College Football Odds: Alabama, Georgia Favored In Playoff Games

The Clemson Tigers will face Alabama in the College Football Playoff for a third straight year when they battle the Crimson Tide on New Year’s Day in this year’s Sugar Bowl as 3-point underdogs on the college football odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.

Sitting at No. 1 on the College Football Playoff rankings, Clemson rides a six-game straight-up win streak into Monday night’s matchup at Mercedes-Benz Superdome. The Tigers also enter the postseason as defending national champions after escaping with a 35-31 win over Alabama as 6.5-point underdogs in last year’s title game, avenging a 45-40 loss to Alabama as 6.5-point underdogs in a national championship matchup two seasons ago.

The Crimson Tide are coming off a shocking 26-14 loss to Auburn as 5-point road chalk in their annual Iron Bowl matchup, which ended an 11-game SU win streak and cost them a shot at a fourth straight SEC conference title.

Alabama is a middling 3-3 SU and 2-3 ATS in three previous CFP appearances. In addition, the Tide have covered in consecutive games just once this season while compiling a 5-7 ATS record.

Earlier on Monday, No. 2 Oklahoma guns for a ninth straight SU win as it battles No. 3 Georgia as a 2.5-point underdog at the Rose Bowl. The Sooners have racked up 45.1 points per game during their current tear, earning them their second CFP berth in three years.

The Bulldogs have surrendered just 9.0 points per game during a 3-0 SU run, and are unbeaten SU and ATS in three postseason appearances. However, Georgia has turned in mixed results against Big 12 opponents, going 2-2 SU and ATS in its past four.

New Year’s Six bowl game action gets underway Friday as No. 5 Ohio State battles No. 8 USC in the Cotton Bowl as 7.5-point chalk. On Saturday, No. 9 Penn State is a 2-point favorite in its Fiesta Bowl matchup with No. 11 Washington, while No. 6 Wisconsin collides with No. 10 Miami as 4.5-point Orange Bowl favorites.

The Trojans are a dismal 1-8 SU and ATS in nine outings as betting underdogs and face a Buckeyes offense that ranks sixth in the nation with 43.75 points per game this season.

The Nittany Lions have just one SU win in five bowl game appearances and have failed to cover in four straight while favored by three or fewer points. The Huskies look for their first outright win as underdogs since October 2015, while the Hurricanes look to halt a two-game SU slide that snuffed out their late-season CFP aspirations.