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Betting odds released for opening round of College Football Playoff

Ryan Young|
Alabama made it into the College Football Playoff field despite its 28-7 loss to Georgia in the SEC championship game Saturday.
Alabama made it into the College Football Playoff field despite its 28-7 loss to Georgia in the SEC championship game Saturday. | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

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Alabama Crimson TideOklahoma SoonersTulane Green WaveOle Miss RebelsJames Madison DukesTexas A&M AggiesMiami (FL) HurricanesOregon Ducks

With the College Football Playoff bracket unveiled Sunday, the betting odds for the opening round games have also been set.

And the fact that two games are projected to be significant blowouts will only further incite pushback on the way the playoff field is constructed with two Group of 5 teams making the 12-team bracket this year (via the automatic berths awarded to the five highest-ranked conference champions) while the likes of Notre Dame (10-2) and Texas (9-3) were left out of the field.

No. 6-seeded Ole Miss (11-1) is a 17.5-point home favorite vs. No. 11 Tulane (11-2), per FanDuel Sportsbook, having already beaten the AAC-champion Green Wave 45-10 in the regular season. The teams will meet again Dec. 20, with the winner advancing to face No. 3 Georgia.

And No. 5 Oregon (11-1) is a 21.5-point home favorite over No. 12 James Madison (12-1) on Dec. 20 with the winner advancing to face No. 4 Texas Tech. JMU, which won the Sun Belt and was ranked higher than 8-5 ACC champion Duke, played only one Power 4 opponent this season and lost 28-14 at Louisville.

Meanwhile, No. 9 Alabama (10-3) is a 1.5-point road favorite over No. 8 Oklahoma (10-2) on Dec. 19 despite the Sooners having won the teams' head-to-head matchup 23-21 in Tuscaloosa on Nov. 15. The winner of that game plays No. 1 Indiana.

And No. 7 Texas A&M (11-1) is a 4.5-point home favorite over No. 10 Miami (10-2) on Dec. 20 with the winner advancing to play No. 2 Ohio State. The Aggies and Hurricanes did not play each other this year, but both beat Notre Dame with Miami beating the Fighting Irish 27-24 at home in Week 1 and Texas A&M winning 41-40 on the road in Week 2.

As for overall odds to win the national championship, FanDuel Sportsbook has set Ohio State as a +250 favorite, followed by Indiana (+270), Georgia (+550), Texas Tech and Oregon (+850), Texas A&M (+1600), Alabama and Ole Miss (+2000), Miami (+2200), Oklahoma (+4500), James Madison (+40000) and Tulane (+75000).

Here is the full 12-team CFP bracket. The quarterfinals are set for Dec. 31/Jan. 1, the semifinals for Jan. 8/9 and the national championship game is Jan. 19 in Miami Gardens, Florida.

(Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.)

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Ryan Young
RYAN YOUNG

Ryan Young joins CFB HQ On SI after 15 years as a college football beat writer, including the last seven years in Los Angeles covering the USC Trojans for Rivals. He previously covered Florida and Coastal Carolina after four years at the Kansas City Star. He is a graduate of the University of Maryland.

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