CFP quarterfinals: Oregon lone lower seed favored
Oregon coach Dan Lanning was frustrated by his team's second-half performance on Saturday night, but that didn't stop oddsmakers from installing the Ducks as the lone road favorite for the College Football Playoff quarterfinals.
No. 5 Oregon will square off against No. 4 Texas Tech in the Orange Bowl, with the Ducks sitting as a consensus 1.0-point favorite on Sunday.
The other three higher seeds are all at least touchdown favorites.
No. 1 Indiana is a consensus 7.0-point favorite over No. 9 Alabama in the Rose Bowl, while No. 3 Georgia is a 7.5-point favorite against No. 6 in an SEC rematch in the Sugar Bowl. The Crimson Tide opened the playoffs by overcoming a 17-0 deficit at Oklahoma, going on to a 10-point victory after all four road teams lost in the opening round last year.
The biggest spread is owned by No. 2 Ohio State, which opened as an 8.5-point favorite shortly after No. 10 Miami outlasted No. 7 Texas A&M 10-3 on Saturday. However, the consensus line for had moved to 10.0 points by Sunday morning.
The Buckeyes and Hurricanes will play in the first CFP quarterfinal in the Cotton Bowl at 7:30 p.m. ET on New Year's Eve. The other three games will be played on New Year's Day.
All four teams with first-round byes last season lost their playoff openers.
Ohio State is the strongest favorite to advance to the semifinals at -425 at DraftKings. The Buckeyes are followed by Indiana and Georgia at -260, Oregon (-115), Texas Tech (-105), Alabama and Ole Miss at +210 and Miami (+320).
The Buckeyes are also favorite to win the CFP title at +200.
CFP TITLE ODDS*
Ohio State (+200)
Indiana (+320)
Georgia (+475)
Oregon (+750)
Texas Tech (+800)
Alabama (+1800)
Miami (+2200)
Ole Miss (+2500)
*DraftKings