NCAAF College Football Playoff and Bowl Game Best Parlay Picks: Ohio State Gets Revenge

• Ohio State and Oregon meet for the second time this season. Oregon won the first game 32-31 at home. 

• Duke is without quarterback Maalik Murphy, who’s on the transfer portal. 

• South Carolina will be without edge rusher Kyle Kennard, who’s heading to the NFL. 

The second round of the College Football Playoff is here, and we also have several excellent bowl games to look forward to. 

Right now, I have another NCAAF parlay that’s awaiting the results of three of the College Football Playoff games. 

Here, I’ll look at the one I didn’t cover—Ohio State vs. Oregon—and also look at two other teams that are double-digit favorites. 

This is a three-leg parlay with odds of +628, courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook.

All odds are courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook, where you can receive $250 in bonus bets after creating an account, depositing $10 or more, and placing a winning $5 bet.

Ohio State -2.5 (-110) at FanDuel Sportsbook

I went back and forth on this one a bit, but I’m settling with Ohio State. 

The way they played at home in the first round of the College Football Playoff was masterful. Sure, Tennessee was playing in a cold environment, but their defense held the Volunteers to just 17 points and 256 total yards. Volunteers quarterback Nico Iamaleava had just over 100 passing yards. 

Meanwhile, the Buckeyes offense was firing on all cylinders. Quarterback Will Howard played arguably his best game of the year, completing 24 of 29 passes for 311 yards, two touchdowns, and one pick. Running backs Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson combined for four rushing touchdowns. 

Oregon and Ohio State played earlier this season, with Ohio State coming up short 32-31. If Howard slid just a second or two earlier in that game, the Buckeyes had a chance at a game-winning field goal.

No, we don’t know if they would’ve made it, but for that to be the situation for Ohio State on the road does say a lot. 

Now, these teams are playing at a neutral site in the Rose Bowl. 

Oregon is coming off a bye, but that can be a disadvantage in some ways. It can make tackling feel a bit more difficult. I’m sure that won’t be much of an issue, but the Buckeyes played outstandingly in inclement weather, and now that won’t be much of an issue. 

The parallels between these two teams were intriguing. Both quarterbacks threw for over 300 yards and two touchdowns, and both teams had two rushing scores, one of which came from the quarterback. 

Overall, I think the Buckeyes have the better playmakers on defense, with J.T. Tuimoloau and Jack Sawyer coming off the edge and Caleb Downs and Lathan Ransom manning the safety spots. 

In the win over Tennessee, Tuimoloau had two sacks, and Sawyer had 1.5. 

Remember, Ohio State allows a nation-low 11.4 points and passing yards (141.2) per game. I think Oregon will buck those trends some like they did earlier this season, but the Buckeyes loss to Michigan has seemingly woke this team up. 

I expect a real shootout with the Buckeyes getting the ball last and going on a game-winning drive. 

Buckle up; this is going to be a fantastic and classic game. 

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Ole Miss -17.5 (-110) at FanDuel Sportsbook

In the Taxslayer Gator Bowl, we have Ole Miss taking on Duke. 

Duke had some excellent games this year, including going toe-to-toe with Miami. Quarterback Maalik Murphy had 26 passing touchdowns and 12 interceptions this year. He put in a lot of work on their offense this season. 

One problem, though: He’s hitting the transfer portal. 

Now, Duke will turn things over to Henry Belin IV. He’s been in college football since 2022 and has 33 career attempts. 

His blindside is protected by Duke left tackle Bruno Fina, who’s allowed 26 pressures and four sacks this season while playing against many ACC teams.

Now he has to try to block likely 2025 NFL Draft first-round pick Princely Umanmielen, who has 46 pressures and double-digit sacks. 

Ole Miss's offense is still intact, including Jaxson Dart, who will play in his last game before he heads off to the NFL. 

Also, head coach Lane Kiffin was on X during the first round of the College Football Playoff, sarcastically applauding the committee for letting certain teams in while Ole Miss was left out. 

This is a massive mismatch, and I think Kiffin will do all he can to pulverize Duke to show the committee that they should’ve been in. 

Belin IV is in for a tough day. I think Ole Miss wins this one by 24 or more. 

Ole Miss is third in total yards per game on offense at 498.6. 

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South Carolina -10.5 (+100) at FanDuel Sportsbook

The Citrus Bowl will feature two teams that are coming off a good season, including the 8-4 Illinois Fighting Illini and the 9-3 South Carolina Gamecocks. 

The Gamecocks were especially good toward the end of the season, with quarterback La’Norris Sellers and running back Raheim Sanders leading the offense. 

Together, they combined for 315 carries, 1,701 yards, and 18 rushing touchdowns. 

Illinois is allowing 113.7 rushing yards (16th) per game, which bodes well for them, but I have real concerns for the Illinois offensive line against this South Carolina pass rush. 

The Gamecocks will be without Kyle Kennard. He’s heading to the NFL. Still, they have Tonka Hemingway, T.J. Sanders, and freshman phenom Dylan Stewart. 

Stewart, as a true freshman, has 48 pressures and 6.5 sacks this season. 

Not having Kennard is important, but the Illinois offensive line has allowed 103 pressures this season. 

Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer played quite well this season with 2,551 passing yards, 21 touchdowns, and five picks. However, he also had 18 turnover-worthy plays. 

Look for this South Carolina pass rush, even without Kennard, to pressure Altmyer and force him into some turnovers. 

This is still a massive mismatch between an NCAAF SEC and Big Ten program. 

South Carolina wins by 12 or more. 

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