College Football Best Bets for CFB Playoff Round 1 and Gasparilla Bowl

Iain MacMillan | 1 Hour Ago

Bet on Texas A&M to win and cover against Miami in the opening round of the College Football Playoff. / Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

After a quiet week in the world of college football, it's time to sink our teeth into the meat of the bowl season along with the opening round of the College Football Playoff.

If you're looking for a few bets to place for this weekend's action, you're in the right spot. I have a little bit of something for everyone, including a bet on an underdog, a favorite, and a total. Let's dive into them.

Best College Football Bets

Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook

• Memphis +138 vs. NC State
• Texas A&M -3.5 (-105)
• James Madison vs. Oregon UNDER 47.5 (-110)

Memphis vs. NC State Prediction

In my weekly upset picks article, I broke down why I think Memphis will take down NC State in Friday's Gasparilla Bowl:

I’m not convinced NC State was nearly as good as their record indicated this season. If you look at their overall numbers, they rank 73rd in the country in adjusted net EPA and 45th in net success rate. Memphis ranks 28th and 43rd in those two metrics.

What’s even more important than that is Memphis is a run-first team that does so extremely effectively. Memphis averages 5.0 yards per carry and they’re second in the country in Rush EPA. NC State allows 4.6 yards per carry on defense and is 90th in opponent rush EPA

This game is a stylistic nightmare for NC State.

Pick: Memphis +138

Miami vs. Texas A&M Prediction

In this week's edition of First to Forde, I wrote about why I'm backing Texas A&M to win and cover against Miami:

Miami got off to a hot start to its season, but you can't discount the fact that the Hurricanes have regressed in the second half of the season with losses to Louisville and SMU. The Aggies' secondary is one of the best in the country, ranking third in opponent pass success rate, which will play a big role in shutting down Carson Beck and the Hurricanes' offense.

Pick: Texas A&M -3.5 (-105)

JMU vs. Oregon Prediction

James Madison's biggest strength is its defense. The Dukes rank first in the country in opponent success rate and fourth in opponent adjusted EPA per play. The Oregon defense has also been inside the top 10 in both of those metrics for the majority of the season.

If James Madison has any shot in this game, it needs its defense to bring its "A" game. Oregon will likely still win, but I foresee this being a low-scoring affair.

Pick: UNDER 47.5 (-110)

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You can check out all of Iain's bets here!