Week 12 College Football Picks Against the Spread

• Week 12 of college football features a packed slate of games on Saturday, November 21st
• G5 matchups in Cincinnati vs UCF and App State vs Coastal Carolina are among the marquee offerings on the slate
• Read below for the best ATS picks for Week 12 of the college football season

The college football season is heading into its 12th week, and there are some huge games on tap for Saturday, Nov. 21. Cincinnati is looking to stay unbeaten against UCF, while App State and Coastal Carolina clash in the Sun Belt.

Over in the ACC, Clemson will be looking for a statement win as they return from their bye week to face a slumping FSU team at Doak Campbell Stadium.

Here are three ATS picks to consider for Week 12.

No. 7 Cincinnati vs UCF Odds

All odds taken Nov. 17 at DraftKings

Bearcats Stay Unbeaten at UCF

Cincinnati is looking to extend its season-opening winning streak to eight games when the team heads to Central Florida to face the Knights on Saturday. The Bearcats have won every game this season by multiple touchdowns and will be facing a UCF team that has fallen out of the playoff race due to two losses against Tulsa and Memphis.

UCF will be bringing the country’s high-scoring offense into this game (619.1 YPG), but the Bearcats are the more complete team and are much better defensively. They’ve already shut down both of Memphis’ and SMU’s high-powered offenses this season and have the talent to contain UCF QB Dillon Gabriel and the Knights’ dynamic offense.

Cincinnati has covered the spread in four straight games and present great value while they remain favored by less than a touchdown. Dual-threat QB Desmond Ridder is having an excellent season and has rushed for 178 yards in his last two games. Expect him and Gerrid Doaks to have a huge day against a susceptible UCF rush defense that is giving up almost 190 yards per game.

The Knights will score some points in this one, but the Bearcats offense will keep up and the defense will be the difference. Cincinnati’s defense has forced 16 turnovers this season and will come up with a few big plays on Saturday to ensure the Bearcats win by at least a touchdown.

Pick: Cincinnati Bearcats -5.5 (-107)

App State vs No. 15 Coastal Carolina Odds

Chanticleers End Losing Streak to Mountaineers 

Coastal Carolina is looking to remain unbeaten when they host Appalachian State in Week 12. The Mountaineers are currently sporting a five-game winning streak and have won all six of their all-time meetings with Coastal Carolina.

The big reason to considering betting this streak to come to an end in 2020 is due to the unknown status of App State QB Zac Thomas. The senior QB is a key piece to this offense and is having a strong season with 1,285 passing yards and 12 touchdowns through seven games. He was carted off the field last week against Georgia State after suffering an apparent leg injury.

#NCAAF #APPST – QB Zac Thomas (undisclosed) is questionable Saturday at Coastal Carolina

— Sports Insights (@SportsInsights) November 16, 2020

Even if Thomas does play, the Chanticleers will have the best player in the game in redshirt freshman QB Grayson McCall. The breakout star has thrown for 1,393 yards and 16 touchdowns with just one interception this season. His strong play is a big reason why Coastal Carolina is averaging 442 yards of offense per game and beating opponents by an average of 22.8 points per game.

App State has a top-10 rushing offense, but Coastal Carolina also has a plethora of weapons at running back. This game will likely be won in the trenches, which is where the Chanticleers hold the defensive edge. They’ve limited each of their last two opponents to under 100 yards rushing and will do enough against this dominant App State rush offense to garner the victory.

Pick: Coastal Carolina Chanticleers -5.5 (-113)

No. 4 Clemson vs Florida State Odds

Tigers Make Statement vs Florida State

Clemson will be looking to make a statement when they return from their bye week to face Florida State in Week 12. The Tigers suffered a close loss to Notre Dame last time they took the field and will take out their frustration on a struggling Seminoles team that has suffered three straight ugly losses.

The big reason to consider betting Clemson to cover the large spread is due to the return of star quarterback Trevor Lawrence. The junior pivot was having a phenomenal season before a positive COVID-19 diagnosis forced him out of action for two weeks. Expect him to reinstate his dominance against a weak FSU secondary that is allowing over 270 yards in the air per game.

Trevor Lawrence gives an update on his health after his experience with COVID-19:

"I feel good. I feel just as good as I did when I left a few weeks ago and back to normal."@wachfox @MitchBTV_ pic.twitter.com/FQdeQVj3cQ

— Matt Dowell (@TheMattDowell) November 17, 2020

While Clemson will have one of the best players in college football under center, Florida State’s quarterback situation is a mess. FSU’s original starter, James Blackman, is done for the season and intends to transfer after graduating, while backup Chubba Purdy is also out for the year after undergoing collarbone surgery. This means it’ll likely be third-stringer Jordan Travis facing this stingy Tigers’ defense.

Clemson has dominated this matchup in the last couple years, including beating the Seminoles 59-10 the last time these two teams played in Tallahassee. The last time FSU covered the spread against Clemson was back in 2016 as +4.5 underdogs (37-34). Expect this Tigers’ offense to go off after having an extra week to prepare. Travis Etienne will dominate on the ground after being slowed down by the Irish, while Lawrence will have all the time in the world to carve up this secondary as he faces a non-existent FSU pass rush.

Pick: Clemson Tigers -34.5 (-110)