College football picks, schedule: Predictions against the spread, odds for top 25 games in Week 15

The final week of the 2020 regular season is upon us, but despite that, there have still been numerous cancellations affecting major games scheduled for Saturday. No. 4 Ohio State and No. 11 Oklahoma are among teams who were set to play but will not take the field, and the ACC ensured No. 2 Notre Dame and No. 3 Clemson are not playing in order to preserve their health for the ACC Championship Game next week.

The SEC did not follow that lead. No. 1 Alabama and No. 6 Florida are among the ranked teams in action Saturday. Both are favorites of three touchdowns or more in their respective games as the Crimson Tide and Gators attempt to stay healthy ahead of their showdown in the SEC Championship Game next week.

Will the College Football Playoff Rankings look any different before the weekend is out? We’ll find out based on the results of these marquee games. While winning is all that matters for the standings, we care about whether these teams will cover their spreads. Be sure to stick with CBS Sports throughout the day for college football coverage from the opening kickoff on Saturday to the final whistle. Let’s take a look at our expert picks for Week 15.

Odds via William Hill Sportsbook | All times Eastern

Missouri is playing with a ton of confidence after picking up its third straight win last week. Though running the ball will be tough against this Georgia defense, Connor Bazelak should be able to have enough success against the Bulldogs secondary to keep the Tigers within striking distance. Motivation could also be an issue for a Georgia team that is nearing the end of its season without championships on the line.  Pick: Missouri (+13) — David Cobb

I feel like a broken record, but it’s nearly impossible to consistently pick Alabama games when it can dial up any score that it wants. You have to factor in the situation when looking at this 31.5-point spread. Will coach Nick Saban really want to leave his starters out there knowing that the SEC Championship Game vs. Florida is looming next week? I doubt it. That coupled with the challenge of preparing for two quarterbacks will be enough to get the Hogs the cover.  Pick: Arkansas (+31.5) — Barrett Sallee

Which college football picks can you make with confidence in Week 15? Visit SportsLine to see which teams will win and cover the spread — all from a proven computer model that has returned over $3,500 in profit over the past four-plus seasons — and find out.

My favorite pick here is to take the over, considering the combined firepower of D’Eriq King and Sam Howell. These are two of only three players in the ACC accounting for more than 300 yards of total offense per game with at least 20 passing touchdowns on the season. The other is Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence. So while I do think we’re going to see shootout that could be anyone’s game in the fourth quarter, I think Miami is the team that can close it out with a win. Pick: Miami -3 — Chip Patterson

The simple solution is usually the right one. It’s Occam’s razor. Florida’s strength all season has been its passing offense, and LSU’s weakness has been its passing defense. Gators coach Dan Mullen knows this. Expect the Gators to build a big lead through the air early, grind it out in the second half in an attempt to get right in the running game and cruise to an easy win over a broken Tigers team. Pick: Florida -23 — Barrett Sallee