College Football Playoff predictions: Alabama among the best spread picks for CFP quarterfinals
Here's a look at which sides the SportsLine Projection Model likes in the quarterfinals of the College Football Playoff

The big dogs are ready to join the College Football Playoff party when the quarterfinals kick off. The action gets going on New Year's Eve when No. 10 Miami tries to pull off another upset when it faces No. 2 Ohio State (7:30 p.m ET). No. 9 Alabama also will have its hands full when it face top seed Indiana at 4 p.m. ET on New Year's Day. No. 5 Oregon against No. 4 seed Texas Tech (noon ET) and No. 6 Ole Miss vs. No. 3 Georgia round out the quarterfinals schedule on New Year's Day.
Ohio State is a 9.5-point favorite against the Hurricanes, Indiana is favored by 7 points against the Crimson Tide, and Georgia is a 6.5-point favorite in an SEC rematch with Ole Miss. Oddsmakers expect the Oregon vs. Texas Tech matchup to be much closer, with the Ducks favored by 1.5 points. The SportsLine Projection Model has broken down every College Football Playoff, as well as every other bowl game, and here's a look at which teams teams the model likes for the CFP quarterfinals.
SportsLine Model picks for CFP quarterfinals
No. 10 Miami vs. No. 2 Ohio State
Dec. 31: Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic; AT&T Stadium (Arlington, Texas); 7:30 p.m., ESPN
The Hurricanes defense was impressive in the first-round victory against Texas A&M, but the Buckeyes are much better offensively. It should come down to what Carson Beck and the UM offense can do and the model likes OSU to win, but this is a lot of points to cover against the nation's top-ranked scoring defense. Ohio State allows 8.15 points per game, but Miami's unit allows only 13 per contest. The SportsLine Projection Model leans slightly toward the Hurricanes, who cover in 51% of its simulations. The Over/Under is 42.5 and the model's best pick is to take the Over, which gets a "B" grade and hits 61% of the time.
No. 5 Oregon vs. No. 4 Texas Tech
Jan. 1: Capital One Orange Bowl; Hard Rock Stadium (Miami Gardens, Florida); Noon, ESPN
The Red Raiders defense was one of the nation's best, allowing 11 points per game (third in FBS), but now it faces a Ducks offense that averages 39 points per game. Texas Tech has a high-powered offense that scores the second-most points in the nation, but SportsLine expert Mike McClure points out the Red Raiders find themselves in third-and-long regularly, and that could be a problem against the Ducks. The SportsLine model says take the Ducks, who win 60% of the time and cover in 58% of the model's simulations.
No. 9 Alabama vs. No. 1 Indiana
Jan. 1: Rose Bowl Game Presented by Prudential; Rose Bowl (Pasadena, California); 4 p.m., ESPN
The SportsLine experts are all over Alabama and taking the points and the SportsLine Projection Model agrees with the Crimson Tide covering in 64% of its simulations. The talent levels match up with the edge to the Tide, and victories against Georgia and Oklahoma proved they can raise their game in big spots. Bama has five wins (and two losses) against ranked opponents, so they are a seasoned bunch. Indiana beat three ranked teams this season, though two of those were against teams playing in other CFP quarterfinals. The model likes IU to win in a close one.
No. 6 Ole Miss vs. No. 3 Georgia
Jan. 1: Allstate Sugar Bowl; Caesars Superdome (New Orleans); 8 p.m., ESPN
Ole Miss has the nation's fourth-best passing attack, while UGA's defense ranks 48th in FBS. The Rebels had a 35-26 lead at the start of the fourth quarter in the regular-season meeting between the teams, but the Bulldogs stormed back for a 43-36 victory. They proved they can hang with the best in the SEC, knocking off LSU and fellow playoff team Oklahoma. Trinidad Chambliss has at least 280 passing yards in four straight games, so the model expects this to be a pretty tight one and has the Rebels covering in 57% of the model's simulations.















