The Daily Sweat: No. 5 Oregon is a big favorite over No. 3 Washington for the Pac-12 title
The winner is probably heading to the College Football Playoff
The team higher in the College Football Playoff rankings is not favored in the Pac-12 title game.
No. 5 Oregon is a 10-point favorite over No. 3 Washington despite the Huskies’ win over the Ducks in the regular season. Washington hung on for a 36-33 win after a game-tying field goal went wide as time expired.
Oregon failed to convert three key fourth downs — including two near the goal line — during the loss. And the Ducks have been much more impressive in recent weeks. Oregon being favored ahead of this game isn’t surprising. But the number is an eye-opener.
Washington QB Michael Penix Jr. has been a Heisman contender for most of the season and has put up some fantastic numbers. Penix is completing 66% of his passes and has thrown 32 TDs to just eight interceptions. He’s averaging 9.1 yards a pass and Washington WR Rome Odunze has been perhaps the best wide receiver in college football.
But Penix has been surpassed in the Heisman race by Oregon QB Bo Nix. If you look at the betting odds, the Heisman is down to Nix and LSU QB Jayden Daniels. And with Daniels not playing on conference championship weekend, Nix has a prime opportunity to get Oregon in the College Football Playoff and position himself for the Heisman.
Nix enters the game completing 79% of his passes for 3,906 yards and 37 TDs to just two interceptions. He’s averaging 9.7 yards a throw as he’s been one of the best quarterbacks in college football at diagnosing an opposing defense.
Whoever wins this game is heading to the College Football Playoff. Oregon is the top one-loss team in the rankings and will assuredly not be left out with a win, while Washington is practically guaranteed a berth at 13-0. We think Oregon is a deserved favorite in this one, but 10 points is too much to stomach. We like the underdogs to cover.
Liberty a double-digit favorite over New Mexico State
Undefeated Liberty looks to keep itself in the New Year’s Six conversation with a win over New Mexico State in the Conference USA title game Friday night.
The Flames are 11.5-point favorites over NMSU and will finish the season at 13-0 with a victory. Liberty is No. 24 in the College Football Playoff rankings and two spots below 11-1 Tulane. If the Green Wave loses to SMU on Saturday — Tulane is a 3.5-point favorite — and Liberty wins, the Flames could be the Group of Five’s representative in a top-tier bowl game.
Celtics favored over Sixers
Boston vanquished Milwaukee last week at home and gets its other top challenger in the East at home Friday night.
The Celtics are 5.5-point favorites over the Philadelphia 76ers as Boston looks to go three games ahead of the Sixers in the standings. Boston is an Eastern Conference-best 14-4 and is 8-0 at home this season. The Sixers are 5-3 on the road and 12-6 against the spread this season. The Celtics are .500 against the spread at 8-8-2.
The Nuggets also visit the Suns on Friday night and the defending champions are 2.5-point favorites. Phoenix is 9-8-1 against the spread so far this season as its played without Bradley Beal, while the Nuggets are one of the worst teams in the NBA against the number at 7-11-1.
Who cashed tickets Thursday night?
The Dallas Cowboys won on the money line but failed to cover in a 41-35 home win over the Seattle Seahawks. Seattle was a 9.5-point underdog and had a fourth-quarter lead before Dallas scored the last 14 points of the game.
The Portland Trail Blazers and Chicago Bulls scored surprising wins as underdogs Thursday night. The Blazers came back in the second half to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 103-95 on the road, while the Bulls got a 120-113 home win in overtime over the Milwaukee Bucks.
