Media by Associated Press – Ohio State running back TreVeyon Henderson plays against Iowa during an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 22, 2022, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)
As October comes to an end, the futures bets for college football are starting to really take shape. With conference races heating up, the favorites have separated from the contenders, and the playoff pretenders have fallen off the betting map, with odds over +10000. Eventually, four will make the playoffs and have a chance at the 2022 Championship.
Co-Favorites
The top two teams in the AP Poll, Georgia and Ohio State, are also the top two favorites in championship futures betting. Both the Bulldogs and the Buckeyes are at +180 to lift the crystal football at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles on January 9.
No. 1 Georgia is 7-0 as they enter a tough stretch of their schedule. The defending champs face archrivals Florida this weekend at a neutral site before hosting No. 3 Tennessee on November 5. Those two games can wrap up the East, but then Georgia still has to travel to Mississippi State and No. 19 Kentucky before hosting Georgia Tech.
There’s a way Georgia can still make the SEC Title game, and therefore the playoffs, with a loss, as long as they don’t finish behind Tennessee. A rematch with Alabama could stand in the way of a repeat national title appearance as well.
The No. 2 Buckeyes also have a challenge this weekend with a trip to No. 17 Penn State. The Buckeyes face lightweights in Northwestern, Indiana, and Maryland before the showdown with Michigan on Thanksgiving weekend. Ohio State has that game circled, looking for revenge from last year as the Wolverines wrecked the 2021 Buckeyes season.
A win over Michigan in Columbus will set up Ohio State for a return to the Big Ten Championship Game. The West champion likely won’t be a problem with Illinois, Purdue, and Nebraska as likely opponents in Indianapolis.
1-Loss Alabama
Despite losing to Tennessee two weeks ago, Alabama still has the third-best odds to win the title at +340. The Crimson Tide can take control of the SEC West in the first two weeks of November. After a bye this weekend, Alabama plays the other two teams with one loss, LSU and Ole Miss, both on the road.
Should the Tide win those games, they can sail to Atlanta with a home win over Auburn in the Iron Bowl. Revenge wins over Tennessee or knocking off undefeated Georgia in the SEC Championship Game would get Alabama right back into the playoffs.
The Next Wave
After those three favorites come the next group of all-undefeated teams. Michigan is +1500, while Tennessee and Clemson are both +1600. Each team controls its own destiny and can reach the playoff as an undefeated team or possibly even with one less.
Michigan has a couple of tricky games left, with rivals Michigan State coming to the Big House next week and BIG West leaders Illinois heading to Ann Arbor after games against Rutgers and Nebraska. Michigan has to go to Columbus, where they haven’t won since 2000.
Tennessee is rolling with 50 ppg, and they’ve already knocked off Florida, LSU, and Alabama. But the Vols play No. 19 Kentucky this week, head to Georgia next week, and also have a trip remaining to ranked South Carolina. If they survive that, a win over Alabama, LSU, or Ole Miss in Atlanta sends the Vols to the playoffs for the first time since 1998.
Clemson took a big step toward winning the ACC last week with a win over Syracuse. Clemson has already knocked off Wake Forest and Florida State in the Atlantic Division, and their only remaining conference games are against Louisville and Miami.
The Tigers head to Notre Dame in early November and finish at home against South Carolina, but should head to the ACC Championship Game in a good position to head to the playoffs.
The Pac 12 & Big 12
The oddsmakers don’t give the champions of the Pac-12 and Big 12 much of a chance to win the title. Oregon has the best odds at +4000, while USC is +5000 and TCU is +6000, ahead of Oklahoma State at +10000. Of these teams, only TCU is undefeated at 7-0, and they don’t have another ranked opponent on the schedule until a conference title game rematch with a likely Oklahoma State or Kansas State.
Oregon was blown out by Georgia to start the season but is 4-0 in conference play. They will face ranked Utah on November 16, but the rest of the schedule should see the Ducks cruising toward the Pac-12 title game.
USC has a loss to Utah and still has games left against Arizona, UCLA, and Notre Dame. They would have to win out and beat Oregon in the Pac-12 title game to even be considered for the playoffs.
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