Steve Starr
- Alabama (+275) is once again the favorite for the National Championship after a big performance from backup QB Mac Jones
- Oklahoma’s upset loss to Kansas State dropped the Sooners out of contention at +2000
- Ohio State (+300) continues to move up the board after a dominating win over Wisconsin
Proving once again that bad things come in threes, an undefeated top-six team lost in college football for the third-consecutive week when the Oklahoma Sooners fell to Kansas State, 48-41.
Along with killing the school’s national title hopes and Jalen Hurts’ case for the Heisman, Oklahoma’s loss has solidified a clear top-four for the College Football Playoff: Alabama (+275), Clemson (+300), Ohio State (+300) and LSU (+450).
Let’s look at the revised National Championship odds at BetOnline and recap the biggest developments from Week 9.
2020 CFP NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP ODDS
| Team | Odds |
| Alabama | +275 |
| Clemson | +300 |
| Ohio State | +300 |
| LSU | +450 |
| Georgia | +1200 |
| Oklahoma | +2000 |
| Oregon | +2000 |
| Penn State | +2000 |
| Florida | +5000 |
| Utah | +5000 |
| Baylor | +8000 |
| Iowa | +10000 |
| Minnesota | +10000 |
| SMU | +15000 |
OKLAHOMA SOONERS
So much for Oklahoma’s improved defense this season. New coordinator Alex Grinch allowed the Wildcats to rack up 426 yards (213 of them on the ground) and possess the ball for more than 37 minutes.
With Jalen Hurts kept off the field, the Sooners fell behind 48-23 early in the fourth quarter before staging a late-comeback that ended with a wrongly-negated onside kick.
Down goes Oklahoma ? pic.twitter.com/PdbCQhFXkY
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) October 26, 2019
After Oklahoma’s national championship odds dropped to +2000 from +600 just last week, the question is now whether Lincoln Riley’s boys can rally back in contention. While the Sooners do have a game with an unbeaten Baylor team remaining, it’s unlikely they’ll win back the selection committee’s hearts.
If any one-loss squad rallies back into the CFP, it will likely be No. 8 Georgia (+1200) or No. 7 Oregon (+2000) as discussed last week. The Ducks finish with four unranked opponents while the Bulldogs will have a chance to impress voters with games against No. 6 Florida this Saturday and No. 11 Auburn on Nov. 16.
LSU TIGERS
LSU jumped Alabama in the AP Poll to become the new No. 1 team in the country, however, oddsmakers still believe the Crimson Tide (+275) have a better chance to win the national title than the Tigers (+450).
Backup QB Mac Jones filled in admirably for the injured Tua Tagovailoa in Week 9, throwing for three touchdowns and only four incompletions in Alabama’s 48-7 victory over Arkansas. Meanwhile, Joe Burrow stayed cool, calm and collected in LSU’s narrow 23-20 win over No. 9 Auburn, throwing for 321 yards and a touchdown.
Run out of bounds? Not Joe Burrow. pic.twitter.com/8N0OYLu604
— Jim Nagy (@JimNagy_SB) October 26, 2019
Both teams will have a week off before facing each other in an epic showdown in Tuscaloosa on Nov. 9th. While the stakes will certainly be high, the loser of that matchup will still have a solid shot at making the four-team playoff thanks to Oklahama’s loss.
OHIO STATE BUCKEYES
Now tied with Clemson for the second-best national-title odds at +300, Ohio State appears to be locked into the year-end bowl tournament. With quarterback Justin Fields and defensive end Chase Young, the Buckeyes have Heisman-candidates on both sides of the ball.
Young racked up four sacks and two forced-fumbles in Ohio State’s 38-7 beatdown of Wisconsin and, in the same week that former Buckeye Nick Bosa announced himself as a contender for Defensive Player of the Year, is increasingly looking like the No. 1 overall pick in next year’s NFL Draft.
What a day for Ohio State’s Chase Young ?
? 4 sacks (tied OSU single-game record)
? 5 tackles for loss
? 2 forced fumbles
? Co-sign from LeBron James
? W against No. 13 Wisconsin pic.twitter.com/drDW1acOQL— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) October 26, 2019
Closing the season against No. 5 Penn State and a No. 14 Michigan team that just hammered Notre Dame 45-14, there’s still plenty of time for Ryan Day’s team to be tripped up, but after nine weeks Ohio State looks like the country’s most complete team.
