College Football Playoff: National championship odds released
The College Football Playoff field was officially set on Sunday, and FanDuel has already released the odds on all four teams to win the national championship. Michigan, Washington, Texas and Alabama are the teams vying to bring home a trophy in what should be another exciting postseason.
We’re guaranteed a new national champion this season after two-time defending champ Georgia failed to make the field following its SEC title loss to the Crimson Tide. Florida State, which ended the year as an undefeated ACC Champion, was also snubbed of a spot due to a season-ending injury to Jordan Travis.
Michigan enters with the best chance to claim the national championship, and you can view the odds for the other three teams below.
Michigan Wolverines (+170)
The No. 1 seed, it makes sense that Michigan enters with the best odds to bring home a national championship. The Wolverines have been the most dominant defense in the country and proved it in the Big Ten Championship against Iowa, forcing three turnovers in a 26-0 shutout win.
There is some slight concern offensively, where quarterback JJ McCarthy has not reached the 150-yard mark in any of the past four games, throwing just one touchdown in that span. Michigan has lost in the semifinals of the past two College Football Playoffs, but will hope this year can be different in its quest for its first national championship since 1997.
Alabama Crimson Tide (+200)
Alabama took down No. 1 Georgia in the SEC Championship on Saturday to catapult themselves into national title contention. The Crimson Tide made the biggest jump in history of the final week of the College Football Playoff rankings as a result, moving from No. 8 to No. 4.
That sets them up for a matchup in the Rose Bowl against the top-seeded Wolverines. Alabama enters the Playoff on an 11-game winning streak, having not lost since Week 2 against Texas. If it can manage to beat Michigan, there’s the possibility of a rematch against the Longhorns in the national championship.
Texas Longhorns (+250)
The Longhorns earned their first appearance in the College Football Playoff after finishing 12-1 in the regular season, their best record since 2009. They claimed the Big 12 Championship, defeating Oklahoma State 49-21 behind 452 yards passing and four touchdowns from Quinn Ewers.
Texas has been one of the top defenses in the country this season as well with just 17.5 points allowed per contest. That should give it a good chance at taking down Washington, which boasts the No. 1 passing offense, to reach the national championship.
Washington Huskies (+750)
Washington enters the College Football Playoff as one of two undefeated teams, yet has the lowest odds to claim a national championship. The Huskies defeated Oregon for the second time this season in Friday’s Pac-12 Championship as Dillon Johnson rushed for 152 yards rushing and two touchdowns on the ground, as well as one passing.
Typically, Washington’s offense has featured more of an aerial attack with quarterback Michael Penix Jr., who leads the country with 4,218 yards, 33 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He has a pair of 1,000-yard receivers at his disposal in Rome Odunze and Ja’Lynn Polk, so watch for sparks to fly in what should be an entertaining semifinal matchup against Texas.