CFP Begins with Georgia Heavily Favored to Repeat
Welcome to another holiday weekend loaded with tons of sports action.
College Football Playoff semifinals, the penultimate week of the NFL regular season, the fantasy football championship. It’s all happening.
Keep reading to prepare yourself for all three as the calendar flips from 2022 to 2023 tonight.
In today’s Winners Club you’ll find:
- TCU-Michigan betting preview
- Ohio State-Georgia betting preview
- SI Sportsbook’s Perfect 10 contest
- NFL Week 17 schedule and spreads
- Fantasy football championship week advice
Georgia, TCU Stand in the Way of “The Game” Rematch in National Championship
Nearly a month after Georgia, Michigan, TCU and Ohio State punched their ticket to the College Football Playoff, the four teams will take the field on New Year’s Eve.
On the heels of a breakthrough championship run, the Bulldogs ran the table in the regular season and romped against LSU in the conference title game. The Wolverines are back on the big stage following a semifinal exit against UGA last season and an undefeated regular season, capped off by another Big Ten title.
Despite falling in the Big 12 Championship Game, the Horned Frogs made the cut for the first time in program history after a 12–0 campaign. And the Buckeyes return to the playoff despite missing out on the Big Ten title game entirely due to their loss to Michigan.
Frankie Taddeo laid out the odds for both matchups and made his selections below.
Fiesta Bowl
4 p.m. ET (ESPN): No. 3 TCU vs. No. 2 Michigan (-7.5) | Total: 58.5
“The Horned Frogs enter this showdown off a 31-28 overtime loss to No. 9 Kansas State in the Big 12 Championship Game and will be eager to show the world they are capable of responding with a big effort on the big stage. Michigan, which is 13-0 straight-up (SU) and 8-4-1 against the spread (ATS) this season, finished the regular season in strong fashion for bettors by posting a solid 5-1-1 ATS mark since mid-October.”
TCU-Michigan CFP Semifinal Betting Breakdown
Darron Cummings/AP; Ron Jenkins/AP
Peach Bowl
8 p.m. ET (ESPN): No. 4 Ohio State vs. No. 1 Georgia (-6.5) | Total: 62
“The Buckeyes are listed as underdogs for the first time in 26 games. The last time Ohio State was getting points was in the 2021 National Title game against Alabama, where the Big Ten powerhouse lost to Alabama, 52-24. Georgia, which is 13-0 straight-up (SU) and 7-6 (ATS) this season, finished the regular season in an uneven fashion for bettors posting a pedestrian 3-3 ATS mark despite winning every contest.”
Ohio State-Georgia CFP Semifinal Betting Breakdown
Joseph Maiorana/USA TODAY Sports; Brett Davis/USA TODAY Sports
National Championship Odds via SI Sportsbook:
Georgia: -138
Michigan: +275
Ohio State: +350
TCU: +1100
More bowl games:
Saturday
Sugar Bowl, 12 p.m. ET (ESPN): No. 5 Alabama (-7) vs. No. 9 Kansas State | Total: 56 | Betting preview
Music City Bowl, 12 p.m. ET (ABC): Iowa (-2) vs. Kentucky | Total: 31 | Betting preview
Monday
Reliaquest Bowl, 12 p.m. ET (ESPN): No. 22 Mississippi State (-1.5) vs. Illinois | Total: 46 | Betting preview
Cotton Bowl, 1 p.m. ET (ESPN): No. 16 Tulane vs. No. 10 USC (-2) | Total: 62 | Betting preview
Citrus Bowl, 1 p.m. ET (ABC): No. 17 LSU (-14.5) vs. Purdue | Total: 56 | Betting preview
Rose Bowl, 5 p.m. ET (ESPN): No. 11 Penn State vs. No. 8 Utah (-2) | Total: 52.5 | Betting preview
NFL Week 17 Game Lines
The league is back to its regularly scheduled programming this week. That means no Saturday games and a loaded Sunday slate, complete with divisional games of utmost playoff importance.
Two playoff spots are still open in the AFC and there are three up for grabs in the NFC.
Some point totals around the league are a bit lower than usual this week. Bears-Lions is the only game projected above 50 and there are three with over/unders set below 40.
You can get in on the action with SI Sportsbook’s Perfect 10 contest for free this week. All you have to do is pick 10 games against the spread to enter, and to help you with your entries, my colleagues and I each picked our best bet from the available slate.
1 p.m. ET (Fox): Cardinals vs. Falcons (-3.5) | Total: 42 | Betting preview
1 p.m. ET (Fox): Bears vs. Lions (-4.5) | Total: 52.5 | Betting preview
1 p.m. ET (CBS): Broncos vs. Chiefs (-12.5) | Total: 44.5 | Betting preview
1 p.m. ET (CBS): Dolphins vs. Patriots (-2.5) | Total: 41.5 | Betting preview
1 p.m. ET (CBS): Colts vs. Giants (-5.5) | Total: 38.5 | Betting preview
1 p.m. ET (Fox): Saints vs. Eagles (-3.5) | Total: 41.5 | Betting preview
1 p.m. ET (Fox): Panthers vs. Buccaneers (-1.5) | Total: 40.5 | Betting preview
1 p.m. ET (Fox): Browns (-1.5) vs. Commanders | Total: 39.5 | Betting preview
1 p.m. ET (CBS): Jaguars (-3.5) vs. Texans | Total: 43.5 | Betting preview
4:05 p.m. ET (Fox): 49ers (-7.5) vs. Raiders | Total: 41.5 | Betting preview
4:05 p.m. ET (Fox): Jets (-1.5) vs. Seahawks | Total: 42.5 | Betting preview
4:25 p.m. ET (CBS): Vikings vs. Packers (-3.5) | Total: 47.5 | Betting preview
4:25 p.m. ET (CBS): Rams vs. Chargers (-6.5) | Total: 42.5 | Betting preview
8:20 p.m. ET (NBC): Steelers vs. Ravens (-2.5) | Total: 34.5 | Betting preview
8:30 p.m. ET (ESPN): Bills (-2.5) vs. Bengals | Total: 49.5 | Betting preview*
*Monday Night Football
Fantasy Championship Week Lineup Calls
This is a weird week at the quarterback position at a time where your fantasy team needs to play its best, so pay attention to which signal callers will be starting around the league.
Teddy Bridgewater will take over for Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (concussion); Taylor Heinicke was benched for Commanders quarterback Carson Wentz, who hasn’t played since Week 6; the Raiders are going with Jarrett Stidham instead of Derek Carr for the rest of the year despite not yet being officially eliminated from playoff contention.
After missing two games due to a rib injury, Mike White is back under center for the Jets, taking over for Zach Wilson, who was benched on Thursday Night Football last week. And be sure to keep an eye on the status of Jalen Hurts (shoulder) and Lamar Jackson (knee).
Compare players using our interactive rankings and projections across different scoring formats below to optimize your lineup for championship week.
Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em: QB | RB | WR | TE | K & D/ST
Defense vs. Position Matchup Info
Kim Klement/USA TODAY Sports
In Other News
Bryce Young Goes No. 1 in Latest NFL Mock Draft: Three quarterbacks are selected in the top 10 of the third version of Kevin Hanson’s mock draft. See how all 31 picks (the Dolphins, you may recall, forfeited their No. 1 pick) unfold based on the current draft order with the regular season winding down.
The Best Games to Bet on in the New Year: From the Super Bowl to March Madness to the Australian Open, there will be plenty of marquee sporting events to wager on once the calendar flips. See which events are coming down the pike in 2023.
Eight Bold Betting Predictions for 2023: The Jaguars win the Super Bowl? Justin Fields is awarded MVP? See what longshot bets our writers are banking on for next year.
As always, thank you for reading. I hope you enjoy your New Year’s Eve celebration and what a treat that we get to ring in 2023 with a packed day of NFL action.
Happy New Year’s—talk to you next year!