College Football Playoff Quarterfinals: Best Bets and Props for Ohio State vs. Oregon

The college football playoffs are entering the quarterfinals, and there are fantastic matchups across the board. In a much-anticipated rematch of a Big 10 clash from earlier this season, the Ohio State Buckeyes will square off against the Oregon Ducks on Wednesday.

Following a 10-2 record in the regular season, the Buckeyes cruised to a 42-17 victory over the Tennessee Volunteers in the first round of the playoffs. On the other hand, the Ducks got a first-round bye as the No. 1 seed in the playoffs after they finished as the lone unbeaten team in the nation during the regular season.

Using the college football odds at FanDuel Sportsbook, let's take a look at the best bets and props for Wednesday's Ohio State-Oregon showdown that kicks off at 5 p.m. ET.

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

Rose Bowl Player Props and Betting Picks

Oregon Moneyline (+112)

At the moment, the Buckeyes are slight favorites over the Ducks despite Oregon looking like the better team during the regular season. The fact Ohio State is favored likely stems from how they performed against Tennessee -- an SEC team -- in the first round, but I believe there's a bit too much confidence being placed on the Buckeyes in this matchup.

Whenever these two teams met earlier in the campaign, it was the Ducks who prevailed with a narrow 32-31 victory at home. While Wednesday's rematch could certainly be another competitive contest, the outcome could be decided by which experienced signal-caller between Will Howard and Dillon Gabriel makes fewer mistakes.

Up to this point, Gabriel ranks 2nd in QBR (86.7) and 3rd in total EPA (89.7) while Howard is sitting at 3rd in QBR (85.9) and 17th in total EPA (65.2). Even though both quarterbacks have completed 73% or more of their passes, Gabriel has just six interceptions on the season, and Howard has nine interceptions -- including four across his last three starts.

The Ducks were underdogs just once all year -- which was the first meeting versus the Buckeyes -- and they ended up covering the spread and winning outright against Ohio State in that meeting. Instead of siding with Oregon to cover the spread, I don't believe they'll be one-and-done in the playoffs, so taking their moneyline is the way to go.

Dillon Gabriel Over 1.5 Passing Touchdowns (-118)

The first time we saw Ohio State and Oregon face each other this season, there was 63 total points scored, and Dillon Gabriel had his best performance of the season. In the first meeting, Gabriel completed 23 of his 34 attempts for 341 yards and 2 touchdowns, with the lefty quarterback leading a game-winning drive with under two minutes remaining.

Although the Buckeyes' defense is third in total expected points added per drop back allowed (-0.164) and second in defensive passing success rate (34.3%), this is a statement game for the Ducks' offense and Gabriel. Oregon head coach Dan Lanning isn't someone that shies away from being aggressive, which makes me believe the Ducks put the ball in Gabriel's hands more often on Wednesday in a game where they are underdogs again versus the Buckeyes.

Over the course of his first year with Oregon, Gabriel has tossed multiple touchdowns in 11 of his 13 starts. In the Big Ten Championship against the Penn State Nittany Lions -- who are 9th in expected points added per drop back allowed (-0.095) and 16th in defensive passing success rate (36.0%) -- Gabriel tallied 4 touchdown passes to lead the Ducks to a 45-37 win.

Even with Ohio State deploying an elite defense, Gabriel is an experienced quarterback who has seen plenty of different looks throughout his six-year collegiate career, so he's capable of overcoming whatever the Buckeyes throw at him.

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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.