College Football Betting: Georgia, Ohio State 1-2 in Championship Odds

Georgia’s bid for a third straight national championship ended when Alabama topped the Bulldogs in the Southeastern Conference title game in 2023. Alabama was the only SEC team to make it into the College Football Playoff field.

Michigan, which would win the national title, was fourth at +850 in the national championship odds when the season began while national finalist Washington was tied for 13th at +4000. Keep that in mind when looking at the odds right now.

Georgia leads the way at +325 in the odds of winning the College Football title followed by Ohio State at +425, Texas at +700 and Oregon at +800. The odds for Oregon have moved the most among the top four contenders since April.

How the odds look as the College Football Playoff moves from four to 12 teams this season.

Georgia Favored Once Again

Georgia saw plenty of talent head off to the NFL but what else is new?

The Bulldogs brought in the top-rated recruiting class and head coach Kirby Smart is not shy about playing true freshmen if they are ready.

Georgia added Vanderbilt receiver London Humphreys, Miami receiver Colbie Young and Florida running back Trevor Etienne to go with another strong recruiting class.

There are enough impact players on both sides of the ball for Georgia to be favored in pretty much every game it plays. The lone exception could be the Oct. 19 game at Texas. Georgia is currently listed by the college football spread as a 1½-point favorite but that could change based on the results early in the 2024 season.

The Bulldogs are currently priced at -550 to be a part of the College Football Playoff field. Georgia will be tested right away with a matchup against a Clemson team expected to compete for the ACC title in the Aug. 31 season opener.

Is it August 31st yet?#GoDawgs pic.twitter.com/F2Ed5hvXEi

— Georgia Football (@GeorgiaFootball) June 11, 2024

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Road Tests Await Ohio State

Ohio State will be the home team when the reigning national champion Michigan Wolverines come calling in the regular-season finale. However, some of the other challenging games will be on the road.

The Buckeyes are currently listed as a one-point underdog on the road against Big Ten newcomer Oregon on Oct. 12. And will home-field advantage be the difference on Nov. 2 when the Buckeyes travel to meet Penn State, which has spent years falling short against both Ohio State and Michigan,

The Buckeyes will certainly miss star receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. as he will be catching passes for the Arizona Cardinals. However, Ohio State never lacks for quality pass catchers.

Ohio State was very active in the transfer portal and has plenty of talent to be in the thick of the championship conversation, so keep an eye on the Buckeyes and the -700 odds to be in the CFP.

Texas Longhorns, Oregon Ducks Face Brave New World

Texas has made the move from the Big 12 to the SEC while Oregon was among the teams to leave what was the Pac-12 conference to join the Big Ten. The change in conferences did little to lower the expectations for the Longhorns and the Ducks.

Oregon is at -300 to be another 12 teams in the College Football Playoff field with Texas having -225 odds to reach the CFP for the second season in a row.

Three of the 16 teams with the best College Football championship odds will be playing in different conferences. Utah (+250 to be in the CFP field) is now in the Big 12 after a disappointing final season in the Pac-12.

As if the SEC wasn’t powerful enough, the conference added Texas and Oklahoma for the upcoming season.

Texas brings back quarterback Quinn Ewers, who is just ahead of Georgia quarterback Carson Beck for the best odds of winning the Heisman Trophy. He will be throwing to former Alabama receiver Isaiah Bond.

With Texas and Oklahoma gone to the SEC, Utah and Arizona are looking like the teams to beat along with holdover Kansas State in the Big 12.

Is There Life After Nick Saban In Tuscaloosa?

The biggest college football news in the offseason was the retirement of the legendary Nick Saban at Alabama.

After leading Washington to the CFP title game, Kalen DeBoer was hired to replace Saban at Alabama. Talk about having big shoes to fill.

Three of the top six outgoing transfers, according to the 247sports.com database, left Alabama. However, the Crimson Tide still ended up with the third-rated group of transfers, led by former Iowa offensive lineman Kadyn Proctor.

There are seven teams with better odds than Alabama to make it into the CFP field. That is still better than our sportsbook odds for Washington.

With so many of the key players from Washington’s run to the national title game headed to the NFL and the Huskies having no commitments from the top 75 players in the transfer portal, Washington is at +1000 in the odds to be among the 12 teams vying for the national title. That puts the Cougars tied for 35th.

Michigan has also dropped a bit in the CFP odds after coach Jim Harbaugh left to take the job with the NFL’s Los Angeles Chargers, but the Wolverines are still eighth at -125.

What the 12-Team CFP Field Could Look Like

The champions of the top five conferences will secure spots in the College Football Playoff.

With the majority of the Pac-12 programs landing in other conferences, that leaves the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, SEC and the best conference out of the Group of Five getting into the field.

That could leave Miami and Utah fighting it out for the final spot among the power conferences.

Going by the BetUS odds, Georgia, Ohio State, Florida State, and Utah would earn first-round byes. The other teams in the field would be Oregon, Texas, Notre Dame, Penn State, Ole Miss, Michigan and Alabama joined by either Liberty or Boise State.

Odds and information are accurate at the time of writing. Please check with official sources for the latest updates before placing any bets.

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