The College Football Playoff kicks off on Friday night from Notre Dame Stadium.

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish will be the first team to host a playoff game as part of the new 12-team format.

Marcus Freeman's team is currently the smallest favorite on the first-round odds board at seven points.

The other point spreads vary between 7.5 and 12 points, a sign that home-field advantage could be a massive advantage in the first round.

The gap in quality of play could be stark across the weekend as well if the games go as the odds suggest.

The last thing anyone wants is four blowouts, but at least a few of the games are trending in that direction if you look at the matchup.

First Round Odds

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Predictions against the spread in bold.

Friday, December 20

No. 10 Indiana at No. 7 Notre Dame (-7) (Over/Under: 52)

Saturday, December 21

No. 11 SMU at No. 6 Penn State (-9) (O/U: 54)

No. 12 Clemson at No. 5 Texas (-12) (O/U: 51.5)

No. 9 Tennessee at No. 8 Ohio State (-7.5) (O/U: 46)

No. 10 Indiana at No. 7 Notre Dame (-7)

It may feel like a gift that Notre Dame has dropped down to a seven-point favorite.

The Fighting Irish were a 7.5-point favorite for most of the week, but the drop down a half-point is meaningful to some bettors who were on the fence about picking them.

The half-point might not matter by the end of the game, though, if you look at Notre Dame's season-long form.

The No. 7 seed hasn't played in a one-possession game since September 28. The Irish won seven straight games by double figures and scored at least 31 points in all of those games.

Indiana has comparable offensive numbers since it put up at least 31 points in 10 of its 12 games, but there's one glaring error on its resume.

The Hoosiers lost 38-15 to the Ohio State Buckeyes on November 23 in their only matchup with a ranked opponent this season. That defeat is lingering in the minds of everyone evaluating the playoff matchup with Notre Dame.

Sure, the Hoosiers are a great story getting to the playoff in Curt Cignetti's first year as head coach, but there's a concern they will not play up to the occasion in South Bend because of what happened in Columbus.

Indiana scored on its first drive and won the first quarter in Columbus, but then it gave up 31 unanswered points.

The over 52 is also in play because of how much both teams find the end zone. If Indiana is competitive, it will likely go score-for-score with the Irish for a few quarters.

No. 12 Clemson at No. 5 Texas (-12)

The Texas Longhorns have the most lopsided first-round point spread in their favor.

Quinn Ewers and Co. deserve the 12-point favorite tag because they thrived for most of the SEC campaign and the Clemson Tigers are only in the playoff because they won the ACC Championship Game.

Texas only lost twice, and both of those defeats came at the hands of the Georgia Bulldogs, while Clemson went 0-2 against the SEC.

Texas handled most of its other Top 25 opposition thanks to strong defense. It won four ranked matchups by a combined score of 109-46. The Vanderbilt Commodores were the only one of those four teams to score more than 20 points.

Meanwhile, Clemson was outscored 51-17 by its two SEC foes, Georgia and South Carolina, and its only ranked win came against the SMU Mustangs in the ACC title game.

The fear for Clemson is that it will not be able to play up to the SEC level for the third time this season.

Texas' defense has the potential to smother Cade Klubnik in the pocket and not allow the Tigers to find any offensive rhythm.

The Longhorns will not have to score much to win, and if its defense plays well again, the under 51.5 should cash along with the spread bet on Texas.

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