Best Bets For College Football Playoff Games on New Year’s Day

This New Year’s Day, the College Football Playoff presents three of the four quarterfinals matchups on a loaded slate with all games airing on ESPN. The premier matchup is the Rose Bowl game pitting the No. 1 Oregon Ducks against the No. 8 Ohio State Buckeyes at 5 p.m. ET.

The action opens with the No. 4 Arizona State Sun Devils facing No. 5 Texas Longhorns at 1 p.m. ET and concludes with the No. 2 Georgia Bulldogs hosting the No. 7 Notre Dame Fighting Irish at 8:45 p.m. ET. 

We’ve got three best bets on the spread or total for these CFB Playoff games on New Year’s Day and a couple of player props to consider where available. Sportsbooks are offering promotions and welcome bonuses for new customers during a busy season for NCAA Football and many books will offer boosted bets on the day of games. 

College Football Playoff New Year’s Day Best Bets 

Georgia vs. Notre Dame: Georgia Georgia Bulldogs +12.5 (-115) on DraftKings

• The market might be overreacting to Georgia losing Carson Beck (elbow). The coaching staff has had several weeks to prepare Gunner Stockton for his first start, behind closed doors, and Notre Dame’s defense will not have much film to watch on the Georgia native. Stockton is a much more dangerous dual threat than Beck, which could play against the strength of Notre Dame’s elite pass defense. The Irish allowed a healthy 133 rushing yards per game and Georgia should be able to finish drives with power football. On the other side of the ball, Notre Dame’s offense is a bit one dimensional with everything running through its running backs. Georgia has played the toughest schedule in the nation and has a more talented roster overall. 

Oregon vs. Ohio State: Ohio State Total Touchdowns Over 3.5 (-115) on Bet365

• The undefeated and top-ranked Ducks are somehow underdogs in this Rose Bowl matchup because Ohio State has the top defense in the nation. The Buckeyes can also put up points in bunches, and should be forced to open up the offense with Oregon likely to find cracks in their defense that Tennessee could not find in their first-round matchup. The Ducks play fast and are virtually unstoppable offensively. Ohio State is balanced offensively with arguably the best receiving corps in the nation. The Ducks were last seen allowing 518 total yards and five touchdowns to Penn State in the Big Ten Championship and gave up 467 yards and four touchdowns to Ohio State in a home game earlier this season. 

College Football Playoff New Year’s Day Player Props  

TreVeyon Henderson Over Rushing Yards (Ohio State vs. Oregon): Over 45.5 (-115) on Bet365

• The Rose Bowl is expected to be a track meet with an implied total of 55 points in a rematch between two teams that combined for 63 points in a midseason bout at Oregon. Emeka Egbuka and Jeremiah Smith roasted the Ducks secondary in that first matchup, so we shouldn’t see many stacked boxes against the Ohio State offense. When facing a light front, Henderson can thrive. The junior was bottled up by Michigan in a total flop by the Buckeyes offense, but has otherwise cruised past this number against ranked opponents, including 87 yards on just 10 carries at Oregon. This number is higher at other books, but tops out around 52.5 yards and can be found as low as 45.5 yards. 

Riley Leonard Over Rushing Yards (Notre Dame vs. Georgia): Over 34.5 (-115) on BetMGM

• Both teams should take a ground-heavy approach in the Sugar Bowl with Gunner Stockton slotting in at quarterback for Georgia. Notre Dame has a stable of running backs that will threaten the Georgia defense, opening up lanes for Leonard to keep the ball and rack up some rushing yards in a low-scoring affair. The transfer from Duke is averaging 53.4 rushing yards at 5.4 yards per carry this season. With a 6-foot-4, 215-pound frame, he can handle designed runs on the interior, and he’s shown the capacity to scramble away from good pass rushes, such as the one possessed by Georgia.