College football odds, lines, bets, predictions for Week 12, 2021: Proven model backing Pittsburgh, Michigan

The top seven teams in the third ranking of the College Football Playoff remained unchanged on Tuesday night. However, there will certainly be some changes following the Week 12 college football schedule. Saturday’s showdown between No. 4 Ohio State and No. 7 Michigan State could decide one of the spots in the College Football Playoff. The Buckeyes are 19-point favorites against Michigan State in the latest Week 12 college football odds at Caesars Sportsbook.

Other games with College Football Playoff implications include No. 2 Alabama (-21) vs. No. 21 Arkansas and No. 3 Oregon (+3) vs. No. 23 Utah. Should you be backing the Ducks as underdogs, or will Utah dash their playoff hopes? Before making any Week 12 college football picks, be sure to see the latest college football predictions and betting advice from SportsLine’s proven model.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every FBS college football game 10,000 times. Over the past five-plus years, the proprietary computer model has generated a stunning profit of almost $3,500 for $100 players on its top-rated college football picks against the spread. It also enters Week 12 of the 2021 season on a 36-23 run on all top-rated college football side picks. Anyone who has followed it has seen huge returns.

Now, it has turned its attention to the latest Week 12 college football odds from Caesars and locked in picks for every FBS matchup. Head here to see every pick.

Top Week 12 college football predictions

One of the top college football picks the model is recommending for Week 12: No. 18 Pittsburgh (-13.5) covers at home against Virginia in a 3:30 p.m. ET ACC matchup. Virginia’s defense has struggled all season long, and now the offense has major question marks as well. Quarterback Brennan Armstrong (ribs) remains day-to-day, and things weren’t pretty without him against Notre Dame as the Cavaliers mustered just a field goal in the 28-3 loss last week.

Pitt quarterback Kenny Pickett is in the Heisman race and this is a great chance for him to pad his stats. SportsLine’s model is projecting that he’ll throw for around 350 yards and three scores, helping the Panthers clinch the ACC Coastal Division crown in a big win. Pitt covers in almost 60 percent of simulations, while the under (66) hits 60 percent of the time. 

Another one of the college football predictions from the model: No. 6 Michigan (-14.5) covers the two-score spread at Maryland in a 3:30 p.m. ET Big Ten battle. The Wolverines have bounced back from their loss at Michigan State with consecutive wins over Indiana and Penn State. They have now notched blowout victories over Wisconsin, Northwestern and Indiana in conference play. Michigan cannot afford another loss, so it will be motivated from the opening kick-off in Saturday’s matchup.

Maryland has now lost five of its last six games, with all those setbacks coming by at least 17 points. The Terrapins did not score more than 21 points in any of those game. SportLine’s model does not have Maryland cracking 20 points on Saturday, resulting in Michigan covering the spread in over 60 percent of simulations. 

How to make Week 12 college football picks 

The model has also made the call on who wins and covers in every other game on the Week 12 college football schedule, and it’s calling for an upset that will have a big impact on the College Football Playoff chase. You can only get every pick for every game at SportsLine.

So what college football picks can you make with confidence? And which underdog do you need to jump on now? Check out the latest college football odds below, then visit SportsLine to see which teams win and cover the spread, all from a proven computer model that has returned almost $3,500 in profit over the past five-plus seasons, and find out.

Week 12 college football odds (via Caesars)

Here are the college football lines for some of Week 12’s most notable matchups:

Wednesday, Nov. 17

Central Michigan vs. Ball State (-2.5, 62)

Northern Illinois vs. Buffalo (+1.5, 63.5)

Thursday, Nov. 18

Louisville vs. Duke (+19.5, 59)

Friday, Nov. 19

Southern Mississippi vs. Louisiana Tech (-16.5, 51.5)

Memphis vs. Houston (-9.5, 60.5)

Arizona vs. Washington State (-15, 52.5)

Air Force vs. Nevada (-2, 52.5)

San Diego State vs. UNLV (+11, 41)

Saturday, Nov. 20

Wake Forest vs. Clemson (-3.5, 55.5.)

Michigan State vs. Ohio State (-19, 66.5)

Iowa State vs. Oklahoma (-4, 59.5)

Notre Dame vs. Georgia Tech (+15.5, 59.5)

SMU vs. Cincinnati (-12, 64.5)

Michigan vs. Maryland (+14.5, 55.5)

Virginia vs. Pittsburgh (-13.5, 64.5)

Alabama vs. Arkansas (+20.5, 56)

Baylor vs. Kansas State (pick’em, 50)

Ole Miss vs. Vanderbilt (+36.5, 64)

Oregon vs. Utah (-3, 58.5)

Oklahoma State vs. Texas Tech (+10.5, 56.5)