CFP Predictions: Bet Oregon, Georgia to Reach Title Game
- The Indiana vs Notre Dame betting line is just over a touchdown.
- After Michigan beat Washington to win the national title in the final four-team CFP, neither team made the field even as it was expanded to 12 teams.
- Check out all the NCAA football odds at BetUS sportsbook.
The debating is over as the first 12-team College Football Playoff was announced on Sunday. About the only question that remained before the release of the field was whether ACC runner-up SMU would get in over Alabama. SEC homer Rece Davis of ESPN couldn’t have been happy to announce the final decision when Alabama was bumped in favor of SMU.
Four Big Ten teams were selected, followed by three SEC teams and two others from the ACC. Play begins on Dec. 20 when Indiana plays at Notre Dame. The other first-round games will be on Dec. 21 when SMU is at Penn State, Clemson plays at Texas, and Tennessee hits the road to face Ohio State.
The NCAAF odds have the home teams in the four first-round games. The quarterfinals will be on Dec. 31 and Jan. 1.
There was a chance that Power-4 conference newcomers could have made college football news by winning all four of the title games. Arizona State and Oregon won the Big 12 and Big Ten after leaving the Pac-12. Texas and SMU had chances to win the SEC and ACC titles only to have Georgia and Clemson tight affairs.
When looking at the college football future odds, Georgia, Oregon and Texas are all priced at +350 in the odds of winning the national championship. Texas is the only one of the four teams to play in last year’s four-time College Football Playoff to make this year’s field.
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College Football Bracket Betting Analysis
1. Did CFP Selection Committee Get It Right?
If SMU won the ACC title, Alabama would have been part of the 12-team field. However, things got a little interesting when Clemson won the ACC Championship Game for the eighth time in the last 10 seasons.
Take a look at the full and final College Football Playoff selection committee rankings upon completion of the 2024 regular season!#CFBPlayoff 🏈🏆 pic.twitter.com/4YOjBQnGCx
— College Football Playoff (@CFBPlayoff) December 8, 2024
Do we think Alabama would beat SMU in a head-to-head matchup? Yes. However, that is not the issue. When committee chair and Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel did an interview on the bracket projections that were announced heading into the conference title games, he said teams should not be penalized for playing an additional game.
That proved to be true. Alabama’s win over Georgia is better than any victory by SMU. However, losses to Vanderbilt and Oklahoma proved to be the Crimson Tide’s undoing.
It is interesting that Clemson beat SMU to win the ACC title but the Mustangs are seeded 11th while Clemson is the No. 12 seed.
Boise State earned the No. 3 seed after winning the Mountain West title game while Big 12 champion Arizona State joins Oregon, Georgia and Boise State as the teams earning byes into the quarterfinals.
Bet Georgia (+350) to Win the College Football Playoffs
2. No Reward for the No. 1 Seed
Maybe winning the Big Ten championship wasn’t such a good thing. At first glance, Big Ten runner-up Penn State appears to have an easier path in the CFP bracket.
Oregon’s most challenging game this season was a one-point win over Ohio State. If Ohio State tops Tennessee in the first round, there will be a rematch in the quarterfinals between the Buckeyes and the Ducks.
The winner of that game could get Texas in the semifinals. The college football odds have Ohio State favored by 7½ points against Tennessee. Texas is an 11-point favorite against Clemson.
“Clemson has the bodies to physically line up and go toe-to-toe with anybody in the country.”
The ACC Huddle previews @ClemsonFB‘s matchup with Texas in the College Football Playoff 👀 pic.twitter.com/yuME00PXMr
— ACC Network (@accnetwork) December 9, 2024
Penn State (-8) opens at home against SMU with the winner facing Boise State. The semifinal matchup would come against Georgia, Indiana or Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish (-7½) are favored to beat Indiana in the first round.
Georgia (+280), Ohio State (+380), Oregon (+650) and Texas (+800) had the shortest odds of winning the national title when the season began. Among the teams to make the CFP bracket, SMU (+20000), Boise State (+35000) and Arizona State (+60000) had the longest championship odds according to the NCAAF predictions.
3. One Person’s CFP Bracket Prediction: Don’t Bet Against Oregon
With Georgia quarterback Carson Beck being injured in the SEC title game, does that make the Bulldogs a risky option when making college football picks?
Penn State’s inability to win big games makes it hard to go with the Nittany Lions. The Bulldogs have an extra week of preparation to figure things out if Beck can’t go. Perhaps Notre Dame could make some noise in the bottom half of the bracket, but we would still pick Georgia to beat Notre Dame and Penn State to reach the CFP final.
We will make an online bet on a No. 1 vs No. 2 showdown with Oregon set to beat Ohio State again (although Tennessee might have something to say about that) and Texas.
Oregon looks like the best team and former Georgia defensive coordinator Dan Lanning coaching the Ducks adds an extra dimension to this projected championship showdown.
Bet Oregon (+350) to Win the National Championship
Odds and information are accurate at the time of writing. Please check with official sources for the latest updates before placing any bets.
Questions of the Day
Who played in the 2023 CFP Final?
Michigan topped Washington 34-13 to win the 2023 College Football Playoffs.
Who was favored to win the national title at the beginning of the season?
Georgia at +280 and Ohio State at +380 were the favorites in the odds of winning the national title when the 2024 season began.
