College Football Playoff Quarterfinals Betting Guide & Best Bets: Indiana, Ohio State, Georgia Strong Favorites

By Bill Speros

Dec 21st, 2025 5:24 PM EST

Welcome to "Playoffuary." The College Football Playoff began on Dec. 19 and ends with the national championship game 31 days later, on Jan. 19. Follow our College Football Quarterfinals Playoff Betting Guide & Best Bets for all the latest news and analysis.

The first round of the college football playoffs saw two road teams score upsets: Alabama and Miami. Meanwhile, Ole Miss and Oregon demolished their "Group of 5" opponents by a combined score of 92-44. The quarterfinal round offers a rematch featuring Ole Miss and Georgia in the Super Bowl. The Bulldogs won their first meeting 43-35, shutting out the Rebels 17-0 in the 4th quarter.

In the other quarterfinal games: Alabama plays Indiana, Ohio State faces Miami, and Texas Tech meets Oregon. Last season, all 4 teams that had the bye lost in the quarterfinal round.

Here’s the current College Football Playoff Betting Guide & Odds Tracker breakdown for you to use at the best sports betting apps.

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College Football Playoff Final Top 12

Here are current College Football Playoff teams, with each team ranked by its national championship odds at DraftKings , and listed with its overall record.

RANK	TEAM	TITLE ODDS	RECORD
1	Ohio State	+195	10-0
2	Indiana	+320	11-0
3	Georgia	+475	9-1
4	Oregon	+750	11-1
5	Texas Tech	+800	10-1
6	Alabama	+1800	11-3
7	Miami (FL)	+2200	11-2
8	Ole Miss	+2500	12-1

What Is The 2025-26 College Football Playoff Schedule?

Here's the breakdown of the College Football Playoff Schedule for the 2025-26 season.

Check the College Football Playoff Betting Guide before you wager responsibly on the best sports betting apps.

ESPN will broadcast the quarterfinals, semifinals, and the National Championship Game on Jan. 19, set for Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.

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College Football Playoff Best Bets

Here are the current odds and NCAAF picks for the quarterfinal games in our College Football Playoff Betting Guide & Odds Tracker:

Wednesday, Dec. 31
Cotton Bowl
(10) Miami (11-2) vs. (2) Ohio State (12-1)
AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas
7:30 p.m. (ESPN)

Buzz: Miami already cashed once as a live underdog in the Playoffs — and under bettors rode shotgun.

The Hurricanes survived a windy rock fight at Texas A&M, winning 10-3 as 3.5-point dogs and smothering 48.5 total that never had a pulse. Miami’s offense, however, managed just 10 points, Carson Beck threw for 103 yards, and the game played exactly how under bettors dream about: ugly, slow, and mistake-heavy.

Now the scene shifts indoors to AT&T Stadium for the Cotton Bowl, but the matchup doesn’t suddenly get friendlier. Ohio State owns the nation’s best scoring defense, allowing just 8.2 points per game. That context explains why this quarterfinal opened with the lowest total on the board at 42.5 — especially after Miami’s 10-3 win and Ohio State’s own 13-10 loss in its last outing. What jumps off the screen, this time, is the spread. The Buckeyes are laying 10 points in a game the market is projecting both teams to score in the low 20s - or less in our College Football Quarterfinals Playoff Betting Guide & Best Bets.

Oddsmakers aren’t guessing with Ohio State. The Buckeyes are 10-2-1 against the spread, second-best in the FBS. Meanwhile, they’ve routinely handled big numbers. Their only double-digit ATS miss against a Power 5 opponent came in a 34-10 win over Purdue — a game where they still won by 24 as nearly 30-point favorites.

History also favors a bounce-back. For the second straight season, Ohio State enters the CFP after a 13-10 loss. Last year it was Michigan, followed by a national title run. This year it was Indiana, aided by a missed 27-yard field goal in the final three minutes, in the Big Ten title game. The Buckeyes remain the national title favorite in the futures market — and are priced like it here. Bettors are left with a familiar playoff question: does Miami’s defensive grit keep this close, or does Ohio State turn another ugly loss into a statement win?

Best Bet: Ohio State -9.5 (-110) BetMGM via OddsJam 
Best Bet: Over 41.5 Points (-110) FanDuel via OddsJam 

Thursday, Jan. 1
Orange Bowl
(5) Oregon (12-1) vs. (4) Texas Tech (12-1)
Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida
12 p.m. (ESPN)

Buzz: Just 12 hours and change after the new year begins, the Oregon Ducks take the field 2,691 miles away from the friendly confines of Autzen Stadium. How the Ducks respond out of water, meanwhile, in an early, East Coast kickoff on New Year's Day plays a large role on the narrative for our College Football Quarterfinals Playoff Betting Guide & Best Bets

The Red Raiders laid waste to sportsbooks, betting apps and your local bookmaker this season. Texas Tech owns the best record against the spread (12-1) of any team in football at any level. That's college or pro. However, somehow, the Big 12 champs are getting points against a team playing 3 time zones away from home. And a team that failed to make the Big 10 title game. The Ducks, meanwhile, allowed 34 points and whiffed on the 20.5-point cover against Group of 5 patsy James Madison Saturday. Meanwhile, the backdoor cover came long after garbage time had morphed into toxic waste time.

Tech boasts the No. 3 defense in the country (10.9 PPG). It ranks only behind Ohio State and Indiana.

How does Oregon's 93-octane offense rate against the best defense the Big 12 has to offer? We'll know that for sure come New Year's Day eve. This game likely falls under in the first half, and then takes of in terms of points scored in the second. But this total seems a bit too steep.

Oregon holds the edge in ESPN's College Football Power Index, 25.2-23, giving Oregon's Big 10 competition the nod over that faced by Tech in the Big 12.

Best Bet: Texas Tech +1.5 (-110) Caesars Sportsbook via OddsJam 
Best Bet: Under 53 Points (-110) Hard Rock Bet via OddsJam 

Rose Bowl
(9) Alabama (11-3) vs. (1) Indiana (13-0)
Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California
4 p.m. (ESPN)

Buzz: "Whoa, Nellie!" As the late, great Keith Jackson would say, we've got a humdinger of a Rose Bowl here. Alabama, of college football's great legacy teams, meets Indiana, the upstart Big Ten champs making their first appearance in this game since 1968.

The historic script has been flipped in this game. Indiana comes in as the undefeated powerhouse. And Alabama needed the planets to line up in its favor to back into the College Football Playoff. Curt Cignetti's Hoosiers transformed Indiana into a football school this season. They march into Pasadena as touchdown favorites, This line has slid from Indiana -7.5 to -7 (or -6.5) points, depending on where you shop.

The Hoosiers quacked up Oregon 30-20 in Eugene this season, and held off Ohio State 13-10 in the Big Ten title game at Lucas Oil Stadium. They can win big games away from home.

The opening number here marked the most points oddsmakers have given the Tide since the 2014-15 national semifinal game. Nick Saban and Alabama grabbed a back-door cover in game. They needed the hook as 7.5-point underdogs in a 42-35 loss the Ohio State.

Kalen DeBoer may never win over hearts and minds in Tuscaloosa until he leads the Tide to their first national title since 2020. Sadly for Ty Simpson, the Tide's stout defense, Big Al, Bama falls short again this year. Indiana's No. 2 defense (10.8 PPG) limited Ohio State to just one TD in that Big Ten title game. And IU's monstrous offensive line gives Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza enough time to pick apart Alabama's secondary. They'll be no 17-point comeback for Alabama this time.

Best Bet: Indiana -6.5 (-110) Hard Rock Bet via OddsJam 
Best Bet: Under 48.5 Points (-102) FanDuel via OddsJam 

Sugar Bowl
(6) Ole Miss (12-1) vs. (3) Georgia (12-1)
Caesars Superdome, New Orleans
8 p.m. (ESPN)

Buzz: The Sugar Bowl gives SEC fans a sweet opportunity in that the conference is guaranteed at least one team in the national semifinals. This one just means more, given that Ole Miss went full "Lane Who?" mode in demolishing "Group Of 5" fall-guy Tulane 41-10 Saturday. Expect the most vociferous crowd of the 3 New Year's Day Playoff Games in the Crescent City. This is a night game. On New Year's Day. And Oxford is mere 5-hour drive from Caesars Superdome.

Georgia (-7) scored a win and cover at home over Ole Miss 43-35 on October 18. The Bulldogs scored the final 17 points of the game in the 4th quarter to ice the comeback in handing Ole Miss its lone loss this season. The Rebels, however, easily won their rematch against Tulane in the opening round of the Playoffs. That, too, was a rematch. One won by Ole Miss by nearly the same score of their first game (45-10).

Oddsmakers expect history to keep repeating itself in this game, initially posting the same Georgia -7 line from their first game this season against Ole Miss.

The Rebels demonstrated their ability to score - and keep scoring - without former coach Lane Kiffin Saturday. The unquestioned devotion of the Old Miss players toward new coach Pete Golding, meanwhile, makes that Kiffin situation a non-factor. But what remains an unshakable is Kirby Smart getting second crack at the Ole Miss offense. Ole Miss QB Trinidad Chambliss entered concussion protocol during Ole Miss' over Tulane. His status is worth monitoring. The Bulldogs looked every bit the recent two-time defending champions in their 28-7 rout of Alabama in the SEC title game. They're rested and ready to knock off another SEC foe in the postseason to begin 2026.

These teams combined for 78 points in their first game. Therefore, this game boasts the highest total of these 4 games. However, the best defenses show up in games. And there's none better in the big game than Georgia's.

Best Bet: Georgia -7 (-110) DraftKings via OddsJam 
Best Bet: Under 56.5 Points (-110) Hard Rock Bet via OddsJam 

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How To Earn A College Football Playoff Berth?

The College Football Playoff Selection Committee chooses the 12 teams that make the playoff. Committee membership consists of one member each from the 10 FBS conferences, and the University of Notre Dame.

The four highest-ranked conference champions earn the 1-4 seeds and a first-round bye. The remaining teams, including the fifth conference champion, get seeded 5-12 based on their final ranking.

No specific formula exists to determine the 12 playoff berths. Committee members are free to use whatever data they choose. Among the factors considered are strength of schedule, head-to-head results against common opponents, and conference championships won. The Power 4 Conferences (ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, SEC) play their conference championship games on Saturday, Dec. 6.

One spot among the 12 teams is set aside for the best “Group of 5” school. The “Group of 5” berth goes to the team determined to be the best from the American, CUSA, MAC, Mountain West, and Sun Belt. This year, that team is likely to be Memphis.

Changes This Season In The College Football Playoff

This season, the CFB Playoff eliminated the automatic first-round bye for the four best conference champions. Now, the teams will be seeded based on their overall quality, with the best conference champion not making the top four, getting the 5^th spot overall.

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How Is The College Football Playoff Schedule Determined?

The No. 5-12 teams play in a first round with the higher seeds hosting the lower seeds on campus. The selection committee, meanwhile, assigns the top four conference champions to Playoff Quarterfinals hosted by bowls. The committee considers historic bowl relationships and then rankings when assigning those games.

The two Playoff Semifinals will be played in bowl games, and a national championship game will be played in a different city every year, always on a Monday night.

Do Any Teams Automatically Qualify For The College Football Playoff?

No. The Committee evaluates each FBS team on performance. Just ask Notre Dame.

Where Will The National Championship Game Be Played?

Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, plays host to the 2026 National Championship Game on Jan. 19. Future national championship games, meanwhile, take place at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas (2027), Caesars Superdome in New Orleans (2028), and Raymond James Stadium in Tampa (2029)

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About the Author

Bill Speros

More About Bill

Bill Speros is an award-winning journalist and editor whose career includes stops at USA Today Sports Network / Golfweek, Cox Media, ESPN, Orlando Sentinel and Denver Post.

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