The dust hasn’t even settled yet on Clemson’s National Championship, and already, we’re looking ahead to next year’s college football season and the fourth edition of the College Football Playoff.
Why are we already so hyped about the 2017 college football season? Because in the very first week of the season, the Alabama Crimson Tide and Florida State Seminoles are going to be playing against each other in what legitimately could be a #1 vs. #2 game.
What’s Ahead for the 2018 National Championship
That first game is an incredible test for the ACC against the SEC, and a win for the Noles in this neutral site game in Atlanta could set them up for a run to the playoff, especially since at least four of the best five quarterbacks in the ACC from the 2016 season are all headed to the NFL and will all ultimately be drafted.
Florida State gets Louisville at home, but it has to travel to Death Valley against Clemson. All three of those games represent potential trips in the schedule for sure, and a date at Florida might not be the easiest thing in the world either.
College Football Futures Odds
Alabama is obviously the favorite at +375 to win yet another in the National Championship odds, and there’s a rather large gap from there to FSU at +700.
Right behind the Seminoles in the college football odds are two teams that were playing incredibly well down the stretch of the season, the USC Trojans ( +750 ) and Ohio State Buckeyes ( +800 ).
Favorites and Duds for the 2017 Season
The Buckeyes were back in the CFP this year after a season away from it, but it was embarrassing in a bad loss to Clemson. But this young defense was one of the best in the nation this year, and most will be back. Quarterback J.T. Barrett is sticking around for his senior season as well, and we know that he has the guts to take on some of the best teams in the game.
But the Bucks have one big problem, and that’s the fact that they have to go to Ann Arbor next season. The Michigan Wolverines ( +1400 ) probably aren’t going to be quite as good this year as they were last season, but we know that going into the Big House is never fun and sets OSU up for a potential dud late in the year. The Bucks do get another shot at Oklahoma in Week 2 of the season, and that should be a nice boost to their resume as well.
Sam Darnold Makes USC a Favorite in Football Odds
As far as USC is concerned, it’s really going to be all about Sam Darnold, a man who is going to be one of the early favorites to win the Heisman Trophy for sure with the way he ended his freshman season. The Trojans do have an interesting non-conference schedule for sure this year. They play at home against both Western Michigan and USC and go to Notre Dame.
If you’re looking for Clemson on the list of National Championship odds, you’ll have to go down for a while. With Deshaun Watson and several others going to the NFL, this team is probably going to be a shell of what it was in 2016. The Tigers are set at 20 to 1 to repeat as champs, but the likelihood of that happening doesn’t feel anywhere near as likely as this price suggests.
Football odds courtesy of Bookmaker.eu
2018 National Championship Odds
Alabama +375
Florida State +700
USC +750
Ohio State +800
Oklahoma +850
LSU +1400
Louisville +1400
Michigan +1400
Clemson +2000
Penn State +2800
Texas +2800
Auburn +3500
Oklahoma State +3500
Georgia +4000
Virginia Tech +4500
Washington +4500
Florida +5500
Kansas State +5500
Tennessee +5500
UCLA +5500
Miami +6500
Notre Dame +6500
West Virginia +6500
Wisconsin +6500
Oregon +8500
Stanford +8500
TCU +8500
Washington State +8500
Colorado +10000
Michigan State +10000
N.C. State +10000
Ole Miss +10000
Georgia Tech +20000
Nebraska +20000
North Carolina +25000
BYU +30000
Baylor +30000
Duke +30000
Minnesota +30000
Northwestern +30000
Pittsburgh +30000
South Carolina +30000
Arizona +50000
Boston College +50000
California +50000
Houston +50000
Indiana +50000
Iowa State +50000
Kentucky +50000
Maryland +50000
Oregon State +50000
SMU +50000
Syracuse +50000
Texas Tech +50000
Vanderbilt +50000
Virginia +50000
Wake Forest +50000
UCF +100000
Cincinnati +100000
East Carolina +100000
Illinois +100000
Kansas +100000
Louisiana Tech +100000
Memphis +100000
Navy +100000
Purdue +100000
Rutgers +100000
Temple +100000
Tulane +100000
Tulsa +100000
Western Kentucky +100000
Air Force +500000
Army +500000
Wyoming +500000
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