The Committee Has Spoken
On Sunday, the College Football Playoff Committee did what most people expected, which was send Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State and Notre Dame to the College Football Playoff. There was some discussion that maybe an undefeated Cincinnati side should get the nod ahead of Notre Dame, who was flattened by Clemson in the ACC Championship. However, Cincinnati really didn’t look all that convincing in their AAC Championship Game over Tulsa, so they didn’t do themselves any favors.
At any rate, we now have the contests set and football futures are always on the board. Let’s take a closer look at the online betting lines and see which team is the best bet to win it all at this point.
Alabama Crimson Tide
Odds To Win CFP: -190
The Crimson Tide have been the most impressive team in college football this season. Not only has Nick Saban’s team gone undefeated through a difficult, SEC-only schedule, they also were dominant throughout the whole process. The Tide basically steamrolled everything in their path and their lone one-score result was in the SEC Championship Game when they beat Florida by six points. They were comfortably ahead most of the game. They also picked up big wins against Texas A&M, Auburn and Georgia, who were all in the Top 25 at the time.
Alabama features the top three Heisman Trophy finalists on their roster and also has the easiest path to the title. They should roll Notre Dame, which puts them in the final. That’s why their college football odds are by far the shortest here.
Clemson Tigers
Odds To Win CFP: +225
The Tigers finished the season as a one-loss team but let’s be honest: if quarterback Trevor Lawrence doesn’t have to deal with a bout of COVID-19, the Tigers are likely the No. 1 team in the country right now. Lawrence had to deal with the virus and Clemson ended up losing in double-overtime to Notre Dame while using their backup quarterback. When Lawrence came back, they were able to blow out Notre Dame in the rematch.
The challenge here is that Clemson now has a tougher path to the final as they have to play Ohio State, who is better than Notre Dame. That’s why their odds are longer here.
Ohio State Buckeyes
Odds To Win CFP: +475
The Buckeyes are going to do their best to prevent another Alabama-Clemson National Championship showdown. But at this point it seems unlikely. Ohio State has had a good season, but they had their hiccups against lesser competition. Can they get it together against Clemson? The Buckeyes struggled to get by Indiana and labored against Northwestern; Clemson will be far less forgiving.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Odds To Win CFP: +2000
The Fighting Irish are the longshot of the group. As a matter of fact, they are the biggest underdog in College Football Playoff history in the sportsbook both in terms of the futures to win it and in their semifinal game against Alabama.
While Notre Dame had a pretty good season, everyone saw how they played against Clemson in the ACC Championship and it wasn’t good. They ended up losing 34-10 and the final score could have been much worse. Other than that, Notre Dame didn’t really have to play anyone tough on their schedule.
If the Irish are to win in the Rose Bowl, it’s going to be one of the biggest surprises we’ve ever seen in the CFP. If they win it all, it will undoubtedly be the biggest shock.
