Sports: The best bets from college football's rivalry weekend

The Iron Bowl headlines a great weekend of college football rivalry games.

It's Rivalry Week!

The one week of the season where no matter the talent gap between teams, a dose of good ol' fashioned hate can make a game competitive.

Last week our college bets fell back down to Earth a bit, going 3-4 against the spread. But after a 12-2 run the hit didn't hurt that bad and we're still big winners overall for the season. Let's see if we can keep the magic rolling and try to head into championship weekend with a nice little bankroll.

All lines are courtesy of the Westgate Las Vegas Superbook.

LAST WEEK: 3-4
OVERALL: 49–35

Oklahoma (-22) over West Virginia

Baker Mayfield will not start on Saturday after directing a few offensive gestures toward the Kansas sidelines last week. But while some pearl clutching, old-school football heads were shocked by Mayfield's actions, I just saw him locked in and enjoying the game. Watch the Sooners roll again all with Mayfield on his best behavior.

Auburn ( 4.5) over Alabama

Thr Iron Bowl always has the potential to be one of the best games of the college football season. This year is no different with a trip to the SEC championship on the line. Auburn is a home dog and play a style that could give Bama trouble should they get into a rhythm, so I'm taking the points and hoping this one stays close at the very least.

South Carolina ( 14) over Clemson

Just a few points too many in this spot. Oklahoma, Ohio State, and Clemson are all playing strong, but inferior, opponents this weekend, and I've got a feeling one of them loses or comes dangerously close. That is just the way college football is. The Gamecocks have only lost three times all year and have never lost by more than two scores, even when they played a Georgia team that was best in the nation at the time. They're not a team to be overlooked, and they'll have the home crowd behind them.

Ohio State (-12) over Michigan

Ohio State is still alive with an outside shot at making the playoff, should they win out and have some teams in front of them falter. But in order to keep that dream alive, they need to roll every team they have left, including arch rivals Michigan. The Wolverines won't be rolling over, but for the Buckeyes and senior quarterback J.T. Barrett, this is the biggest game of the year.

Notre Dame (-2.5) over Stanford

After getting slaughtered by Miami two weekends ago and struggling for 60 minutes against Navy last Saturday, it can be easy to forget the dominance that Notre Dame showed earlier in the year. The Irish would still like a spot in a New Years' Six bowl game, and this game is a must-win with that in mind.

Georgia Tech ( 11) over Georgia

This game has been within a touchdown the past four years, and it seems that even with the indisputable talent-gap between the teams, Georgia Tech finds a way to keep things close.

UNLV ( 3) over Nevada

UNLV is playing to become bowl eligible and qualify for just their fourth postseason game in the history of the program. At home after a tough year for the city of Las Vegas and facing a less-than-impressive Nevada team, I think the Runnin' Rebels can win this one outright and score an invite to the Las Vegas Bowl.

Now check out our best bets for this week's NFL action

NFL WEEK 12: Our official predictions for who wins this weekend

The Iron Bowl headlines a great weekend of college football rivalry games. Read Full Story