College Football Playoff betting guide: First-round odds, title favorites

Sunday’s inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff bracket reveal officially set the stage for the most anticipated postseason the sport has ever seen.Eight more spots in the playoff field have created two extra rounds to determine a national champion, which could come from the Big Ten, the Southeastern Conference or even the Mountain West!Now that the initial matchups are set, it’s time to examine the FanDuel odds for the first-round games and, of course, the latest national championship odds.CFP Bracket: Odds for First-Round GamesOregon’s win over Penn State in the Big Ten championship locked the Ducks into the No. 1 seed, while Georgia’s overtime triumph over Texas for the SEC crown moved the Bulldogs up to No. 2.Boise State slotted in at No. 9 in the final CFP rankings but is the No. 3 seed thanks to its win over UNLV in the Mountain West championship.With SMU losing to Clemson in the Atlantic Coast Conference title game, No. 12-ranked Arizona State is the four seed after it throttled Iowa State to win the Big 12.The top four teams get a bye, with the 5-12 seeds meeting in the first round.12-seed Clemson (+330) vs. 5-seed Texas (-11.5)Texas was favored to win the SEC and lock down a top-four seed, but Clemson was not expected to beat SMU for the ACC title. The Longhorns will therefore hunt redemption, while Dabo Swinney’s team is essentially playing with house money.The winner will face Arizona State in the Peach Bowl.9-seed Tennessee (+215) vs. 8-seed Ohio State (-7.5)The third-highest-ranked team from the SEC (No. 7 Tennessee) will face off with the third-highest-ranked squad from the Big Ten (No. 6 Ohio State). This game brings the Buckeyes a chance at redemption for their embarrassing loss to Michigan to end the regular season.The winner will travel to the Rose Bowl to play Oregon.11-seed SMU (+240) vs. 6-seed Penn State (-7.5)Concerns over strength of schedule dog both teams. Both have 11-2 records and were runners-up in their respective conferences. Penn State’s only win over a ranked opponent was against then-No. 19 Illinois in Week 4, while SMU has knocked off then-No. 22 Louisville and then-No. 18 Pittsburgh.The winner will meet Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl.

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