Now that the College Football Playoff bracket is set, bettors are looking ahead to the odds for the first round of games.
Notably, Ole Miss and Oregon open as massive, double-digit favorites over Tulane and James Madison, respectively.
The Bama-OU and Miami-Texas A&M matchups, according to the odds, could yield more competitive results.
Let’s look at the odds at DraftKings Sportsbook as of Dec. 18.
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FRIDAY, DEC. 19
No. 9 Alabama @ No. 8 Oklahoma (8 p.m. ET, ABC)
Spread: Alabama -1.5
Moneyline: Alabama -105, Oklahoma -115
O/U: 39.5
What to know: These two teams faced off during the regular season, back on Nov. 15. In that game, the Sooners traveled to Alabama and beat the Tide, 23-21. Most notably, OU quarterback John Mateer had arguably his most ho-hum game of the season, completing 15 of 23 passes for 138 yards and no passing TDs, although he did rush one in. In addition, Alabama led 10-0 in the first quarter and 17-7 in the second. However, a fumble by Bama QB Ty Simpson late in the third quarter — in Alabama territory — led to an OU field goal to take a 23-21 lead at 13:41 of the fourth quarter, and neither team scored again. Yep, one turnover essentially decided that contest. Oklahoma would go on to close its regular season with wins over Missouri and LSU, while the Tide would beat Eastern Illinois and Auburn in the final two weeks, before falling to Georgia in the SEC title game.
SATURDAY, DEC. 20
No. 10 Miami @ No. 7 Texas A&M (noon ET, ABC)
Spread: Texas A&M -3.5
Moneyline: Texas A&M -166, Miami +140
O/U: 48.5
What to know: These teams did not face off in the regular season, but they do have some common opponents. Miami beat Notre Dame in Week 1 27-24, and the Aggies defeated the Irish 41-40 in Week 3. Those two losses eventually ended up dooming Notre Dame’s Playoff chances. These squads’ other common opponent is Florida, which the Aggies beat 34-17, and the Hurricanes beat 26-7.
No. 11 Tulane @ No. 6 Ole Miss (3:30 p.m. ET, TNT)
Spread: Ole Miss -17.5
Moneyline: Ole Miss -1000, Tulane +650
O/U: 56.5
What to know: Quite the spread on this one, huh? Well, Tulane has faced two ranked opponents so far this season. Back on Sept. 20, it lost at then-No. 13 Ole Miss 45-10, and then, in the American title game this past weekend, it beat No. 24 North Texas 34-21. That’s it. Now, the Green Wave get Ole Miss again. In that game, the Rebels led 45-3 before Tulane scored its first TD of the night with 3:42 left in the game.
No. 12 James Madison @ No. 5 Oregon (7:30 p.m. ET, TNT)
Spread: Oregon -21
Moneyline: Oregon -2100, James Madison +1100
O/U: 47.5
What to know: Remember when we were talking about large spreads? Unlike Tulane, James Madison faced zero ranked teams this season. Its one regular-season loss came at Louisville (28-14) back on Sept. 5. The Dukes would go on to win 11 straight after that, including a 31-14 win over Troy in the Sun Belt Championship Game. Now, JMU gets Oregon, a team with one loss on the season — a 10-point setback against the No. 1 seed in the CFP, Indiana, back on Oct. 11 (20-10).
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