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The first official 12-team playoff bracket was unveiled Sunday, and the betting lines for all the opening-round matchups were listed shortly after.
Here’s a look at the betting odds for all 4 first-round matchups, via Circa Sports:
- Indiana at Notre Dame (-7.5)
- SMU at Penn State (-8.5)
- Clemson at Texas (-10)
- Tennessee at Ohio State (-7)
College Football Playoff 🏈🏆
First Round Opening LinesOpening App Limits: $5k Sides, $1k Totals#CFBPlayoff pic.twitter.com/lyczLzfMCE
— Circa Sports (@CircaSports) December 8, 2024
Of the first round games, no matchup is projected to be closer than a touchdown.
Texas is the largest favorite of the opening round, as the fifth-seeded Longhorns are currently a 10-point favorite over No. 12 Clemson in Austin.
No. 6 Penn State follows UT up by being an 8.5-point favorite over No. 11 SMU in Happy Valley.
In an intra-state battle at South Bend, Notre Dame opens as a 7.5-point favorite over Indiana in a matchup of the No. 7 vs. the No. 10 seed.
Lastly, the battle in Columbus between No. 8 Ohio State and No. 9 Tennessee is the closest projected game of round one. The oddsmakers have the Volunteers as a 7-point underdog when they head into the Horseshoe.
However, these lines are subject to movement until kickoff and will likely shift over the coming days. Fans looking for the right sports betting app can follow this guide from Saturday Down South to help choose the best app on the market.
Entering the first round, Oregon has the best betting odds to win the College Football Playoff at most sportsbooks.
The College Football Playoff will begin with the Fighting Irish taking on the Hoosiers on Dec. 20, with the other three matchups taking place on Dec. 21. Games will be broadcast by ABC, ESPN and TNT.
Current Missouri student entering my third year of covering Tiger football and basketball. Contributor to The Transfer Portal CFB and overall college athletics enthusiast.
