College Football Playoff 2014-15: TV Schedule, Latest Odds and Projections

Many chat about how long the four teams in the College Football Playoff have to prepare, but so too do bettors who want to take on Las Vegas in their own head-to-head showdown.

The season was wild, to say the least. Upsets were the name of the game each and every week, which is why the nation came very close to the notion that a two-loss team might just be worth a CFP bid (but only if they come from a conference that has a title game, folks).

Whether or not bettors found it difficult to make financial headway on college football odds is tough to say, but one final redemption tour rests in the confines of the inaugural CFP.

The early lines are juicy. Those hungry for an advantage against the house need to get ahead of the game.

2015 College Football Playoffs Info and Odds

Bowl	Matchup	Date	Time (ET)	TV	Live Stream	Spread
Sugar	No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 4 Ohio St.	Thur, Jan. 1	8:30 p.m.	ESPN	WatchESPN	Alabama (-10)
Rose	No. 2 Oregon vs. No. 3 Florida St.	Thur, Jan. 1	5 p.m.	ESPN	WatchESPN	Oregon (-9.5)

Odds via Odds Shark as of 8 a.m. ET on Dec. 10.

Early Odds Strategy 

Underdog to Bet: Ohio State (+10)

Perhaps Las Vegas buys stock in the notion that the SEC will outclass the Big Ten in every way. 

Or maybe it believes the fact that the Ohio State Buckeyes using a third-string quarterback is the ultimate factor in the team's showdown with the Alabama Crimson Tide.

Either way, the current spread is just too big.

Ohio State did not get to the CFP because of any singular part. The loss of J.T. Barrett hurts, but this is a team that lost Braxton Miller and kept moving right along. It did it again in the Big Ten Championship Game thanks to the efforts of sophomore Cardale Jones, who tossed three touchdowns in the triumph.

Urban Meyer's scheme insulates any quarterback who gets under center, right along with back Ezekiel Elliott, who has 1,402 yards and 12 scores on the year. A complementary defense helps, as defensive end Joey Bosa (13.5 sacks) might be the best defensive player in the country.

None of this is to suggest Alabama will not win.

The Crimson Tide have more experience and made it through a tougher schedule in the SEC thanks to encounters with Texas A&M, LSU, Mississippi State, Auburn and Missouri.

Alabama coach Nick Saban is not one to take Meyer and the Buckeyes lightly, either, as captured by ESPN.com's Alex Scarborough:

"

I have a tremendous amount of respect for Urban. And we've done some things, the ESPN games and stuff, together, and I consider him a good friend and certainly have a tremendous amount of personal respect for the kind of professional he is and the kind of coach he is and the kind of programs he's had, the great teams that he's had at Florida.

I know that we haven't had much of an opportunity to look at Ohio State yet, but we certainly have a tremendous amount of respect for what their team has accomplished this year and know that they'll be a very, very wellcoached team.

"

There is no doubt Saban will have his team ready to go. Quarterback Blake Sims is more mature than the player who was on the field way back near the tail end of last summer. His 3,250 yards and 26 scores can attest to that.

As great as the Ohio State defense is, it will have no answer for Heisman Trophy finalist Amari Cooper, who has 115 catches for 1,656 yards and 14 scores on the year. The star receiver makes a habit of major production in big games, as noted by his 13 grabs for 224 yards and three scores in the Iron Bowl.

When it comes to bets against the spread, feel free to capitalize on archaic ways of thought when it comes to conference versus conference showdowns. Ohio State is in the CFP for a reason, after all. If the committee thought the Buckeyes stood no chance, there would be a Big 12 team in their place.

Prediction: Alabama 24, Ohio State 21

Over/Under to Bet: Oregon vs. FSU (71)

Look, folks know Oregon for a high-flying attack. Florida State's Jameis Winston is a big name.

But more than 70 points?

One must understand how and why Oregon will attack Florida State to know why that number is out of the question.

The Florida State defense allows just 23.0 points per game on average but struggles to get off the field. Boston College and Georgia Tech rushing for a minimum of 240 yards and controlling the pace of the game can attest to that.

Even worse, it is hard to know just how healthy the Seminoles will be by January. A recent note from coach Jimbo Fisher includes some of the most prominent names of the unit.

"You had [defensive tackle] Eddie [Goldman] out, you had [starting cornerback Ronald] Darby out, you had Terrance Smith playing on one leg,” Fisher said, per Brendan Sonnone of the Orlando Sentinel. “We were banged, bruised everywhere.”

This seems like it means an epic point total for quarterback Marcus Mariota and Co., right? Wrong—it means the Ducks would rather grind it out on the ground with freshman breakout star Royce Freeman (1,299 yards and 16 scores). That keeps Winston off the field.

Folks know Winston is in the middle of a down season with 3,559 yards and 24 touchdowns to 17 picks. However, he remains as dangerous as ever—three scores and 309 yards against the Yellow Jackets came with just nine incompletions.

Winston cannot burn the Ducks if he is on the sideline. The offense cannot pull off its late-game feats if a hobbled defense remains on the field, hand on hips and gasping for air.

When it comes to this over/under, the conventional train of thought is what will get bettors burnt. An offensive shootout is what most want to happen. With money on the line, though, wants mean little in the face of logic.

Prediction: Oregon 36, Florida State 28 

Statistics and info courtesy of ESPN unless otherwise specified.