Now that spring practices are over, less than four months separate us from the the start of the 2023 college football season.
With that in mind, FrontPageBets takes a look at the odds-on favorites to win the College Football Playoff National Championship, which is in the final year of the four-team format.
Let’s start where we left off last year with the Georgia Bulldogs.
Georgia is looking to become the first college football program to complete a three-peat in 87 years.
Since 1900, Minnesota is the only program to win three consecutive national champions. The Gophers did it in 1934, 1935 and 1936.
Four different programs have won back-to-back titles, including Alabama twice (1978-79 and 2021-22), Oklahoma (1955-56), Texas (1969-70) and Nebraska (1994-95).
The odds are in Georgia’s favor, as the Bulldogs are at the top of the list at all the major online sportsbooks: +220 at FanDuel and Caesars, +225 at BetMGM and +230 at DraftKings.
UGA returns 13 starters to its roster from last year’s national championship team, but the Bulldogs will have to replace quarterback Stetson Bennett.
Bennett’s backup Carson Beck is the frontrunner for the job after enrolling at Georgia in January 2020 as a four-star QB out of Jacksonville, Fla., and playing in 12 games so far during his time in Athens, throwing for six touchdowns and 500-plus yards.
Beck had a solid spring game, but hasn’t been officially named the starter by head coach Kirby Smart. Yet.
Alabama and Ohio State in the mix
Anyone who’s ever watched a college football game of the last 15 years knows one thing: You can never count out a Nick Saban-coached team.
The Alabama head coach has led the Crimson Tide to six national championships since arriving in 2007. The Tide have also played three other title games and lost. So in the last 14 seasons, Alabama has played in the national championship game nine times.
Not too shabby.
And oddsmakers agree, as the Tide sits at +600 to win this season’s title, according to FanDuel, which is tied with Ohio State.
Alabama will need to replace quarterback Bryce Young, who was the No. 1 overall selection in last month’s NFL Draft to the Carolina Panthers, as well as edge rusher Will Anderson Jr., who was the third overall pick to the Houston Texans.
But fear not in Tuscaloosa, Saban doesn’t rebuild – he reloads.
Ohio State is in the same boat, having to replace its start quarterback C.J. Stroud, who was taken second overall in the NFL Draft by the Texans.
USC with an outside shot
Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams returns to lead USC in its campaign to avenge last season’s disappointing finish.
Williams, who is the favorite to defend his Heisman, and the Trojans just missed the College Football Playoff by losing to Utah in the Pac-12 championship game. Then they turned around and lost to upstart Tulane in the Cotton Bowl.
If Williams can turn in a junior season like he had last year – leading the nation in touchdown passes with 42, while third in passing yards with 4,537 – USC could very well be in the national title conversation.
(All odds courtesy of FanDuel and are subject to change)
Odds-on favorites to win the College Football Playoff National Championship
Georgia +220
Ohio State +600
Alabama +600
Michigan +1000
USC +1600
LSU +1600
Florida State +1800
Clemson +2000
Penn State +2000
Texas +2500
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