With the College Football Playoff going to 12 teams next year, we’ll never see another unbeaten conference champion like Florida State get passed over for a one-loss Alabama. But if anyone thinks there won’t be controversy involving the 11th, 12th, and 13th best teams in the country, I have a bridge to sell you.
There will always be controversy in a sport that uses polls. But we are getting closer to making sure the best team in college football is always given an opportunity to compete for the National Championship, and this year we have succeeded.
Odds to Win College Football Playoff and National Championship
- Michigan (+185)
- Alabama (+200)
- Texas (+260)
- Washington (+750)
This year the committee had no room for second place finishers. Georgia, after an entire season of sitting at No. 1, is out after losing to Alabama in the SEC Championship. The Tide rolled through the last half of the regular season and they enter the playoffs as the fourth seed by the committee, but as the second betting favorites in Las Vegas.
Texas beat Alabama early in the year, and then they put a loss to Oklahoma in the rearview mirror by cruising to an easy Big 12 title. The Longhorns closed out the season with a 50-point win over Texas Tech to get into the Big 12 Championship Game, then they beat Oklahoma State by 28 to claim their fourth conference championship.
Washington finished the season undefeated and beat Oregon twice on its way to winning its final Pac-12 title. Next year, along with Oregon, USC, and UCLA, the Huskies move to the Big Ten. Before the Huskies begin their quest to win the school’s first National Championship since 1991, quarterback Michel Penix Jr. hopes to win Washington’s first ever Heisman Trophy this weekend in New York.
For Michigan, three straight wins over Ohio State and three straight Big Ten titles are no longer enough. To complete the resume of this era of Wolverine football they must finish the season as National Champions. They are the betting favorite, and they are the most experienced. They are the only team returning from last year’s group of four.
Semifinal Matchups
- No. 4 Alabama vs. No. 1 Michigan (-1.5)
- No. 3 Texas (-4.5) vs. No. 2 Washington
Beginning our New Year’s Day of top college football will be Alabama and Michigan in the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. The Wolverines are favored in that one by just 1.5 points.
Following the conclusion of the Rose Bowl, Texas and Washington will kick off in the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans. Texas is 4.5-point favorites.
Pay Per Head Software
These four teams will play just three of the 41 college football bowls that are on tap this month. Plus we have the end of the NFL regular season, NBA, college basketball, and the NHL. So many sports, so little time, unless as an independent bookmaker you also have a pay per head software partner like WagerHome.com.
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