2014 College Football Picks: Conference USA Championship Game, Mountain West Championship Game and Kansas State at Baylor Odds and Predictions – Free College Football Picks 12/06/14

2014 College Football Picks: Conference USA Championship Game, Mountain West Championship Game and Kansas State at Baylor Odds and Predictions – Free College Football Picks 12/06/14: While most of the talk heading into the weekend has been focused on the conference title games for the power conferences, there are also some championship games from non-power conferences set to take place Saturday. More importantly, there is also a Big 12 showdown with college football playoff implications on tap.

Louisiana Tech Bulldogs at Marshall Thundering Herd

Emotions have to be mixed for Marshall as it prepares to face Louisiana Tech in the Conference USA title game. After all, the Thundering Herd were undefeated and fighting for a spot in a big six bowl just last week before a 67-66 overtime loss to Western Kentucky dashed their hopes of playing in a major bowl. Louisiana Tech enters the matchup 8-4 overall, but their 7-1 record in conference play is the same as Marshall’s conference record.

The Thundering Herd will have the best player on the field in this matchup in quarterback Rakeem Cato, but their star running back, Devon Johnson, is questionable with a shoulder injury. More importantly, Marshall hasn’t been the same team that stormed through its first 10 opponents over the past couple of weeks. Prior to their defensive implosion against Western Kentucky, the Thundering Herd squeaked by a UAB team that is having its football program shut down after the year. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs crushed the same Western Kentucky team 59-10 in early November. That being said, Louisiana Tech also lost to Northwestern State early in the year, and with the pressure of playing in a big bowl no longer hanging over them, look for the Thundering Herd to return to their dominating form in this one.

Prediction: Marshall Thundering Herd (-11.5) Cover the Spread

No. 9 Kansas State Wildcats at No. 6 Baylor Bears

While it may not officially be a conference title game, it might as well be. With a win, the Bears will earn a share of the Big 12 title, and more importantly, they will also make a strong case to be a part of the college football playoff. The Wildcats, on the other hand, are unlikely to sneak in the playoff picture, but they can clinch at least a share of the conference crown if they win. In fact, this game will be a de facto conference title game if TCU happens to be upset by Iowa State.

Led by dual-threat quarterback Jake Waters, Kansas State boasts a top-25 scoring offense, and the Wildcats’ defense has been equally stout, ranking 17th in the country in points allowed. Meanwhile, the Bears led the nation in scoring at 49.8 points per game with quarterback Bryce Petty, running back Shock Linwood and an arsenal of speedy receivers putting up points in bunches. On paper, the Wildcats appear to be the more balanced team. However, Baylor’s high-powered offense has overwhelmed Kansas State in each of the past two seasons, and the Wildcats’ worse loss this year came at the hands of a TCU team that has a similar fast-paced attack. In the end, the Wildcats just don’t have the firepower to hang with the Bears.

Prediction: Baylor Bears (-9) Cover the Spread

Fresno State Bulldogs at No. 22 Boise State Broncos

Based on records alone, this game looks like a mismatch. After all, the Broncos are 10-2 with a 7-1 record in conference play and are a win away from receiving an automatic bid to a big six bowl by being the highest-ranked team from outside the power five conferences. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs won their division despite a 6-6 record overall and a 5-3 record in Mountain West play.

However, Fresno State actually played Boise State very tough on the road earlier this year. The Bulldogs eventually lost 37-27, but the game was tied heading into the fourth quarter before Boise State running back Jay Ajayi took over. In the end, the Broncos’ ninth-ranked scoring offense should put up enough points to defeat Fresno State and its 104th-ranked scoring defense for the second time, but Boise State has a suspect defense of its own that will allow the Bulldogs to hang within the sizeable spread.

Prediction: Fresno State Bulldogs (+21) Cover the Spread