Just as we’ve completed the 2019 NFL Draft, DraftKings Sportsbook has opened up a wide variety of college football futures for the upcoming season. (FanDuel Sportsbook also recently put up their futures markets.)
The odds to win the National Championship are now up on the board as well as odds to make or miss the College Football Playoffs, and the ever-popular regular season win totals.
Let’s take a closer look at the numbers.
College football national champion odds
To no one’s surprise, Clemson and Alabama are at the top of the list as both are posted up at +200 at DraftKings. Over at FanDuel, Alabama sits at +175 while Clemson sits at +200.
Here are all the odds at DK’s NJ sportsbook app:
| National Champion | To Make CFB Playoffs | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Team | Odds | Yes | No |
| Alabama | +200 | -250 | +200 |
| Clemson | +200 | -265 | +210 |
| Ohio St | +700 | +140 | -175 |
| Georgia | +800 | +120 | -148 |
| Oklahoma | +1200 | +162 | -200 |
| Michigan | +1600 | +300 | -400 |
| Texas | +2500 | +500 | -715 |
| Notre Dame | +3300 | +400 | -560 |
While that might seem like incredibly short odds to win it all, remember that these teams should have a relatively easy path back to the College Football Playoff.
The ACC is mostly in shambles as teams such as Florida State, Virginia Tech and Miami rebuild.
As for Alabama, they’ll have a couple of tricky games at South Carolina, at Texas A&M and home to LSU, but they’ll likely be double-digit favorites in each contest.
As for the other conferences, the oddsmakers are expecting Ohio State (+700) to win the Big Ten and be in the running for the CFP, Oklahoma (+1200) to make another push from the Big 12, and Notre Dame (+3300) to be a contender as one of the independents.
Georgia (+800), who nearly beat Alabama in the SEC Championship Game, is the only other team with Alabama, Clemson, and Ohio State to have odds inside of 10/1.
If I was betting this right now, Clemson would be my choice simply because they should have a breeze getting there.
With Hunter Lawrence entering his second season at quarterback, and a schedule that should see them favored by double-digits every week, I’m expecting them to be among the final four.
CFB regular season win totals
There’s a lot of intrigue surrounding the regular season win totals but again, it won’t surprise anyone that Alabama and Clemson faced with the highest number.
Both have an over-under of 11 wins. What’s interesting is that the over is at -139 on Clemson, which suggests the oddsmakers at DraftKings aren’t expecting the Tigers to lose even once on their 12-game schedule.
Here are the rest of the markets:
| Team | Total Wins |
|---|---|
| Alabama | 11 |
| Clemson | 11 |
| Georgia | 10.5 |
| Oklahoma | 10 |
| Ohio St | 10 |
| Boise St | 10 |
| UCF | 10 |
| Washington | 10 |
| Washington St | 10 |
| Michigan | 9.5 |
| Texas | 9.5 |
| Florida | 9 |
| Oregon | 9 |
| Penn St | 9 |
| Miami | 8.5 |
| Utah | 8.5 |
| Wisconsin | 8.5 |
| Auburn | 8 |
| Mississippi St | 8 |
| Florida St | 7.5 |
| Michigan St | 7.5 |
| Texas A&M | 7.5 |
| USC | 7.5 |
| Tennessee | 7 |
| Oklahoma St | 6 |
It’ll be a big year for Michigan (9.5) and coach Jim Harbaugh as pressure is starting to mount. Maybe with Urban Meyer finally retired, the Wolverines can ascend to the top spot in the Big Ten.
Speaking of the Buckeyes, they are projected to win 10 games in their first season with Ryan Day on the sidelines.
Oklahoma (10), who for a second year saw their starting quarterback become the top selection in the NFL Draft, isn’t expected to fall off at all next season. Former Alabama quarterback Jalen Hurts has looked great in spring football. Texas (9.5) is expected to give the Sooners are run for their money, though.
Florida State (7.5), who is fresh off a tumultuous 5-7 season is facing what could be a sizable number for them. Another much-maligned team, USC (7.5), is facing the same number.
If either team goes under, it could cost their head coaches their jobs.
Odds to make the college football playoffs
One interesting prop that DraftKings posted was odds to make or miss the playoffs. Clemson is a whopping -265 favorite to do so while Alabama is at -250. Ohio State is at +140 for ‘Yes’ and -175 for ‘No’.
Remember that beyond Meyer, they also lost quarterback Dwayne Haskins to the NFL along with defensive end Nick Bosa and wide receiver Parris Campbell.
However, they got quarterback Justin Fields to switch over from Georgia; Fields was the No. 1 ranked quarterback prospect in the 2018 class.
Notre Dame, who is fresh off a strong season, is a +400 dog to make it. They might have a really tough getting there with games at Georgia, Michigan and Stanford.