Early NCAA Football Odds: Georgia Back-to-Back Favorite
Southern California Quarterback Caleb Williams Looks To Become A Two-Time Heisman Winner
Notre Dame and USC Will Be the First Two Ranked Teams in Action in 2023
The start of the college football season is fast approaching. The early NCAA football odds have been steady, even as the two national preseason polls have been released.
Once again, Georgia and Alabama are viewed as the top national title contenders, with Big Ten rivals Michigan and Ohio State challenging Alabama for the No. 2 slot behind two-time defending champion Georgia.
After winning the Heisman Trophy in his first season at Southern California, quarterback Caleb Williams is again the front-runner for the most prestigious individual award in college football.
When looking at the NCAAF schedule, the season begins on Aug. 26 with a pair of ranked teams in action as Notre Dame plays Navy in Dublin, Ireland and USC welcomes San Jose State to town. Both USC and Notre Dame are favored by more than 20 points. It should be a little more competitive when Utah and Florida square off on Aug. 31. All teams are currently at 0-0 in the NCAAF standings so buckle up for a wild ride these next few months.
Georgia Still The One
Over the NCAAF teams, there have been back-to-back national champions. Alabama did it in 2011 and 2012, Southern California went from sharing the title with LSU in 2003 to winning it outright the following season. Before the BCS or College Football Playoffs were created, Nebraska was the undisputed king of college football in 1994 and 1995.
The last time a program won the national title three years in a row was when Minnesota accomplished the feat in 1934, 1935 and 1936 with the final season beginning the start of the Associated Press poll.
That is what faces the Georgia Bulldogs.
Playing in the best conference in the land, the early NCAA football odds list Georgia at +225 to win the national championship for the third consecutive year.
It won’t be easy with SEC rivals Alabama (+600), LSU (+1200), Tennessee (+3000) and Texas A&M (+5000) among the teams from that conference eager to rain on Georgia’s parade.
Big Battles in Big Ten Country
There is no division in college football with the star power of the Big Ten East Division.
Michigan and Ohio State both made the College Football Playoffs a season ago, with Penn State only losing to the Wolverines and Buckeyes. The college football predictions have Michigan and Ohio State running in an almost dead heat in the Big Ten title odds.
All three teams are among the top seven teams in both the Associated Press and coaches’ polls that were recently released. In the early NCAA football odds, Ohio State is third at +700, Michigan fourth at +800, and Penn State is priced at +2500.
Michigan and Ohio State will once again meet in the final game of the regular season, with the winner almost sure to advance to the Big Ten title game. Michigan welcomes the Buckeyes to Ann Arbor on Nov. 25.
Two weeks before that, the Wolverines travel to meet a Penn State team tired of being the third wheel in the East Division.
Ohio State will have home-field advantage for the Oct. 21 matchup with Penn State. The Buckeyes have topped the Nittany Lions six years in a row and have been listed as double-digit favorites four years running.
Bidding Adieu to One of the Five Major Conferences
There will not be a Power-5 conference set up after this year. With teams from the Pac-12 heading to the Big 12 and Big Ten, there will be just four power conferences, and it could be argued that the SEC and Big Ten are actually the Power-2 conferences, with the Big 12 and ACC trying to remain relevant.
The last Pac-12 team to win the national title was USC in 2014. There hasn’t been a team from the Pac-12 in the College Football Playoff field since Washington fell to Alabama 24-7 in the national semifinals on Dec. 31, 2016.
Southern California has the best chance of changing that, with the Trojans priced at +1600 to win it all. Oregon and Washington are next at +4000 with two-time defending Pac-12 champion Utah coming in at +6000.
Let The Heisman Hype Begin
Yes, the Heisman chatter has already started.
USC quarterback Caleb Williams returns with a chance to join former Ohio State running back Archie Griffin as the only two-time Heisman Trophy winner.
Williams is the clear front-runner at +550 in the odds to win the Heisman Trophy.
Quinn Ewers of Texas and Jayden Daniels of LSU are his top competitors at +1200. Ewers is a pretty interesting case study as his numbers (2177 passing yards while completing less than 60% of his passes with 15 touchdown passes and six interceptions) don’t scream out Heisman candidate. He also has much ballyhooed incoming freshman Arch Manning a threat to take his job at some point during the 2023 season.
Florida State quarterback Jordan Travis (+1600) is getting some Heisman love in the preseason with Clemson’s Cade Klubnik also coming in at +1600 in the Heisman odds, along with Washington QB Michael Penix Jr. Drake Maye of North Carolina, who was one of three quarterbacks in 2022 with at least 4000 passing yards and 35 touchdown passes, and new Notre Dame quarterback Sam Hartman also have +1600 odds as does Oregon’s Bo Nix.
The top 12 players in the current Heisman Trophy odds are quarterbacks. The top candidate at another position is Ohio State receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. at +2500.
For NCAAF betting news, odds analysis, and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.
