Bulldogs Favored to Win CFP Title Again Next Season
Shortly after Georgia walloped TCU 65-7 in the College Football Playoff championship game last Monday, the opening line for next season’s national champion went live.
Not surprisingly, the Bulldogs opened as the betting favorites to win the 2023 national championship. According to online sportsbook SportsBetting.ag, the reigning back-to-back national champions are the +300 favorites to win again next year. Meanwhile, Alabama is second at +600 and Ohio State third at +800 at the said sportsbook. No other team has odds shorter than +1000.
Georgia Goes Back-to-Back and is Favored to Make it a Three-Peat
Georgia completed a remarkable run of back-to-back College Football Playoff titles by routing TCU in the national title game to become the first team since the Alabama Crimson Tide in 2011-12 to repeat as College Football champions. The Bulldogs’ 65 points against the Horned Frogs are the most in the history of the CFP title game and the second-most against an AP Top 5 team. The 58-point margin of victory is also the largest in any bowl game and the second-largest in a match-up between AP Top 5 teams.
Stetson Bennett produced six total touchdowns - four passing and two rushing while finishing with 304 passing yards and 39 rushing yards to lead the Bulldogs and earn the CFP Most Outstanding Player award. He also tied Joe Burrow’s record for most TDs in a BCS/CFP title game. However, Bennett won’t be returning next season as he will be moving on to the NFL.
The loss of Bennett isn’t expected to hurt much though as the Bulldogs had a Top 3 recruiting class. Sophomore Carson Beck will be the top contender to replace Bennett while tight end Brock Bowers will return to give Beck a big target. With key personnel returning and high-level recruiting, it’s not hard to imagine the Bulldogs in the thick of the title fight again next season.
Bryce Young and C.J. Stroud Also Leaving for the NFL
Alabama and Ohio State are second and third, respectively on the opening odds board. But like Georgia, both teams will be having new quarterbacks next season with Bryce Young and C.J. Stroud likely first-round picks in the upcoming NFL Draft. Young is currently the even-money betting favorite at BetOnline to be the no. 1 pick of the 2023 NFL Draft while Stroud has the third-best odds to be the top pick at +550 odds.
USC has the fourth-best odds to win the 2023 Natty as they will be returning the reigning Heisman Trophy winner in Caleb Williams and an explosive offense but they will need to make significant improvements on defense to get to the four-team playoff next year. The Trojans just missed winning the Pac-12 title and a CFP berth, then collapsed late against Tulane to lose 45-46 in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic.
Big Ten champions Michigan will return QB J.J. McCarthy and the impressive running back duo of Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards but with coach Jim Harbaugh rumored to be heading to the NFL, the Wolverines are listed at +1400 along with LSU. Meanwhile, Florida State, which is coming off a 10-win season, is next at +1800 while Clemson who will be starting Cade Klubnik at quarterback is next at +2000. Penn State is at +2200 while Notre Dame and Tennessee are the only other teams with odds shorter than +3000 at +2800 apiece.
