It might not match the full, wall-to-wall majesty of Rivalry Week, but you could make the argument that the next 36 hours are the second-best time on the college football calendar. New Year's Day has always been a tentpole of the sport, of course, but the new postseason format has made it even sweeter with the advent of the College Football Playoff quarterfinals.
The first round of the CFP doesn't always feature the most competitive matchups. But the quarterfinals, on the other hand, still give us a full four games of football — and this year, every one of them features at least one team that could quite plausibly win the whole thing. It's a full 24 hours of awesome football, beginning with the Cotton Bowl between No. 10 Miami and No. 2 Ohio State on Wednesday night.
But while just watching all of these games should be a blast, sometimes watching isn't quite enough. So we've decided to spice things up a bit, with a pair of five-leg parlays that take at least one leg from all four quarterfinals. Hopefully this will help you get your arms around what to expect in each matchup (and make a little money, too).
CFP quarterfinals parlay No. 1
Leg No. 1: Miami-Ohio State first half under 20.5 (-120)
The thing I'm most confident about in the Cotton Bowl is that it'll be a low-scoring game in which possessions are at a premium. Both the Canes and Buckeyes milk the clock on offense, and both boast some of the fiercest defensive fronts in the country. With the overall total hovering around 40, I'd rather focus on the first half, when these teams should still be feeling each other out.
Leg No. 2: Dante Moore under 231.5 passing yards (-114)
Speaking of defense: Moore has failed to hit this number against the two best defenses Oregon's faced this year (215 yards against Indiana, just 112 yards against Iowa). Heck, he needed overtime to clear it against Penn State. Texas Tech might be the very best of that entire group, ranking in the top five in virtually every significant passing metric, and I think the Ducks' short-handed receiving corps might have a hard time airing it out in this game — especially considering that Will Stein might want to keep it on the ground in order to neutralize the Red Raiders' vicious pass rush.
Leg No. 3: Indiana -7 (-102)
Maybe I'm missing something here, but let's be honest: If you removed the logos from the helmets, would you really be able to justify this game being within a touchdown? Indiana just beat previously undefeated Ohio State and has looked like the best team in the country all year long. Alabama, meanwhile, got dogwalked by Georgia in the SEC title game and needed some help to get past a very dysfunctional Oklahoma team in the first round. A Tide team that can't run the ball (and a QB in Ty Simpson who struggles against pressure) against this Indiana defense? Good luck.
Leg No. 4: Georgia -6 (-110)
Leg No. 5: Nate Frazier over 58.5 rushing yards (-114)
Georgia cleared this number in the regular season against Ole Miss, and now I'm supposed to believe the outcome will be different after the departure of Lane Kiffin — and while rumors swirl about LSU coaches trying to poach Rebels players while preparing for a Playoff game? Georgia's defense has rounded into form, and I just don't trust this Ole Miss defense to hold serve.
They failed to do so the first time around, after all, and their ability to stop the run has been particularly suspect. The Dawgs have leaned a bit more on Frazier as the leader of their backfield committee of late, and in a neutral to positive game script against a vulnerable front, I have a hard time seeing him falling short of this number.
-Chris Landers
CFP quarterfinals parlay No. 1
Leg No. 1: Miami-Ohio State first quarter under 7.5 (-116)
We went over reasons to believe in a defensive battle in the Cotton Bowl above. But how's this for some extra evidence: Ohio State allowed just 1.3 first quarter points this year, first in the FBS, while Miami ranked sixth at 2.5. Both of these offenses move slow and have a hard time generating big plays, meaning we'll need some long drives if we're going to get any points at all. In a 15-minute quarter, that leaves little margin for error.
Leg No. 2: Oregon-Texas Tech under 51.5 (-108)
Again, Moore might struggle against this nasty Red Raiders secondary; Oregon scored just 20 points against Indiana and 18 against Iowa. And there's also reason to distrust Texas Tech's offense, which has relied on spectacular field position and a turnover-happy defense to mask some fairly underwhelming numbers under the hood. They're 35th in success rate (second worst among quarterfinalists), 51st in percentage of plays gaining zero or less yards (second worst) and 98th in red zone TD rate (worst), and Oregon will be the best defense they've played all season.
Leg No. 3: Alabama under 74.5 total rushing yards (-114)
Leg No. 4: Indiana moneyline (-260)
You could do a lot worse than fading the Alabama run game this season; the Tide have averaged 3.2 yards per carry on the year, and they've racked up just 25 total yards of rushing combined over their last two games. This offensive line has underwhelmed all year long, and neither Daniel Hill nor Jam Miller have been able to do much of anything with the room they've been given.
Indiana, meanwhile, is one of the best defenses in the country, with a front four that can stop the run and collapse the pocket without DC Bryant Haines sending a ton of extra help. Again, it's just tough to figure out where Alabama has the edge in this matchup.
Leg No. 5: Georgia -9.5 (alternate spread, +130)
Speaking of which: It's hard to see the case for Ole Miss in this matchup. The Rebels had an awfully hard time getting stops the first time these two teams met, and once the big plays on offense dried up, the dam broke. Holding it together at home against Tulane is one thing. But what happens when adversity strikes in a raucous environment at the Sugar Bowl, and players start peeking ahead to whether or not they'll be moving on to LSU next season?
It's entirely possible that Trinidad Chambliss keeps throwing haymakers, and Ole Miss gets enough splashes on offense to make this a game. If they don't, though, it could get ugly.
-Cody Williams