2 Best College Football Playoff Bets and Player Props for Miami at Texas A&M

Even though the Miami (FL) Hurricanes eked their way into the College Football Playoff, there's no doubt they're a good football team.

Are they good enough to pull off an upset against the Texas A&M Aggies in the opening round?

Let's dig into the matchup and discuss some bets that stand out in FanDuel Sportsbook's college football betting odds.

All college football betting odds come from FanDuel Sportsbook and may change after this article is published.

Miami at Texas A&M CFP Betting Picks

Miami Moneyline (+138)

When we blended together various college football power ratings last week, they had Miami as the better team. Even after giving A&M homefield, this game looks like it should be tighter than a 3.5-point spread.

That could push us to take the points. But given the volatility of Carson Beck, I want the upside of the moneyline, instead.

Despite the interceptions, Beck still ranks 11th in ESPN's Total QBR. That's four spots ahead of Marcel Reed even after giving Reed a boost for having faced a more difficult schedule.

The Miami defense also deserves credit for what it did during the regular season. They enter the playoff ranked 10th in Bill Connelly's defensive SP+, a radical deviation from what they did last year. It's actually the second best defense the Aggies have faced all year by that metric.

Homefield matters a lot, so A&M deserves to be favored. It just shouldn't be by this much, at least in my eyes, pushing me to take the Hurricanes to win outright.

Marcel Reed Over 33.5 Rushing Yards (-114)

Reed's rushing production has been up-and-down this year. His athleticism is clearly an asset he can lean on when he wants to, though, and this would be a good spot to deploy that.

For the season, Reed averaged 6.6 rush attempts per game (not including sacks). That number increased to 7.2 in the 6 games where they faced a top-30 defense by SP+, including his lone 2 games with double-digit non-sack rush attempts. He finished those games with 108 and 71 yards even after deducting for sacks.

Miami can get after the quarterback as they rank 18th in sack rate for the season. That's an issue, especially if they do manage to get a lead. But that could also lead to more designed rushes and scrambles for Reed, so I think it's a worthwhile endeavor even with the Miami moneyline also on our betslip.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.