Conference Title Games are an unusual animal. Created solely for the conference’s own financial gain, only a select amount of leagues play one. The SEC was the first to do so in 1991 and the Big 12 and MAC followed soon after. In 2005, the ACC and Conference USA both expanded, necessitating the creation of their own title game. The irony of these Conference Championships is that they have often cost the league more money than they could ever gain by playing the game. National title contenders that have to go through a Conference Championship Game are at a huge disadvantage when compared to teams from the Big Ten and Pac 10. It’s another big game on the schedule and since it comes at the end of the season, we’ve seen several teams in years past play their way right out of a possible BCS berth by coming up short in their league’s title game.

From a sports betting perspective, Conference Championship Games are very difficult to handicap. The tendency is to go with the favorite, who is often undefeated or is already thinking BCS. However, faced with an underdog that has one shot to make millions for their school, these favorites often come up short.

Last year, favorites swept the board in the Conference Title Games. It is interesting to note that for the second consecutive year the #1 ranked team in the country will enter its conference championship game as a prohibitive underdog. Last year, then top-ranked Missouri was just +3, but was blown out by Oklahoma, 38-17. This year, top-ranked Alabama is a TEN-point dog vs. red-hot Florida.

Here are some trends and history to consider for the respective Conference Championship Game.

ACC

The ACC created its Championship Game when Miami, Boston College, and Virginia Tech all came over from the Big East. Interestingly, the idea was to create the potential for a second Miami-Florida State matchup, but the Hurricanes have been a total bust since coming over and so has the ACC.

The underdog not only cashed in the first two title games, and won outright as well. In 2005, Florida State stunned Virginia Tech, 27-22, as 14-point dogs. In 2006, a 10-2 Wake Forest squad was given no respect by the oddsmakers and “upset” Georgia Tech, 9-6 (+1).

Last year, a favorite won and covered for the first time ever in the ACC Championship as Virginia Tech (-4) downed Boston College 30-16 in a big revenge game. You probably remember the Hokies famous Thursday Night meltdown at home against the Eagles during last year’s regular season. If you don’t, Tech led BC 10-0 with just two minutes to go in the game before allowing Eagles QB Matt Ryan to throw a pair of touchdowns that stunned the Blacksburg faithful.

It will be a rematch in the 2008 Title Game with Virginia Tech once again playing with revenge for a regular season loss (BC won at home, 28-23, back on 10/18). However, this year it is the Eagles that enter as the hot team. They have won and covered four straight, just like the Hokies did entering last year’s Title Game, with the only difference that BC’s four wins have not all come by double-digits.

Big 12

The Big 12 Title Game was created when the old Big Eight merged with four refugee schools from the now defunct Southwest Conference – Texas Tech, Baylor, Texas, and Texas A&M. Prior to last year, only six teams had ever qualified – three from each division. From the North, Colorado (4), Nebraska (4), and Kansas State (3) were the previous representatives. From the South, only Oklahoma (5), Texas (3) and Texas A&M (2) had made it. Missouri made its first ever appearance last year, but as mentioned above, they lost. The South is now on a 5-1 SU/ATS run, with Oklahoma having won four times.

In the last four Championship Games, the South has outscored the North, 171-30! The only team from the North to win over the last six seasons was Kansas State, who screwed up the BCS in 2003 by upsetting top-ranked Oklahoma. Can Mizzou do the same this year? The North Division winner has not been favored since 1999, when #2 Nebraska beat #12 Texas, 22-6. Overall, the South is 8-4 ATS vs. the North. The favorite is also 8-4 ATS all-time.

The 2007 Title Game was the most anticipated in history. The 2008 edition is once again Oklahoma vs. Missouri, but is expected to be a one-sided affair with Oklahoma a monster 17-point choice. Might not be enough. The Sooners come in with the nation’s top offense and have scored 61 or more points in four straight games. A possible BCS Title game berth hangs in the balance.

Conference USA

No one really pays attention to this game. All the winner gets is a trip to the Liberty Bowl, which is played in Memphis, one of the coldest weather Bowl sites.

With no national spotlight and little pressure, the favorite is a perfect 3 for 3 SU and ATS in the C-USA Title Game. In ’05, Tulsa beat up Central Florida, 44-27, as two-point chalk. In 2006, Houston took care of Southern Miss, 34-20, as five-point favorites. Last year, UCF got revenge on Tulsa with a 44-25 beatdown (were seven-point favorites).

Tulsa makes its 3rd appearance this year, taking on first time participant East Carolina. The Pirates started the season hot with outright dog wins over Virginia Tech and West Virginia to work its way into the national rankings. They have since lost 8 of 10 ATS. After a mid-season three-game SU losing skid, they won five of their final six games. Tulsa was also once unbeaten and in the Top 20, but lost two of its final four. The Golden Hurricane rank second in FBS in scoring average and this game will be played on their home field, where they are scoring at over a 60 point per game clip this season. They are currently favored by 12 points at the betting window. These teams did not meet during the regular season and last played in 2006 (Tulsa won 31-10)

MAC

Like C-USA, this Conference Championship receives little to no fanfare.

Marshall represented the East in each of the first seven Championship games, winning six times straight up, but covering just twice. East and West then split the next four meetings. Last year, the West was victorious as Central Michigan destroyed Miami, 35-10. The favorite has covered four of the last five, with the exception being an upset by Akron over Northern Illinois, as 13-point dogs in 2005.

This year, we have an unbeaten team taking part in the Title Game, which adds some intrigue. 12-0 Ball State is a 14-point favorite over upstart Buffalo, who went 6-0 ATS in the underdog role this season. Neither school has ever played in this game previously. These teams didn’t meet during the regular season, but over the last two years the Cardinals have annihilated the Bulls by a combined 104-39 margin.

SEC

The SEC Title Game is the oldest and most well-known Conference Championship, due to the fact that a berth in the National Title Game is usually at stake and that it is (usually) the best league in the country.

Overall, the Eastern Division winner has won 10 of the all-time 16 meetings. However, most of that damage was done during a six-game win streak from ’93-’98. Since then, the West has a 5-4 edge after LSU beat Tennessee last year en route to a National Championship.

No one performs better in the big game than Florida, who is 6-2 SU all-time. The East had covered three straight Title Games before last year (was a push), but is just 8-7 ATS overall. The underdog is 9-6 ATS, and four of those are outright wins.

This year we have one of the most anticipated SEC Title Games in history with #1 Alabama taking on #4 Florida. Winner goes on to play for the National Championship. The big story is the pointspread as despite being unbeaten and ranked #1 in the nation, Alabama is a 10-point underdog! The Crimson Tide will be making its fifth-all time SEC Title Game appearance and first since 1999, having played in the first three. Ironically, all four previous appearances have come vs. the Gators. The two teams have split both SU and ATS.

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