The college football regular season is approaching the halfway point of the regular season, with most teams having five or six games under their belts. College football bettors now have a good feel for which nationally-ranked teams are legitimate contenders for this season’s four-team playoff. Those four teams will compete for this season’s national title.
Betting the NCAAF futures to win the national championship this year at BetOnline online sportsbook still offers some substantial value in the posted odds. Yet, they still point to a two-team race between a pair of national powers.
NCAAF Playoff Field
Before the new season got underway, the ACC’s Clemson Tigers and the SEC’s Alabama Crimson Tide had separated themselves from the pack based on past accomplishments. Clemson is the reigning national champion, and Alabama has a pair of national titles on its resume in the past four seasons.
Heading into Week 7 of the schedule, each team is 5-0 through its first five games. The Crimson Tide get the slight edge in the national rankings at No. 1 with the Tigers No. 2 in both major polls. As far as each team’s betting odds to win this year’s title, they head the list as +275 co-favorites.
Each of these teams is on a clear path to the four-team playoff field. Clemson has the easier path playing in the ACC, so you can pretty much pencil the Tigers in as a playoff team. Alabama has a much tougher road with the No. 5 LSU Tigers on the regular-season schedule along with a likely showdown against the No. 3 Georgia Bulldogs in the SEC Championship. Yet, at this point, I would not bet against the Tide as a playoff team.
The Big Ten’s Ohio State Buckeyes remain a team to watch at 6-0 this year. They are tied with Georgia at No. 3 in the current AP Top 25, and they are +500 third-favorites to win a national title. Ohio State still has a few tough tests to pass against No. 8 Wisconsin and No. 10 Penn State, but the Buckeyes remain the team to beat in this conference and a legitimate playoff contender.
The final playoff spot is up for grabs with the Big 12’s No. 6 Oklahoma Sooners joining Georgia and LSU as the top contenders for the final spot. The Sooners would get the nod right now with the Bulldogs and Tigers facing some significant obstacles in their path to the playoff. Georgia and LSU are next on BetOnline’s list at +700 closely followed by Oklahoma at +800 betting odds
As far as which of the four playoff teams goes on to win it all, I would take Alabama as +275. The Tide has something to prove after getting blown out by Clemson in last year’s championship game, and they have already proven they have enough talent on both sides of the ball to get it done.
Other NCAAF National Championship Contenders
The betting odds quickly drop off after the first six teams on the list with Wisconsin listed at +2000 odds. The Badgers are 5-0 on the year and a clear path to the Big Ten’s West Division title. After playing the Buckeyes on the road at the end of October, they would most likely have to beat them again in the conference championship. This gauntlet alone drains most of the value in their odds.
The SEC’s No. 7 Florida Gators join Penn State at +3300 odds, but each of these teams faces a brutal run over the rest of the season to make it into the playoff, let alone win the College Football Playoff Championship Game.
