Is the College Football Playoff Already Set?
There are just two weeks remaining in the college football regular season, and then it will be time for the conference championship games. The College Football Playoff Committee will once again be releasing an updated rankings, but there won’t be a ton of movement this week.
This season will be the final year in which just four teams get the chance to compete for a championship, and there are always a ton of debates around the teams that deserve to get into the mix. If you are checking out the betting odds to reach the playoffs at BetOnline, it might seem as if the field is already set.
A lot can happen in three weeks though, and it’s way too early to declare the four teams that are going to be in the final four. There are only about 11-12 teams that still have a shot, and now isn’t a bad time to make a bet on the “locks.”
You shouldn’t solely focus on the betting odds when trying to decide the four teams set to make the College Football Playoffs, but it’s not a bad place to start. BetOnline currently has odds for 11 different teams, and here is a look at the odds you are going to want to check out:
- Florida State Seminoles -275
- Michigan Wolverines -250
- Georgia Bulldogs -250
- Oregon Ducks -180
- Washington Huskies +115
- Ohio State Buckeyes +150
- Alabama Crimson Tide +160
- Texas Longhorns +240
- Penn State Nittany Lions +900
- Louisville Cardinals +2000
- Oklahoma Sooners +5000
It is interesting to see the final three teams on this list, especially as they feel like they have no chance of getting in. If we cross them off the list for this exercise, then you are going to want to focus on just eight times for four spots.
Four teams look to be locks according to the odds, but some of those odds don’t make sense at all.
The Florida State Seminoles have the best odds to reach the playoffs for a reason as you will find them at -275. Florida State has rolled through the ACC, and it’s hard to see them suffering a loss over the next three weekends.
That is not the case at all in the other Power 5 Conferences, and you are going to have to wait until the conference championship games to figure this all out. Michigan has the next best odds to get to the playoffs, but they still must deal with the Ohio State Buckeyes.
Washington is currently the lone undefeated team in the Pac-12, but the Oregon Ducks have better odds to get it done. The Huskies have a much tougher schedule to finish the year, and they would also likely have to beat Oregon again.
That leaves the SEC and the Big 12, and things are going to get interesting in those conferences. It’s not out of the question to see two teams from the SEC, and the Big 12 could be left out if Texas doesn’t win the conference championship.
The Florida State Seminoles are getting into the CFP this year and taking them at -275 isn’t a bad option at all. It also feels like the Michigan Wolverines are on a mission this year, and you also want to grab them at -250.
Forget about the Big 12 Conference this year as the committee is going to decide that there just aren’t enough good teams from the league. That leaves a spot to the SEC and a spot to the loaded Pac-12 Conference.
You should look at the Alabama Crimson Tide at +160 to get into the playoffs as they will get some revenge on Georgia. The winner of the Pac-12 Conference will be Washington as the Huskies will finish off a perfect season to get into the mix.
