After over a month break, the 4 best teams will square off in the College Football Playoff. Alabama will square off against Michigan in the Rose Bowl while Texas will butt heads with Washington in the Sugar Bowl. Keep reading to see which teams have the edge.
Check out our best bets for January 1, 2024, right here. Good luck with your bets and Happy New Year!
Alabama Crimson Tide vs Michigan Wolverines
Alabama seemingly snuck their way into this CFB playoff being the 4 seed and having a loss on their record while Florida State was left out despite being undefeated. However, they did end their season by defeating the then #1 team in Georgia in the SEC championship game. Their lone loss came back in early September to fellow CFB playoff team, Texas.
Jalen Milroe figured things out and has seemed to be in control of the Tide offense after having some rough patches earlier in the season. He has them averaging just over 35ppg which is 25th in the country. He will have his hands full against a Michigan defense that is near the top in all the defenses in the country.
Michigan ran the table and defeated rival Ohio State to end their regular season. They then dispatched Iowa 26-0 in the Big 10 title game. The defense has been magnificent and allowed only 9.46ppg to their opponents which is 2nd in the nation.
The offense has been very balanced, and JJ McCarthy has been efficient running the offense. He has thrown just 4 interceptions to his 19 touchdowns. Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards have combined for over 1400 yards on the ground and 27 touchdowns. Four players have caught over 30 balls from McCarthy on the season and 7 of them caught touchdowns.
Best Bet: Michigan -1.5
This feels like it is Michigan’s year. They have dealt with adversity and embraced the world is against them and playing as an underdog. The difference in this one is likely going to be Milroe against this veteran Michigan defense.
While he has looked good lately, he has not faced the pressure he will from this Wolverine defensive front. Also, the run game of Michigan is going to wear down the Bama defensive line. This game is likely to be decided late in the 4th and that is where Michigan has seemed to thrive.
Key Betting Trends for Alabama vs Michigan
- Mich is 7-2 ATS in their last 9 games when playing as the favorite.
- Mich is 7-2 ATS in their last 9 games.
Texas Longhorns vs Washington Huskies
Texas, after having a hiccup in October against Oklahoma where they lost 34-30, won their remaining 7 games including the Big 12 title game over Oklahoma State. Quinn Ewers has been incredible after being extremely inconsistent in years prior and with 2 quality QBs nipping at his heels. He led the Longhorns to a passing offense that averages 286.8 yards per game.
While he and the offense get all the credit, this Texas defense has quietly been strong all year. They are only allowing 17.54ppg to opponents and lived in the shadow of their potent offense. Jonathon Brooks was lost for the season a couple weeks ago but the leading rusher was not all that missed as the Longhorn backup RBs went for almost 200 yards in the Big 12 title game.
Washington has been arguably the most fun team to watch all season. Michael Penix was a Heisman finalist and led the Huskies to the #1 passing offense in the country by averaging 343.8 yards per game through the air. While Texas has a defense that has been quietly stout, this Huskies defense has not.
It has been more of a story that Penix and the wideouts hiding the fact that their defense just is not that great. If they want to continue this magical run, the defense will need to step up in at least a couple of spots against Texas.
Best Bet: Texas -4
While Penix has been great, he did show some fatigue late in the season where he just did not look like himself. He will not be able to win this game with a performance like that. It is going to be the defenses that decide this game.
Texas has a defense that will be able to make a couple of timely stops where the Washington defense is going to rely on Texas’s offenses shooting themselves in the foot, something that does not happen often.
Key Betting Trends for Texas vs Washington
- Texas is 4-2 ATS in their last 6 games.
- Texas is 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games against an opponent in the Pac-12 conference.
