College Football Straight Up Picks for First Round of College Football Playoff

The College Football Playoff is here! 12 teams will contend over the next few weeks for the FBS National Championship.

The top four-ranked teams will enjoy a first-round bye, while the other teams will go into action in the opening round. In this article, I’ll give you my pick to win each first-round game. We don’t concern ourselves with point spreads in this article; all we care about is who wins each game.

Let’s dive into my picks.

All odds listed are via FanDuel Sportsbook

No. 9 Alabama vs. No. 8 Oklahoma Prediction and Pick

Pick: Oklahoma -102

In this week’s edition of First to Forde, I wrote about why backing Oklahoma is one of my best bets for the opening round:

I bet on Oklahoma to upset Alabama earlier this season, and I’ll do it again in the rematch. This, in my opinion, is a matchup between an underrated Sooners team and an overrated Crimson Tide team. Oklahoma ranks 15th in adjusted net EPA per play and 12th in net success rate. Alabama ranks 22nd and 30th in those two metrics.

No. 10 Miami vs. No. 7 Texas A&M Prediction and Pick

Pick: Texas A&M -160

Tulane vs. Ole Miss Prediction and Pick

Pick: Ole Miss -900

James Madison vs. Oregon Prediction and Pick

Pick: Oregon -2500

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Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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You can check out all of Iain’s bets here!