Alabama and Ohio State Big Favorites to Make NCAAF Playoff

Alabama and Ohio State Big Favorites to Make NCAAF Playoff

On Tuesday (10/31), the first NCAAF Playoff rankings came out and Georgia was the surprising #1. This is largely based on their performance and strength of schedule so far, but the market and bettors know they wouldn’t be favored on a neutral field against Alabama– 5Dimes currently lists Alabama -7 vs. Georgia for a potential SEC Title Game matchup in December.

Who will be #1 in next week's CFP Rankings?
UGA -310
'Field' +230

SEC Title Game Lookahead:
Alabama -7 vs. UGA

— The Action Network (@ActionNetworkHQ) November 2, 2017

On Thursday (11/2), BetOnline released updated odds to make the 4-team playoff and Alabama (-800) and Ohio State (-260) are the big favorites. Here’s a look at the odds changes since the preseason:

If the playoffs started today based on best odds, it would be:
(1) Alabama vs. (4) Clemson
(2) Ohio St vs. (3) Georgia

Some fans may want to see another title rematch between Alabama and Clemson, but a matchup in the semifinals would be really interesting too. Clemson has a tough game at NC State this weekend followed by a home matchup against struggling FSU before finishing the year with Citadel and South Carolina.

Notre Dame and Miami-FL are both listed at +300, but they’ll face off against each other on Saturday (11/11) in Miami. The Hurricanes are underdogs this week vs. VT, would maybe be small underdogs vs. ND, and would definitely be underdogs in the ACC Title Game vs. Clemson. You may be better off just betting on the Miami moneylines in those games than taking +300 to make the playoff.

Oklahoma (+400) and Oklahoma State (+500) have similar odds to make the playoff, but they play one another this weekend and both have 1 loss. The Cowboys are listed -2.5 against the Sooners, and the public is hammering Oklahoma as short road underdogs. The loser of this game is likely eliminated from playoff contention.

Penn State’s loss to Ohio State last weekend only moved their odds to +350, so they’re still very much alive. Wisconsin is the other team in the Big Ten to keep an eye on, as they’re an undefeated 8-0 and great position to reach the Big Ten title game.

Alabama is -140 to win the National Championship with the field listed at +120. You can check out updated odds for all teams here.

Do you agree that Alabama and Ohio State are near locks at this point? Are there any darkhorses like Oklahoma State or Washington who could sneak in?