The Clemson Tigers are 12.5-point favorites against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish with a 56.5-point total on the Cotton Bowl odds at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Saturday at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
Support for No. 3 Notre Dame has led to some adjustment in the betting line, and now the favored Tigers have lost defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence to a failed drug test. That might make life easier for Notre Dame’s offensive line and quarterback Ian Book, but No. 2 Clemson is 6-2 against the spread (ATS) in its last eight games as a double-digit favorite for reasons that go beyond one player.
With that said, Notre Dame is 4-1 ATS in its last five games against the Atlantic Coast Conference according to the OddsShark College Football Database.
Clemson ranks fourth in the country in both total offense and total defense, while Notre Dame ranks 28th and 22nd in those categories. The total has gone OVER in six of Notre Dame’s last eight games in December.
Orange Bowl Odds: No. 4 Oklahoma vs. No. 1 Alabama (-14)
The Alabama Crimson Tide are 14-point favorites against the Oklahoma Sooners with a 77-point total on the Orange Bowl odds at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, which is the second CFP semifinal.
The Sooners lead the country in scoring (49.5 points per game) with Alabama second (47.9). However, the Crimson Tide, who expect to have Heisman Trophy runner-up quarterback Tua Tagovailoa healthy after an ankle injury four weeks ago, finished 98 places ahead of Oklahoma in the total defense rankings and are 30-0 straight up (SU) and 18-12 ATS in their last 30 games as a favorite of 13.0 or more points.
Oklahoma, led by Heisman-winning quarterback Kyler Murray, is 2-4 both SU and ATS in its last six postseason games as the underdog.
The total has gone OVER in six of Alabama’s last eight games in December. The total has gone OVER in four of Oklahoma’s last five games, with an average combined score of 93.6 points.
Peach Bowl Odds: No. 10 Florida vs. No. 7 Michigan
The Michigan Wolverines are 6-point favorites against the Florida Gators with a 51-point total on the Peach Bowl odds at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. Michigan is 10-1 SU in its last 11 games as a favorite, but quarterback Shea Patterson has a diminishing supporting cast with leading rusher Karan Higdon, defensive end Rashan Gary and linebacker Devin Bush sitting out to prepare for the NFL draft.
However, Florida, led offensively by quarterback Feleipe Franks, is 0-4 SU in its last four games against Michigan (with an average losing margin of 16 points) and is also 3-8 ATS in its last 11 games as the underdog. The total has gone OVER in six of Florida’s last seven games, with an average combined score of 58.86 points.
Elsewhere Saturday, the South Carolina Gamecocks are 5-point favorites against the Virginia Cavaliers with a 54-point total in the Belk Bowl at U.S. Bank Stadium in Charlotte. South Carolina is 12-4 ATS in its last 16 games against the ACC.
And the Nevada Wolf Pack are 1-point favorites against the Arkansas State Red Wolves with a 56.5-point total in the Arizona Bowl at Arizona Stadium in Tucson, Arizona. Nevada is 6-1 ATS in its last seven games in December.
For more odds information, betting picks and a breakdown of this week’s top sports betting news check out the OddsShark podcast with Jon Campbell and Andrew Avery. Subscribe on iTunes or Spotify or listen to it at OddsShark.libsyn.com.