Correlated parlays can work to the bettor’s advantage. The most common correlated parlay is betting the underdog and the under or the favorite and the over. But beware, the more additional legs that are added to the parlay the less the advantage with the correlation. For these reasons Predictem has focused on the most popular three parlays. A parlay is simply a combo bet where, rather than betting several teams individually, you group them into a single wager. Using this option, the payout is greater and the risk is less, but you need all teams selected to win. To give an example, say you’re interested this week in betting Jets -4, Patriots +3, Dolphins +2.5 and Colts -7.
The COVID-affected 2020 college football season will end with two of the elite programs squaring off once again for the national title. Ohio State shocked Clemson with a stunning 49-28 beatdown after stumbling through some close games on their six-game regular season schedule. Meanwhile, Alabama handily beat Notre Dame as expected, though they failed to cover as 20-point favorites because they let off the gas early. Here’s an in depth look at each team and a parlay bet courtesy of SBR.
Ohio State Buckeyes vs. Alabama Crimson Tide
Monday, January 11, 2021 – 08:00 PM EST at Hard Rock Stadium
The Buckeyes have as much talent as any team in the country and showed the upside needed to overcome as an underdog in this fight. Quarterback Justin Fields had his best game of his career against the Tigers, landing several deep passes and six touchdowns on a great unit. He's faced criticism for a dip in play this year but reminded people that his talent is unquestionable.
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Fields struggled against Indiana and Northwestern in primetime matchups. He was unsure of his reads, slow to throw when he saw openings, and sloppy with accuracy at times. His turnovers mounted and all blame quickly fell on his shoulders.
Some of that was fair, but also attributable to the lack of time he's had with some of his targets and a thumb injury that clearly affected his velocity on passes. The Buckeyes have talented young receivers behind Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson but they're also completely unproven and it showed that Fields didn't trust them yet.
Wilson and Olave continue to get the majority of production from the passing game, and combined with Trey Sermon, are an elite trio in college football playmaker rankings. Sermon has been beastly, earning 636 of his 868 total rushing yards on the season in just the last three games. Though it may not be apparent on the NCAAF odds board, there's plenty of reason to think the Buckeyes can not only stay with Alabama but beat them thanks to this amazing offense.
Of course Alabama has done it since Day 1 of the season. Their offense has the Heisman Trophy frontrunner in DeVonta Smith, a high-end quarterback in Mac Jones, and a fantastic running back in NaJee Harris. Deep receiving threat John Metchie has also taken over games at several points this season.
Smith is especially interesting. With 130 yards or more in eight of his last 10 games and outright dominant performances most of the season, he's a rare force as a thin receiver who can take over games. Many think he'll be a top-five NFL draft pick, but history doesn't bode well for receivers as thin as he is. Marvin Harrison was shorter and thicker, but maybe Smith is just that good to overcome the odds.
Regardless, this is expected to be high-scoring with a total of 75 set on it by betting sites. No one would be surprised to see this game hit in the 80's, but usually these games have long lulls of scoring thanks to nerves, high-level coaching, and turnovers. Ohio State has been excellent at creating turnovers, and Alabama has enough pass rushers to shut down drives with sacks.
I think we're looking at a close one-score game, and think Ohio State +250 to win outright is a good bet. Alabama destroyed everyone on their schedule except Florida, but none of those teams besides Texas A&M did overly well in their bowl game. The SEC is a little overrated, and Alabama's defense is certainly vulnerable to a Sermon-led assault on the ground. Ohio State has the better defense and an extremely physical team, which is how they won the last title game against Alabama too, so they have earned being part of our NCAAF picks.
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Free NCAAF parlay:Ohio State +8 (-115) and Alabama Under 38.5 points (+115) at Bovada (visit our Bovada Review)