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Barrett Sallee
Barrett Sallee
CFB Guru
A nationally known CBS Sports college football writer, Sallee shares his top plays each week with SportsLine subscribers. Over the past three years, he is 105-89 in his popular best bets column. Sallee hosts shows on SiriusXM College and appears regularly on CBS Sports HQ. He is a regular on local, regional and national radio programs, including The Paul Finebaum Show on ESPN Radio and the SEC Network. For Barrett Sallee media inquiries, contact SportsLine@CBSInteractive.com.
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CFB | Penn State 35 @ Utah 21 | 01/02 | 10:00 PM UTC

Utah -1.5

LOSS

ANALYSIS: This one will come down to the trenches, and that's Utah's music -- especially after a month to recover from the regular season. What's more, the Utes will be extremely motivated to get their Rose Bowl win after last season's heartbreaker. The Utes have covered in four of their last five games, and that will continue against a Penn State team that isn't capable of matching up in the trenches or on the outside.

+159 6-4 IN LAST 10 PSU ATS PICKS

CFB | Tulane 46 @ USC 45 | 01/02 | 6:00 PM UTC

USC -2 -120

LOSS

ANALYSIS: The Caleb Williams situation is why this line is deflated, but the truth is that it won't matter all that much. If Williams isn't able to go, Miller Moss is perfectly capable of taking charge of a Trojans offense that is still dangerous even with some personnel issues. The motivation of each team is always a concern in these games, and there's no doubt that Tulane would love to beat USC in the Green Wave's first New Year's Six appearance. However, USC's defense has been opportunistic all year and will force a couple of late mistakes to make it a double-digit win.

CFB | LSU 63 @ Purdue 7 | 01/02 | 6:00 PM UTC

UNDER 56

LOSS

ANALYSIS: The Purdue offense will be a mess with the quarterback and coaching turnover within the system, and it'd be hard to move against this LSU defense even at full-strength. LSU's offense won't exactly be crisp considering its quarterback and opt-out situations, and the Tigers are in a spot where they'd just like the season to end. Don't expect basketball-on-grass. This will be slow, plodding and old-school football that won't exactly be viewer-friendly.

+160 6-4 IN LAST 10 LSU O/U PICKS

CFB | Iowa 21 @ Kentucky 0 | 12/31 | 5:00 PM UTC

OVER 31

LOSS

ANALYSIS: Kentucky will be without star quarterback Will Levis and running back Chris Rodriguez Jr. However, the staff is comfortable with Kaiya Sheron and confident in Destin Wade's upside. Of course, it's always difficult to have confidence in Iowa scoring on offense. However, a month to prepare -- even with a new quarterback -- should be enough to draw up at least a couple of shot plays.

CFB | TCU 51 @ Michigan 45 | 12/31 | 9:00 PM UTC

UNDER 58

LOSS

ANALYSIS: The Under has hit in eight of Michigan's 13 games due largely to the fact that its defense has been the most consistent unit in the Big Ten throughout the season. That won't change now that we are in the postseason. In fact, that might not be what TCU wants either. The Under has hit in four of its last five games due in large part to the unfounded notion that Big 12 football is basketball on grass. This will be like a heavyweight fight with both teams feeling each other out before throwing some punches.

+90 2-1 IN LAST 3 MICH O/U PICKS