread is bloated. I’ve been down on the Wildcats plenty this year, but their defense is capable of keeping this one within 20 points. Their offense can be like pulling teeth, but if they refrain from committing turnovers, this point spread is attainable. Ohio State could be overlooking Northwestern, which has tripped up contenders in the past. I’m taking the points in this one.

Oklahoma vs Iowa State (+5.5) – My pick is Oklahoma Sooners

Iowa State rebounded huge after opening the season with a loss at home to UL-Lafayette back in September. The Cyclones faced the Sooners back in October and they won 37-30. I would argue that Oklahoma QB Spencer Rattler has improved a lot since that game. This could be a close one, but I’m going out on a limb and taking the Sooners. I just think they are the better overall team and already had a big win at a neutral site when they beat Texas 53-45 in overtime. I’m taking the Sooners to cover on Saturday.

Clemson vs Notre Dame (+10.5) – My pick is Notre Dame Fighting Irish

This will be the second time they will meet this year. The Irish won the previous meeting in overtime. Clemson didn’t have QB Trevor Lawrence for that game since he was out due to COVID-19. The oddsmakers must really think that the neutral site and the addition of Lawrence will make a huge difference in this game. I don’t see Clemson winning this game by double-digits. They could very well win this game, but the Irish defense is vastly underrated. I’m taking the points.

Alabama vs Florida (+17) – My pick is Florida Gators

Alabama started the season looking like it could be a down year for their defense. That changed by the time October rolled around and they seem to have improved every month…but they also faced some pretty bad teams from mid-November until now. They will need to play their best to keep Florida QB Kyle Trask under control. Hell, Alabama will need to play near-perfect on defense to cover this game. Alabama will most likely win this game outright, but this point spread is bloated by a few points. I’m taking the points in this one.

Ball State vs Buffalo (-13.5) – My pick is Buffalo Bulls

No one expected that Ball State would appear in the MAC Championship game before the season. They won close games and they only had one win that was more than a touchdown. The MAC was below average this season and the best team BSU faced this season was Central Michigan. They didn’t face a single run-heavy team this year. I believe they will struggle against Buffalo, which averages the most rushing yards per game in the entire country. I don’t have much faith in the Cardinals front-seven on defense. I’m taking Buffalo to cover this week.

Oregon at USC (-3) – My pick is USC Trojans

I’m expecting a shootout in this game. Neither team has a good defense and they’ve been playing close games every week. I have a little more faith in USC’s passing game and I expect a big game from QB Kedon Slovis. If he can limit turnovers, I think they will be able to edge out Oregon and cover this one to cap off their season.

QUICK HITS

UAB at Marshall (-4.5) – My pick is Marshall

Nebraska at Rutgers (+6.5) – My pick is Rutgers

Florida State at Wake Forest (-6.5) – My pick is Florida State

Texas A&M at Tennessee (+14) – My pick is Texas A&M

Washington State at Utah (-10.5) – My pick is Utah

UL Lafayette at Coastal Carolina (-3.5) – My pick is Coastal Carolina

Air Force at Army (+2.5) – My pick is Air Force

Missouri at Mississippi State (+1) – My pick is Missouri

Minnesota at Wisconsin (-12.5) – My pick is Minnesota

Boise State vs San Jose State (+6.5) – My pick is San Jose State

BONUS PICKS!

Illinois at Penn State (-15) – My pick is  Penn State

Stanford at UCLA (-7.5) – My pick is Stanford

Tulsa at Cincinnati (-14) – My pick is Cincinnati

Michigan State at Maryland (-2.5) – My pick is Maryland

Arizona State at Oregon State (+7) – My pick is Oregon State

Mississippi at LSU (+2.5) – My pick is Ole Miss

Sweetbob’s college football picks against the spread record in previous seasons:

2013: 134-79-8
2014: 148-118-4
2015: 149-118-3
2016: 196-145-6
2017: 183-159-13
2018: 177-157-6
2019: 187-141-8
2020: 160-151-2

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About the Author…

Bobby Roberts (otherwise known as Sweetbob) is the creator of ‘America’s White Boy’ and contributor at Project Shanks. His writing has been featured on ESPN’s ‘SportsNation’, Sports Illustrated’s Hot Clicks, Guyspeed, and various other sites. You can follow him on Twitter at @Sweetbob.