NCAAF Playoff Odds: Alabama Front Runner Again

Can Ohio State or Clemson Prevent Another All-SEC Matchup for the National Title?

Not too long ago, it looked as if things would start off in 2022 pretty much the way they ended with the 2021 college season. What are the current NCAAF playoff odds?

Georgia topped SEC rival to win the national title and at one point, Alabama and Georgia were first and second in the early NCAA football playoff odds.

Ohio State, led by Heisman Trophy favorite C.J. Stroud, has moved by Georgia and into the No. 2 spot in the current college football playoff odds.

With the start of the college football season and less than a month to go, sportsbooks are revisiting the title odds with a look at the current NCAAF future odds.

Alabama Crimson Tide (+175 odds to win the national title)

Sure, a large number of Alabama players have moved on. That includes offensive tackle Evan Neal and star receivers Jameson Williams – and John Metchie being among seven players taken in the 2022 NFL Draft.

Alabama brings back Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Bryce Young, national sack and tackle for loss leader Will Anderson, and so many other key contributors so the Crimson Tide will be in a familiar spot of being the championship contender heading into the season. The NCAA football playoff odds favor the Crimson Tide.

The odds have recently moved from +200 to +175 for the favored Crimson Tide.

Ohio State Buckeyes (+300 odds to win the national title)

Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud is the current Heisman Trophy favorite ahead of last year’s winner. The Buckeyes could also have the best receiver in college as Jaxon Smith-Njigba led Ohio State with 95 catches and 1606 receiving yards while playing on a team featuring two receivers who were first-round picks in April’s draft.

Running back TreVeyon Henderson (1255 rushing yards, 6.8 yards per carrying, 15 touchdowns) is another dynamic offensive playmaker so scoring points shouldn’t be an issue, especially with some key offensive linemen back.

Ohio State was ninth in the Big Ten in both scoring defense and total defense. If the Buckeyes tighten things up on that side of the ball, this is a definite national championship contender.

Ohio State has made the jump from +500 to +300 in recent weeks.

Georgia Bulldogs (+375 odds to win the national title)

The rest of the college football world must have been celebrating as Georgia made history with five defensive players selected in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft.

Travon Walker, Jordan Davis, Quay Walker, Devonte Wyatt, and Lewis Cine along with linebackers and third-round picks Nakobe Dean and Channing Tindall formed the nucleus of one of the most dominant defenses in recent college football history.

With the return of quarterback Stetson Bennett, tight end Brock Bowers and linebacker Nolan Smith all back, Georgia shouldn’t be counted out in 2023.

Georgia’s odds have barely dropped at all, going from  +375 to +350. However, the Bulldogs are now in third place.

Clemson Tigers (+1000 odds to win the national title)

The ultimate tribute to the program that Dabo Swinney has built at Clemson is that a 10-win season, including a 6-0 mark at home is considered a disappointing year.

Clemson had the best defense in the ACC a season ago. With potential first-round picks Bryan Bresee and Myles Murphy among the stars returning, the defense could be even more frightening in 2023.

Is this the year highly touted quarterback DJ Uiagalelei takes off? He should put up better numbers than completing 55.6% of his passes and throwing one more interception than touchdown passes. Eight freshmen caught passes a season ago so perhaps they can help overcome the loss of leading receiver Justyn Ross.

Clemson lost both of its coordinators. Offensive coordinator Tony Elliott is the new head coach at Virginia while defensive coordinator Brent Venables is headed to Oklahoma.

Southern California Trojans (+1800 odds to win the national title)

What a difference a year makes. USC finished the 2022 season tied for fourth in the Pac-12 South Division. Now the Trojans have the fifth-best odds to win the national championship.

Lincoln Riley left Oklahoma to take over at USC in one of the most stunning moves on the coaching carousel in quite some time. He did not arrive at USC alone.

Three of his former players at Oklahoma joined him and that includes quarterback Caleb Williams, who has the third-best odds to win the Heisman Trophy. Former Pittsburgh star Jordan Addison, the winner of the Biletnikoff Award as the top receiver in college football, and Oregon’s Travis Dye, the second-leading rusher in the Pac-12, are key members of the top-rated group of incoming transfers in the country.

Ten of the top 23 tacklers from a season ago were either freshmen or sophomores. Some of them headed elsewhere, but enough of them are back to combine with new arrivals to improve a defense that was 10th in the Pac-12 in yards allowed per game a season ago.

Texas A&M Aggies (+2200 odds to win the national title)

Jimbo Fisher signed the top recruiting class in the country to join an already talented roster.

The Aggies pulled off one of the biggest wins of the 2021 college football season with a 41-38 win against Alabama. Texas A&M stumbled a bit late, losing at Ole Miss by 10 points and at LSU by a field goal. If there is a team in the SEC able to prevent another Alabama-Georgia matchup in the SEC title game, it would be the Aggies.

Best of the Rest

New coaches haven’t stopped Oklahoma and Notre Dame from coming in at +4000 in the odds to win the national title.

Former Clemson defensive coordinator Venables takes over at Oklahoma while Notre Dame stayed in-house and promoted Marcus Freeman after longtime head coach Brian Kelly bolted for LSU.

Michigan and Texas are next at +5000. The teams couldn’t be more different. Michigan is coming off a Big Ten title and a spot in the College Football Playoffs. Texas was one of the most disappointing teams in the country as a six-game losing streak doomed the Longhorns to a 5-7 season.

It will be worth keeping tabs on the odds to make it to the playoffs of some of those other teams, as the season progresses. The odds to make it to the playoffs will be changing, and often.