We’re officially in the year 2026, and the first day of the New Year will go a long way in determining the next champion of college football as the final three quarterfinal games of the College Football Playoff take place. Bettors are sure to be interested in betting on these three CFP games, and they should consider using the BetMGM bonus code CBSSPORTS, which gives new users $150 in bonus bets if their first bet wins or up to $1,500 in bonus bets if their first bet loses, with the offer varying by state. The action includes Alabama vs. Indiana at 4 p.m. ET, and the CFP action wraps up at 8 p.m. ET with Ole Miss vs. Georgia. Sign up for BetMGM to bet on Thursday’s top games:
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Best bets for College Football Playoff on Jan. 1
The No. 1 seed in the CFP field is in action against the best program of the century when Indiana faces Alabama in the Rose Bowl. The Hoosiers are in the midst of a historical season after going 13-0 and taking down Ohio State in the Big Ten title game a few weeks ago. Quarterback Fernando Mendoza also took home the Heisman Trophy, and Indiana’s Curt Cignetti, a former Alabama staffer, has the Hoosiers humming in all phases. The Crimson Tide were beat down by Georgia in the SEC Championship Game but made the CFP field at 10-3, and they were able to come back after a slow start to beat Oklahoma in the first round, avenging a regular-season loss to the Sooners. The SportsLine model expects a close one here, and it has the Tide covering +7.5 in 63% of simulations and winning outright roughly half of the time at plus money.
The final CFP game of Thursday sees an SEC rematch between Ole Miss and Georgia. The Bulldogs used a 17-0 fourth quarter to take down the Rebels earlier this season, but things have changed dramatically for both teams since then. Georgia has found its rhythm on both sides of the ball with Gunner Stockton playing well at quarterback and the defense looking like Bulldog defenses of old. The Rebels, meanwhile, have a new head coach for the CFP in Pete Golding as Lane Kiffin left the program for LSU. Ole Miss kicked off Golding’s head coaching tenure with a resounding first-round win over Tulane. The SportsLine model sees value backing the Rebels, as they win in 44% of simulations at +196 to return value at these odds.Â
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