2 Best College Football Playoff Bets and Props for Ohio State vs. Miami in the Cotton Bowl

The first quarterfinal of this year's College Football Playoff comes with the most lopsided spread of the quarterfinal round.

The Ohio State Buckeyes are 9.5-point favorites over the Miami (FL) Hurricanes for their 7:30 p.m. ET clash at the Cotton Bowl on New Year's Eve.

Which bets stand out for this matchup?

Let's dig into FanDuel Sportsbook's college football betting odds and lay out some potential values.

All college football betting odds come from FanDuel Sportsbook and may change after this article is published.

Ohio State vs. Miami CFP Betting Picks

Ohio State Under 26.5 Points (-120)

Last season, Ohio State's offense ended the regular season with an underwhelming performance in a loss and then rebounded in a huge way in the playoffs. While the stage may be set for something similar after the Buckeyes' 10-point outing in a Big Ten Championship loss to the Indiana Hoosiers, I'm comfortable backing OSU to go under 26.5 points versus the Hurricanes.

The Buckeyes' defense is out of this world, but don't sleep on the 'Canes D. By SP+, Miami ranks eighth defensively.

Miami has basically been in playoff mode since a 26-20 overtime loss at the Southern Methodist Mustangs. In the five games since that SMU loss, the Hurricanes have allowed 10, 7, 17, 10 and 3 points. The three-point masterpiece came on the road in College Station in the CFP First Round against a Texas A&M Aggies offense that ranks 12th in the country, per SP+, just one spot behind Ohio State.

Ohio State's offense unquestionably has a lot of talent, especially at the skill positions, but in their two toughest matchups this season, the offense was held to 14 points at home against the Texas Longhorns and 10 points against IU at a neutral site. In short, they haven't been great against elite opposition.

That combined with Miami's excellent defensive play of late is enough for me to back the Bucks to go under 26.5 points.

Ohio State Drive 1 Bo Jackson 5+ Rushing Yards (+104)

Bo Jackson is the no-doubt RB1 for the Buckeyes, and although I'm not super high on their offense as a whole for this game, I like this first-drive bet quite a bit.

Against IU, Jackson handled 17 of 20 running-back carries for Ohio State while C.J. Donaldson went without a rushing attempt. The previous week -- at the Michigan Wolverines -- Jackson logged 22 carries to Donaldson's 14. In short, Jackson is the team's starter, and that obviously matters a lot for this bet.

Jackson hasn't hit this in either of the Buckeyes' last two games, but that was a little fluky. Ohio State's first drives against both IU and Michigan ended in an interception, with the two drives containing a combined total of six plays and one first down.

In the four games before the last two, Jackson had first-drive rushing totals of 51, 30, 13 and 13. I think we're getting plus-money odds here due to Ohio State's last two games, and while a quick turnover -- or a quick passing score -- is certainly a possibility, I'm willing to bank on a more normal first drive, and I find these +104 odds appealing. I'm also interested in Jackson to run for 10-plus first-drive yards at +220 odds.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.