College Football Playoff 2014-15: Updated Odds, Predictions Against the Spread

The first inaugural College Football Playoff is finally set, but not without its fair share of controversy and second-guessing.

With a 59-0 drubbing of Wisconsin in the Big Ten Championship Game, Ohio State was able to climb from sixth all the way to the fourth and final spot. The problem? That snatched the Big 12's championship aspirations, with both Baylor and TCU seemingly duking it out to get into the playoff.

But as the Horned Frogs and Bears head to the Peach and Cotton Bowls, respectively, the focus will soon shift back from the what-ifs to the matchups at hand. And, boy, are they scintillating. 

Let's take a look at the CFP schedule, including odds and predictions against the spread for both semifinals.

Date	Rose Bowl	Spread	Prediction ATS
Date	Sugar Bowl	Spread	Prediction ATS
Jan. 1	No. 2 Oregon vs. No. 3 Florida State	Oregon -8	Oregon
Jan. 1	No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 4 Ohio State	Alabama -10	Ohio State

Note: Bowl information per ESPN.com; odds according to Odds Shark and updated as of December 7 

Rose Bowl: No. 2 Oregon vs. No. 3 Florida State

Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images

Florida State dominated everyone en route to last year's national championship appearance. This time around, the Seminoles are still undefeated but will hardly scare the No. 2 Oregon Ducks as they descend upon the Rose Bowl.

The matchup pegs the top two quarterbacks in college football against each other as Marcus Mariota and Jameis Winston will do battle, which SportsCenter showed:

By the time New Year's Day comes, it's very likely that Mariota will have a Heisman Trophy along with Winston. Mariota entered the final weekend with massive 1-10 odds of winning the trophy, per Odds Shark. 

But while the quarterbacks will most likely be tied in the Heisman count when kickoff comes, they stand on very different teams—much to the demise of the defending national champions.

Ever since Oregon's shocking home loss to Arizona, the Ducks have been all business, beating their last seven opponents by 18 points or more. Meanwhile, Florida State's well-documented issues on the field have had the 'Noles in four straight games that went down to the wire—three against unranked foes.

Florida State's defense has been able to make timely plays to give Winston chances to win games, but that won't be the case against Mariota. Turning the ball over isn't in his vocabulary, having thrown just two picks all year.

Oregon's offense will get hot early and blow this one open. As things get embarrassing for the Seminoles, they will fight back, but not enough to cover the spread. 

Prediction: Oregon covers the spread, wins 41-30

Sugar Bowl: No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 4 Ohio State

The Ohio State Buckeyes got the final CFP spot they so desperately wanted, and now they will have to buck a painful trend in recent program history.

In both the 2007 and 2008 seasons, the Buckeyes entered the BCS championship game as the top-ranked team only to fall to SEC foes—first Florida, then LSU. But now, it's Ohio State as the underdog against the No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide.

Buckeyes head coach Urban Meyer—on the SEC's side of one of those championship games—admitted his tape studying of Alabama is yet to come, but he lauded bruising running back Derrick Henry, per Bleacher Report's Marc Torrence:

As for Alabama head coach Nick Saban, he's quite aware of what Meyer's teams are made of after their battles when he coached Florida, per Bleacher Report's Ben Axelrod:

Perhaps the biggest X-factor in the game is still somewhat of an unknown. Ohio State freshman quarterback Cardale Jones had a magnificent game in his starting debut against Wisconsin, leading Ohio State to a 59-0 win when the Buckeyes were pegged to lose.

With a huge arm and speedy targets like Jalin Marshall and Devin Smith, the Buckeyes should stretch a susceptible Alabama secondary that allowed big play after big play from Auburn and Missouri. 

That will keep it close, but not even Ohio State's much-improved defense will be able to hang with the likes of Blake Sims, Amari Cooper and T.J. Yeldon for four quarters. However, the Buckeyes will scratch and claw until the end, and a growing line in Vegas will end up being too large as Alabama wins a one-score game.

Prediction: Alabama fails to cover spread, still wins 31-24