College Football Playoff Odds
College Football Playoff Odds: Who Will Be Our Final Four?
There is still a lot of football left, so we could see plenty of changes to the top ten before the season ends. Right now, the top four teams in the country (in order) are Alabama, Notre Dame, Ohio State, and Clemson. Some teams on the outside looking in right now include Florida, Cincinnati, Texas A&M, Indiana, and Miami. There’s still so much uncertainty about how the College Football regular-season will end, so it is possible that any team could find its way into the CFP.
Heading into last year’s Championship Weekend, that was certainly not the case. Sure, if LSU, Ohio State, and/or Clemson lost last year, there would have been chaos, but they all emerged victorious that weekend. While Ohio State came the closest to falling, none of the top three did. But for that to happen, that meant No. 4 Georgia had to fall—which they did against a dominant LSU team, 37-10. That, in turn, opened the door for Utah, Baylor, or Oklahoma to march right into the 2020 CFP.
As it turns out, Oregon decided to play spoiler to Utah’s playoff hopes making the stakes even higher for the Big 12 title game. Despite being forced to insert their third-string quarterback Baylor put up an incredible fight only to fall to the Sooners in overtime. So, going into Selection Sunday, we knew the No. 4 team would be the Oklahoma Sooners, but we didn’t know for sure how the rest of the top four would play out.
Unlike last season, it is likely that all teams participating in the College Football Playoff this year will not have played the same number of games this season. As we get closer and closer to the new year, let’s see if we can weed out the weaklings and determine who will be in the 2021 College Football Playoff.
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College Football Playoff Odds: The Crimson Tide Are Currently Being Given The Best Odds To Win The 2021 Championship
We only have a few weeks remaining in the College Football regular season. Right now, the Alabama Crimson Tide are being given the best odds to win the College Football National Championship this year. With Heisman candidate Mack Jones leading the way for the Tide, Bama is looking to make the College Football Playoff for the sixth time since its inception.
Ohio State is being given the second-best odds to win the 2021 National Championship. The Buckeyes have only played five games so far this season, but OSU is still ranked in the top four in both the AP Poll and the Coaches Poll. Ohio State is likely on a collision course with another ranked team like Northwestern or Iowa in the Conference Championship Game. If the Buckeyes can win their conference, then look out because this team will be a tough matchup in the playoffs.
Despite a loss to Notre Dame, Clemson is still one of the favorites to win the 2021 National Championship. Oddsmakers recognized that the Fighting Irish likely bested the Tigers in early November because Trevor Lawrence did not play in that game. Regardless, the Tigers are the fourth-ranked team in the nation. As a result, Notre Dame and Clemson will once again face-off, this time in the ACC Championship Game. Whoever emerges from that contest victorious will likely find a spot in the College Football Playoff. So, at the moment, the Tigers and the Fighting Irish control their own destiny.
Florida is another team that is being given a pretty good chance to win the CFP National Championship. The Gators are 8-1, with their lone loss coming against Texas A&M (the fifth-ranked team in the country) by just three points. UF could certainly find their way into the playoffs, but they will need some help to get in. The Gators will need to beat the Vols and the winner of the SEC West if U of F wants to reach the playoffs.
A deep sleeper team could be the Cincinnati Bearcats. Cincy has not yet lost a game. Furthermore, the Bearcats have convincing wins over two ranked teams. Since Florida, Bama, and Texas A&M will beat each other up in the SEC, and either Notre Dame or Clemson will fall out of the top four following an ACC Championship game loss, it is not impossible that Cincinnati finds a way to sneak into the CFP.
Here are the current favorites to win the College Football National Championship this season
- Alabama Crimson Tide +100
- Clemson Tigers +275
- Ohio State Buckeyes +450
- Notre Dame Fighting Irish +700
- Florida Gators +1800
- Texas A&M Aggies +1800
- Cincinnati Bearcats +5000
College Football National Championship: Who Are The Best Sleeper Teams This Year?
Since its inception, the College Football Playoff has been dominated by blue-blood programs. Only 11 schools have been represented in the CFP since the tournament was founded in 2014.
Right now, the oddsmakers are saying three of the four teams that reach the playoff will likely be Alabama, Clemson, and Ohio State. Notre Dame isn’t being given a great chance to reach the playoff at +700 odds. Does that mean the Fighting Irish don’t have a chance to reach the college football playoff?
Not necessarily.
Back in 2014, eventual champion Ohio State didn’t have great odds heading into the Big Ten title game (+1500; +600 after but still just third-best) but went on to take down Alabama and then Oregon. Clemson entered the 2016 CFP with the third-best odds at +800 and went on to win.
To discount Notre Dame just because they aren’t favored over Clemson would be a mistake. The fact that the Fighting Irish already have a head-to-head win over the Tigers works heavily in their favor. It could be the difference between ND making and missing the playoffs.
Does that mean they are definitely going to reach the college football playoff? Again, not necessarily. The Fighting Irish are solid all around, but there isn’t anything they do incredibly well unlike Clemson or Ohio State. And they certainly don’t have exciting Heisman candidates like Alabama or Florida.
Does that mean one of the other three teams are absolutely going to make the CFP? Again—not necessarily. Clemson has been a statistical monster on both sides of the ball this year, but a loss to the Fighting Irish gives them an uphill battle to climb if they want to reach the CFP. Also, Alabama and Ohio State will need to continue to play at a high-level if those squads want to win their conference championship games.
An outsider team that could be a good sleeper pick is Florida. Despite having a one-loss, the Gators control their own destiny with only one game left to play in the regular season. If UF can win out and reach the SEC Championship Game, then I could see Gators sneaking into the College Football Playoff if they beat Bama or Texas A&M and win their conference.
Two other good sleeper teams include Cincinnati and Northwestern. The Bearcats are undefeated up to this point in the year while the Wildcats currently find themselves in first place in their division of the Big Ten. Also, both schools have recorded wins over Top 25 teams. It’s definitely a long-shot, but Cincy (+5000) and BYU (+15000) could still make the 2021 College Football Playoff.
