Odds To Make The College Football Playoff: Bulldogs, Buckeyes A Lock?

The 2022 college football season is in full swing, so it’s time to take a look at this year’s serious title contenders. There are three playoff spots that are pretty much spoken for, with the Georgia Bulldogs (7-0), Ohio State Buckeyes (7-0) and Clemson Tigers (8-0) establishing themselves as near postseason locks. However, even those blue bloods aren’t guaranteed and there’s still one more spot to play for. 

Recently, the Alabama Crimson Tide (7-1) had their perfect record become imperfect with a 52-49 loss to the Tennessee Volunteers (7-0). Now, the Tide’s odds to make the College Football Playoff have significantly jumped from -400 to +125. 

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At online sportsbook Sportsbook, the Dawgs are heavily favored to make the CFP at -700, with the Buckeyes just behind at -650. The Tigers follow at -165 and the rest are in plus-money value. Here are the top teams from Sportsbook with odds to make the four-team College Football Playoff:

Who Leads Odds To Make The College Football Playoff?

Odds as of October 27 at Sportsbook

Sportsbook

Who Let The Dawgs Out?

The No. 1 Bulldogs are letting college football fans know that last year’s championship wasn’t a fluke. 

Before last season, Georgia had made the CFP only once in seven years, and the Bulldogs’ 33-19 victory over Alabama last January snapped a drought of over 40 years without the trophy. 

Undefeated over halfway through the season, Georgia averages 43.2 points per game, the third most in the country. The defense has also been keeping its competition on a short leash, allowing 10.2 points per game to rank second in that category. With studs all over the defense and senior QB Stetson Bennett putting on a show for his final year, Georgia once again has the talent on both sides of the ball to walk back to the playoff.

Crimson Tide No Longer A Safe Bet?

The No. 6 Tide have made seven playoff appearances since 2014, the most of any school, only missing in 2019. So it’s no shock this solid group is favored to make the playoffs once again.

Head coach Nick Saban’s two main weapons from a year ago are back in QB Bryce Young and LB Will Anderson Jr., but the Tide may not be as safe a College Football Playoff bet as you’d think. 

A few short weeks ago, the Tide had lock-likely odds at -400. But in college football, one loss can change everything. For the first time since 2006, the Tennessee Volunteers defeated Alabama, winning on a 40-yard field goal with time expiring. It was only the second time since 1907 that the Tide have allowed 50-plus points in a matchup.

Sportsbook 

Now, Alabama finds itself in plus-money territory. That’s rare for the program but beneficial for bettors if they think the Tide have what it takes to go undefeated for the remainder of the year. 

Among Alabama’s remaining games are contests against Ole Miss and LSU. Sure, Alabama will be favored in those games. But with other SEC teams like Tennessee and Georgia surging, one misstep from ’Bama could be enough to knock them out of the playoff.

According to our odds calculator, a $100 bet on Alabama at +125 would pay out $225, which is a $125 profit. 

Which Team Is Providing Good Value To Make The CFP?

Clemson Tigers Clawing Back To CFP

Last season wasn’t the best of Clemson football. The Tigers went 10-3 overall and 6-2 within the ACC – causing them to miss the College Football Playoff for the first time in six years. 

But this year, they’re playing like a team determined not to have another disappointing season. The Tigers are 8-0 after knocking off Syracuse 27-21 last week to hand the Orange (7-1) their first loss of the season. I think it’s safe to say the Tigers are back. 

Quarterback DJ Uiagalelei is shaking off last season and earning back some trust. The junior has looked stronger and Clemson’s strong defense has largely played up to the hype, allowing opponents just 21 points per game to rank in the top 25 in the nation.

The Tigers are a good bet to make the playoffs because there aren’t many challenges left on their schedule. They’ve already checked off the Florida State Seminoles and Syracuse. The toughest test left is Notre Dame (4-3), though the Fighting Irish are having a down year. As long as they don’t fall in an upset, the Tigers should round out the final CFP spot.

At -165, our odds calculator suggests Clemson has a 62.26 percent likelihood of seeing the CFP this year. A $100 wager would pay out $160.61, which is an extra $60.61 for your wallet. 

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Which Teams Have Made CFP? 

How To Read College Football Playoff Odds

At any sportsbook, you’ll see College Football Playoff (CFP) odds listed like so:

Alabama Crimson Tide: YES -260, NO +200

If you’re looking at Alabama’s odds to make it to the postseason at -260 and decided to bet $100 on them, you’d get a payout of $138.46 – your original $100 is returned along with your winnings of $38.46. On the other hand, if you think they will not make the playoffs at +200, that same $100 would get you $300 – you get your $100 back coupled with your prize of $200. Our odds calculator will tell you what you’d win based on the odds and amount bet.

Some sportsbooks only have YES odds to make the college football playoff, especially as we get deeper into the season.

What Is A Futures Bet On NCAA Football?

When you wager on a team’s postseason chances, it’s called a futures bet. This is a bet on events that will happen in time. It can be said that all sports betting is on events that have yet to occur; however, futures can be made weeks or months in advance instead of prior to game day. You could take Clemson to miss the CFP before college football season even starts.

Oddsmakers will adjust the lines as more games are played and teams rise and fall in the standings. We suggest jumping on odds early, so you don’t miss out on great lines. If you wait until closer to bowl season, you could be stuck with odds that don’t have any value.