The College Football Playoffs are here! 12 of the best teams in the nation will face off starting this weekend. The ultimate goal is to raise the College Football Playoff National Championship Trophy on Monday, January 19th at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida. The road begins on Friday, December 19th, in Norman, Oklahoma, as the Sooners and Alabama Crimson Tide square off. Let’s jump in and preview the first round and give our College Football Playoffs best bets for each game.
The top four seeds all get a first-round bye; they will all be watching closely this weekend to learn who their opponent will be and what they may need to do to beat them. Indiana’s Hoosiers earned the #1 seed. The defending National Champion, the Ohio State Buckeyes, secured the #2 seed, with both schools representing the Big Ten. The SEC Champion Georgia Bulldogs earned the #3 seed, while the Big 12’s Texas Tech Red Raiders were the final team to secure the first-round bye.
Friday’s SEC matchup between Alabama and Oklahoma will kick off at 8:00 ET on ABC/ESPN. After that teaser, Saturday, we are in for a treat with a triple header of College Football Playoff games starting with a Noon ET kickoff between Miami and Texas A&M in College Station. That game will air on ABC. The second game on Saturday features the Tulane Green Wave heading up the road to Oxford, Mississippi, to take on the Ole Miss Runnin’ Rebels. The 3:30 ET kickoff will be shown on the Turner family of networks, TNT, TRUTV, and HBO Max. Saturday’s night cap has the Dukes of James Madison University headed into Eugene, Oregon, where the Ducks await them. The 7:30 ET kickoff is also on the Turner family of networks, TNT, TRUTV, and HBO Max.
College Football Playoffs First-Round Best Bets
Alabama +1.5 (-110)
Alabama got smoked by Oklahoma last year, helping to keep them out of the playoffs. The Sooners went into Tuscaloosa earlier this year and won a close one. Alabama didn’t look good against Georgia, and hasn’t played great down the stretch. Yet, on the road, they are only 1.5-point underdogs for a reason. None of those games matter; nothing matters but win and advance. Ty Simpson played well in that first meeting, throwing for 236 yards and a touchdown. If it wasn’t for an early pick-six, the outcome might have been different.
Alabama’s defense was strong, holding the Sooners to 3-13 on third downs and keeping the Sooner offense in check. Oklahoma had only 212 yards in the game, compared to 406 by the Crimson Tide. Three turnovers were the back breakers for Alabama. Clean that up, and the Tide will exact revenge in this one.
Miami +3.5 (-112)
The Hurricanes bust into College Station with a team that’s loaded with talent, even though it hasn’t always looked like it. Set aside all the controversy, should they be in, shouldn’t they be in? It doesn’t matter now. They hear all the talk; now it’s time to bottle all of that up and use it on the field on Saturday.
Miami is led by NFL hopeful Carson Beck. Like Simpson for Alabama, Beck needs to control this game and limit the turnovers. His offensive line is elite and should be able to give him the time to deal to his playmakers like Malachi Toney. Texas A&M’s defense hasn’t been able to turn the ball over this year, with just nine takeaways all season long. This will be the difference in this game. I have Miami winning it, but this could be the closest one on the weekend. Getting 3.5 will be very nice if this is a field goal game the other way.
Ole Miss -17.5 (+103)
I wanted to pick the Green Wave here. I wanted them to be the team I’d place a bet on in this game. However, as good as the story is, as fun as it would be. I just don’t see it happening. I can see Tulane jumping out of the gate with a hot start. But at the end of the day, it’s SEC talent against AAC talent. Those two things just aren’t on the same level. Earlier this year in Oxford, when these teams played, Ole Miss came out on top 45-10.
These players and coaches who remain have something to prove for Ole Miss. Lane Kiffin might have bounced and moved on to greener pastures, but those who remain are set out to prove they don’t need him. Ultimately, it comes down to bigger, faster, and better players. It may be a slow start, but the Rebels will roll at the end of the day.
James Madison +21.5 (-117)
The talent gap also exists in this game, although to a different degree. This James Madison program is just different. Curt Cignetti has the Indiana Hoosiers as the #1 team in the country, and did so with a ton of JMU talent. They picked up where Cignetti left off and even took it to the next level. I don’t think the Dukes have it in them to take down the Ducks, but they do have it in them to cover a more than three-touchdown spread.
Run the ball, control the clock, and slow the game down. That has to be the plan for James Madison. If they can avoid getting into a shootout and control the flow of this game, they’ll at least keep it within reach, and that’s all we’re asking for with this bet.
