It does not happen all that often in college football, but every once and awhile major upsets on the field one week will quickly change the entire scope of college football futures betting at the sportsbooks the next. This past Saturday, we witnessed one of those rare events when three of the top four teams in the latest College Football Playoff rankings went down in defeat. The actual face of this week’s CFP rankings did not change all that much with one new team added to the list as far as the top four playoff contenders, but the betting public’s perception of which teams now belong at the top of the futures list to win a national title had to be shaken.
Alabama remains the consensus No. 1 team in the nation with any national, regional or local poll and it also remains the odds-on favorite to win a second-straight national title, which would be the Crimson Tide’s fifth championship run since the 2009 season. This team is just that good and with one last test against Auburn on Nov. 26 followed by a possible SEC Championship matchup against Florida, there is very little in the way of derailing a perfect run through its regular season schedule.
Betting on Alabama to go on and win two more games to take home the 2016 national title would appear to be a pretty smart move right now since its current -140 moneyline odds to win it all will only cost you more further down the road. In light of last week’s results where the Tide’s top three competitors for the 2016 CFP Championship all went down in defeat as hefty favorites to win, this only adds more value to their current number.
At the beginning of the season Ohio State was seen as the class of the Big Ten and a very legitimate contender to win the national title this year. There was an earlier crack in the foundation in a close call against Wisconsin and the walls came tumbling down in a stunning 24-21 loss to Penn State. Since sneaking past Northwestern in a shaky four-point win, the Buckeyes reasserted themselves in recent victories against Nebraska and Maryland by identical scores of 62-3. Their updated odds to win the CFP Championship as the No. 2 team in the new CFP rankings are now set at +300 as the clear second-favorite on the list.
The big snafu in betting on Ohio State at longer odds right now is its Nov. 26 showdown at home against the No. 3 team in the CFP rankings, Michigan. The Wolverines went down in flames last week in a stunning 14-13 loss to Iowa, but a victory against the Buckeyes would put them in the driver seat for a run at Alabama in the playoffs. Michigan’s futures odds to win it all are now set at +1200 as one of two fourth-favorites on the list.
I still think the value lies with the Buckeyes ahead of that Michigan game, but also keep in mind that Ohio State will probably have to face a very pesky Badgers’ team in the Big Ten Championship that will be looking to avenge that earlier loss.
Surprisingly enough, Louisville has the third-best odds to win a national title at +700 despite the fact that Clemson has the inside track to the ACC title game out of the Atlantic Division as a result of the Tigers’ head-to-head win over the Cardinals earlier this season. Clemson’s odds to win a championship this time around are set at +1200 after losing to the Crimson Tide in last season’s title game.
A few of the other top contenders on the list include Wisconsin at +2200, Washington and Oklahoma at +2800 and Penn State at +5000.
