And Then There Were Four: Fiesta and Peach Bowl Betting Previews

And then there were four. Yes, there are more than four actual college football teams left playing bowl games, but the only relevant teams left according to the College Football Playoff (and this article), are LSU, Oklahoma, Clemson, and Ohio State. Those are the four teams battling it out on December 28th, with the two winners facing off in the BCS National Championship game a week later. Three of the four remaining teams have similar odds to win the whole thing, while one (Oklahoma) is considered the longshot.

Let’s take a closer look at both matchups and see if we can find some value in both semifinal games.

Oklahoma Sooners (+340) vs. LSU Tigers (-530), o/u 75 (-114)

For this Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl matchup, you have the No. 1 LSU Tigers, undeniably the favorite to win it all, going up against the Oklahoma Sooners, easily the “Cinderella” of the entire playoff semifinals. Calling them Cinderella isn’t a slight, it’s just that the other three teams are undefeated and ​that ​good, and Oklahoma had to essentially sneak in to get a shot at winning the national championship. Oklahoma’s only loss this season came when they overlooked an unranked Kansas State team. They almost lost to Baylor in the regular season, but came all the way back from an early large deficit to not only beat them in the regular season, but also in the Big-12 conference championship game.

The Sooners can light up the scoreboard with any team in the country, led by their Heisman Trophy finalist quarterback Jalen Hurts. The guy puts the “dual” in dual-threat as he can hurt you with his arm and his legs. If Oklahoma has any chance of beating the dominant Tigers, Hurts ​must d​ominate this game. He has to control the clock by running ​and throwing; he’ll have to put up at least 40 points, at ​least​, for Oklahoma to even have a chance. He has to play the best game of his college career. Period. Full stop.

On the other side of the coin, you have LSU and quarterback Joe Burrow, himself fresh off actually winning the Heisman Trophy. Burrow is having a historically great season at the quarterback position, putting up crazy numbers. He is the across-the-board #1 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, as well (congrats Joe, you get to go to Cincinnati). LSU has the best offense in the country (followed by Oklahoma), statistically, which doesn’t bode well for the much-improved but still middling Oklahoma defense. LSU put up 40 points each on two of the best defenses in the country in Florida and Alabama, so it’s a scary thought to think about what they might do to Oklahoma’s.

This game will be a track meet, a “first team to 50, wins” sort of game. This will be Oklahoma’s third straight appearance in the CFP, they’ve lost both times before, will the third time be the charm? That’s unlikely, but there is some value to play here. ​Over 75 Total Points (-114) holds good value. ​As does ​Oklahoma +13.5 (-114). ​One more for anybody wanting to throw a dart: ​Oklahoma to win the first half (+245).

Clemson Tigers (-137) vs. Ohio State Buckeyes (+106), o/u 63.5 (-114)

On paper, this is supposed to be a close one as Clemson and Ohio State are set to duel in the desert in the Playstation Fiesta Bowl. Ohio State has not one, but two, Heisman Trophy finalists leading the way for them, and on both sides of the ball. Quarterback Justin Fields leads the nation’s top scoring offense (48.7 ppg) and defensive lineman Chase Young leads the nation’s third best scoring defense (12.5 points against per game). The Buckeyes have very few weaknesses, if any at all, and Clemson will have their biggest challenge of the season awaiting them. Which isn’t saying much.

Clemson ​easily ​had the softest schedule of all four teams competing in the CFP. Hell, they had one of the softest schedules in the entire country playing in the terrible ACC. That being said, the reigning national champions deserve to be here, and if you listen to head coach Dabo Swinney, are being disrespected by everyone not associated with the Clemson program.

Weak conference aside, Clemson brings a 28-game win streak into this contest. They rank fourth in the nation in scoring offense (46.5 ppg) and first in scoring defense (10.6 points against per game); the two teams are virtually identical on the stat sheet. True sophomore quarterback Trevor Lawrence and running back Travis Etienne make Clemson’s engine go, but they are surrounded by talent all over the field. Clemson has never lost a matchup vs Ohio State, they’re 3-0, most recently defeating them 31-0 in the 2016 Fiesta Bowl.

Both teams are fast, but watching both teams play this season, Clemson is more “SEC fast” while Ohio State is “Big Ten fast”, and that will be the difference in this game. The value plays here ​begin with the Clemson moneyline (-137). We also like Clemson Point Spread -2.5 (-114) and Total Points over 63.5 (-114). ​Last but not least, ​Clemson to win the first quarter (+123).

College Football Playoff Saturday is the crown jewel of the college bowl season, the glorious appetizer before the feast of New Year’s Day bowl games and eventually the national championship game. Both CFP games will be long on entertainment, and let’s hope long on winning plays too, so hit up 888 Sport for all your sports betting needs. With that, enjoy watching and good luck!

*Credits to the main photos of this article belong to Paul Sancya/Associated Press, Mike Stewart/Associated Press, Paul Sancya/Associated Press