Updated National Championship Odds After Initial CFP Rankings Release
Ohio State earned the No. 1 spot in the first College Football Playoff ranking of the season but No. 3 Michigan is the betting favorite to win the national championship.
The top two teams in the Big Ten as well as No. 2 Georgia and No. 4 Florida State have seemingly pulled away from the pack based on current betting odds via SI Sportsbook. The Wolverines (+225) own the best odds, followed by the Bulldogs (+250), Seminoles (+600) and Buckeyes (+700). There’s a sizable drop-off to the next tier of contenders, which includes No. 6 Oregon (+1200), No. 8 Alabama (+1400), No. 5 Washington (+1600) and No. 7 Texas (+1600).
FSU not only has the third-best odds to win its first national championship since 2013, the Seminoles also have the best odds (-250) to make the final four for the first time since the inaugural year of the CFP. With games against Pitt, Miami, North Alabama and Florida, Florida State will be favored the rest of the way, likely on its way to a potential ACC championship game appearance, where it could meet No. 13 Louisville, the only other ACC team in the CFP rankings.
UGA has the second-best odds (-200) to make it back to the playoff, where it won the last two national championships as part of its current 25-game winning streak. The home stretch for the Bulldogs includes bouts with No. 12 Missouri, No. 10 Ole Miss and No. 17 Tennessee in the next three weeks. As long as Georgia doesn’t trip up over the next month, it will play for its third straight SEC title in Atlanta, potentially against the Crimson Tide, Tigers or Rebels.
Dale Young/USA TODAY Sports
The Wolverines (-188) and Buckeyes (+100) have the next-best odds to return to the playoff. Michigan, which has been embroiled in a sign-stealing scandal that has been the talk of the college football world for weeks, still has to play at No. 11 Penn State before the season finale against the top-ranked Buckeyes. The Wolverines have won the last two installments of the rivalry and went on to win the Big Ten both years en route to a playoff berth.
The Pac-12 and Big 12 are on the outside looking in at the moment and the top teams in both conferences would benefit from a surprise loss for Florida State or Georgia and the inevitable loss for either Michigan or Ohio State when those teams meet Nov. 28.
Washington (+130) and Oregon (+175) have the fifth- and sixth-best odds to qualify for the playoff for the second time in each program's history. The Huskies have upcoming games against No. 20 USC, No. 18 Utah and No. 16 Oregon State and the Ducks also still have to play the Trojans and Beavers.
No. 9 Oklahoma (+200) also has a shot at returning to the playoff but it would have to win out in order to do so as no two-loss team has ever made the playoff and the Sooners lost to No. 21 Kansas last week. No. 22 Oklahoma State is the only remaining ranked team on OU’s schedule. Texas (+225) is in a similar situation — a loss to OU is the lone blemish on its resume and No. 23 Kansas State is the only top 25 team it still has to play.
Alabama (+200) is still in the conversation but it would take winning out against No. 14 LSU, Kentucky and Auburn just to return to the SEC title game, where Georgia likely awaits. A loss there would be the second for the Crimson Tide, as they already fell to the Longhorns at home.
There are still five more CFP rankings to be released before the playoff field is finalized in early December. With so many teams in the top 10 still slated to play one another, expect plenty of movement between now and then.
Current National Championship Odds
Michigan +225
Georgia +250
Florida State +600
Ohio State +700
Oregon +1200
Alabama +1400
Texas +1600
Washington +1600
LSU +3300
Oklahoma +3300
Odds to Earn College Football Playoff Berth
Florida State -250
Georgia -200
Michigan -188
Ohio State +100
Washington +130
Oregon +175
Alabama +200
Oklahoma +200
Texas +225
LSU +600
Louisville +1200
Penn State +2000
Notre Dame +3300
Ole Miss +3300
USC +3300
Tennessee +4000
Missouri +5000
Air Force +10000
Oregon State +10000
Utah +10000
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