Morning Coffee: Five straight days of playoff football kicks off with Fiesta Bowl

Congratulations if you scribbled “watch more football” down somewhere on your list of New Years resolutions.

You won’t have to break a sweat to begin 2026 on a high note starting with one of the best weeks on the calendar.

Tonight, we’ll kick off five straight days of playoff football.

First up, Miami and Ole Miss go head-to-head in the Fiesta Bowl with a spot in the College Football Playoff National Championship game on the line.

The winner will find out their championship opponent when Indiana and Oregon clash in the Peach Bowl.

Once the College Football Playoff National Championship teams are set, we’ll turn the page to the NFL Wild Card Weekend with a double-header on Saturday, a Sunday triple-header, then the Monday Night Football finale.

As promised, I’ve locked in my first two FanDuel Best Bets for NFL Wild Card Weekend in this column.

However, we’ll kick off the festivities with a play to consider for tonight’s Fiesta Bowl.

Let’s dive right into the action in this Morning Coffee for Thursday January 8^th, 2026.

Miami, Ole Miss Kick Off Five Straight Days of Playoff Football with Fiesta Bowl on TSN

While football fans are focused on the moment, the top quarterback prospects for the 2026 NFL Draft will get another opportunity to showcase their skill sets in the College Football Playoff semi-final games.

Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza remains the favourite to be the first overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft at FanDuel.

The Heisman Trophy winner is -390 to go No. 1 overall.

Oregon QB Dante Moore, who will go head-to-head with Mendoza in the Peach Bowl on Friday night, is the second choice to be the top draft pick at +340 at FanDuel.

A little further down that list, you’ll find Ole Miss QB Trinidad Chambliss at +8000 to go first overall.

Chambliss won’t be the first quarterback selected in the 2026 NFL Draft, but he’s certainly improved his stock with an outstanding finish to his senior season for the Rebels.

Chambliss, who transferred from Division II Ferris State in the offseason, leads the FBS with eight different games with at least 300 passing yards this season.

The 23-year-old went 30-of-46 for 362 yards and two touchdowns while leading Ole Miss to a 39-34 upset win over Georgia in the Sugar Bowl.

Now he has an opportunity to lead the Rebels to an upset win over the Hurricanes with a spot in the College Football Playoff National Championship on the line.

I’ll play Chambliss over 19.5 completions versus Miami.

Chambliss has gone over this number in five straight games, including 23 completions against Tulane and 30 versus Georgia.

He’s averaged 26.5 completions on 37.5 attempts in two College Football Playoff games.

Now he’s set to face a Hurricanes defence that has allowed 22 and 25 completions in its last two games.

Considering Miami has an elite run defence and an excellent pass rush, there should be an emphasis on Chambliss getting the ball out quickly and often tonight.

He’s covered this number in nine of 12 starts this year.

I’ll bank on him to do it again versus the Hurricanes in the Fiesta Bowl and play Chambliss over 19.5 completions.

Spotlight On Bills Receivers Entering Wild Card Weekend

If you’re a regular reader of this column, then there’s a good chance you’ve read my take on the Buffalo Bills’ wide receiver situation.

In case you didn’t, it’s simple.

Josh Allen is the best quarterback on the planet.

However, his wide receiver room is in fire need of an upgrade or two, which is why Buffalo went from being the most popular bet to win the Super Bowl at +750 at FanDuel to +1000 to win it entering the postseason.

The last Bills’ wide receiver that registered more than 819 receiving yards in a season was Stefon Diggs in 2023.

Last season, wide receiver was considered an area of need for Buffalo after Khalil Shakir led the team with 821 receiving yards and rookie Keon Coleman ranked second with 556 receiving yards.

Shakir led the Bills again this season, only this time it was with 719 receiving yards.

Believe it or not, Coleman once again finished with the second-most yards amongst Buffalo’s receivers, only this time he had 404.

The Bills were one of six NFL teams that didn’t have a single player with at least 725 receiving yards this season.

Dalton Kincaid and Dawson Knox are an excellent tandem at the tight end position.

James Cook led the NFL in rushing yards.

However, if the Bills don’t win this Super Bowl this year, the lack of an upgrade at wide receiver will be part of it.

On Sunday, Buffalo’s top-ranked rushing attack will face the top-ranked run defence of the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Cook is one of three running backs to register at least 100 scrimmage yards at least twice in the playoffs.

Allen has more playoff rushing yards than any other quarterback in NFL history.

The Bills ran the football on 50.6 per cent of their offensive plays this season – the second-highest rate in the entire NFL.

Who steps up for Buffalo when they must throw the ball?

The Jaguars added Jacobi Meyers at the trade deadline.

Meyers had a team-high 43 receptions after the trade and Jacksonville went 8-0 down the stretch.

Meanwhile, the Bills brought back Gabe Davis, then signed both Mecole Hardman and Brandin Cooks after the trade deadline.

While Hardman was eventually released, the 32-year-old Cooks flashed his potential as a burner with four catches for 101 yards on six targets in a Week 17 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.

That was enough for Buffalo to rest Cooks in Week 18, along with Shakir and Tyrell Shavers.

That decision provided us with a clue of who the Bills believe they will need to be healthy as they head to Jacksonville this weekend.

The bad news is that Buffalo doesn’t have an alpha No. 1 wide receiver that we know will be fed as the primary target against the Jaguars.

The good news is that the receiving yards props for what we suspect to be their top three options are all very low.

Shakir’s number can still be found as low as 40.5.

Cooks can be found at 18.5, with Shavers at 13.5.

In three head-to-head meetings with Trevor Lawrence, Allen has averaged 295.3 passing yards and 36.0 rushing yards with a 97.7 passer rating.

Buffalo’s biggest strength is its rushing attack.

That doesn’t mean that Allen won’t throw the football versus Jacksonville on Sunday.

I’ll lock in Cooks over 18.5 receiving yards as a best bet.

I’ll also add Shakir over 40.5 receiving yards as a best bet.

FanDuel has set Allen’s passing yards prop at 225.5.

If he’s going to come anywhere close to hitting that mark, he’ll need his two best wide receivers to step up.

Have a great day, everyone!