This Friday at 8 p.m., the first 12-team College Football Playoffs will begin with a matchup between the 10th-ranked Indiana Hoosiers and the 7th-seeded Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
Indiana (#10) @ Notre Dame (#7)
- Spread: Hoosiers +7.0 (-105), Irish -7.0 (-115)
- Moneyline: Hoosiers +250, Irish -300
- Over: 51.0 (-110)
- Under: 51.0 (-110)
Both programs have only suffered one loss this season. The Hoosiers dropped a game to the 8th-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes, and Notre Dame suffered an oddball loss to Northern Illinois back in September.
ND is favored to win by a touchdown and move on to face the Georgia Bulldogs in the second round. This is probably the most intriguing CFP betting matchup of the weekend as both squads are a bit of a mystery heading into the postseason.
SMU (#11) @ Penn State (#6)
- Spread: SMU +8.5 (-110), Lions -8.5 (-110)
- Moneyline: SMU +275, Lions -350
- Over: 54.0 (-110)
- Under: 54.0 (-110)
Saturday at noon, the SMU Mustangs travel to Penn State, where they are an 8.5-point dog on the road. Both programs lost their respective conference championship games but still put in enough regular season work to remain in the CFP.
This quarter of the CFP bracket is arguably the weakest, as the winner of this 11 vs 6 matchup gets to play Boise State in the second round.
Clemson (#12) @ Texas (#5)
- Spread: Tigers +12.0 (-110), Longhorns -12.0 (-110)
- Moneyline: Tigers +350, Longhorns -480
- Over: 52.0 (-105)
- Under: 52.0 (-115)
The Clemson Tigers are no stranger to the College Football Playoffs, but this year, not many were expecting them to be among the final 12 teams competing for a National Championship.
A late-season Miami loss propelled Clemson into the ACC Championship Game, and they won their way into the CFP by beating SMU. The Longhorns are favored by a massive 12-point spread.
The winner will play Arizona State.
Tennessee (#9) @ Ohio State (#8)
- Spread: Vols +7.0 (EVEN), Buckeyes -7.0 (-120)
- Moneyline: Vols +235, Buckeyes -285
- Over: 46.5 (-110)
- Under: 46.5 (-110)
The final game of the CFP’s first round begins at 8 p.m. this Saturday. Once again, college football betting sites have posted a point spread of a touchdown or greater, with Ohio State favored to win and become one of the final eight teams remaining.
If the Buckeyes win, they’ll get a rematch with the top-ranked Oregon Ducks in round two.
Should The CFP Include 12 Teams?
With such massive point spreads offered on the first round of the CFP, does the field really need to be this deep? Past critics of the 4-team playoff system can point their fingers toward perhaps one, maybe two exclusions on a given year.
If the favorite covers all four games this weekend, the NCAA may need to go back to the drawing board when they create a new plan for 2025 and beyond.
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