Steve Starr
- Alabama is a +200 favorite to win the College Football Playoff National Championship
- Ohio State (+425) will put up a lot of points with Heisman Trophy frontrunner C.J. Stroud and receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba
- The 2022-23 college football season kicks off in Week Zero on Saturday, August 27
The college football landscape continues to shift with schools positioning themselves for bigger TV deals and more money. It started last summer with Oklahoma and Texas bailing on the Big 12 for the SEC. And now, USC and UCLA are ditching the Pac-12 for the Big Ten despite their California campuses being a world away from others in the conference.
While big changes are ahead, this year’s list of contenders for the College Football Playoff National Championship is pretty much the same. Before we look at the odds, here’s where you can check out the top betting sites for NCAA football in 2022 and see the betting favorites to win the Heisman Trophy.
College Football Championship
 |  |
|
| Alabama | +200 | +200 |
| Ohio State | +425 | +325 |
| Georgia | +475 | +400 |
| Clemson | +1200 | +1200 |
| USC | +1200 | +2000 |
| Texas A&M | +2200 | +2500 |
| Notre Dame | +4500 | +4500 |
| Oklahoma | +4500 | +3500 |
| Miami (FL) | +5000 | +7000 |
| Michigan | +5000 | +4000 |
| Florida | +6600 | +6000 |
| LSU | +6600 | +6500 |
| Ole Miss | +6600 | +8000 |
| Texas | +6600 | +6000 |
| Utah | +6600 | +4500 |
Alabama favored, no surprise
Alabama (+200) has claimed six national titles since 2009 and appeared in six of the last seven championship games. Nick Saban welcomes back the nucleus of the team that fell to the Bulldogs last January, including college football’s best defensive player, Will Anderson, and fellow linebacker Dallas Turner, who combined for 26 sacks and 41 tackles for losses in 2021.
Meanwhile, Georgia (+475) should be expected to take a step back after capturing its first national championship since 1980. Don’t forget the ‘Dawgs lost five defensive players to the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft.
Will Anderson is ready to hurt somebody…😤 pic.twitter.com/hLBZZ13Yb3
— Roll Tide #18™ 🐘 (@jerrysandersRTR) June 30, 2022
Bet on the Buckeyes?
Ohio State (+425) quarterback C.J. Stroud is the front-runner for the Heisman Trophy after racking up 4,435 yards and 44 touchdowns in his first year in Columbus. Over 1,600 of those yards went to receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who is also back in the fold along with running back TreVeyon Henderson.
Given Ryan Day has a 34-4 overall record heading into his fourth season, the Buckeyes are an almost automatic choice to make the four-team playoff after falling short last year. The only question is if they’re in the same class as Alabama, who trounced them 52-24 in the 2021 national title game.
Fade Clemson
Clemson (+1200) looks like a program in decline, after appearing in four national championship games in five years between 2015 and 2019. The Tigers’ defense should be incredible despite the loss of longtime coordinator Brent Venables, but it’s hard to get excited for an offense led by DJ Uiagalelei.
Sure, it’s hard to live up to the on-field standard set by Deshaun Watson and Trevor Lawrence. But, Uiagalelei threw more interceptions (10) than touchdowns (nine) last year.
ESPN analyst Matt Miller has Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud and wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba being selected among the top five picks in the 2023 NFL Draft: https://t.co/kz42XW3u2k
— BuckeyesNow On SI (@BuckeyesNowSI) June 30, 2022
Playoff hopefuls
Lincoln Riley is in USC (+2000) after delivering three playoff appearances and consecutive Heisman Trophy winners (Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray) to Oklahoma (+4500). The offensive mastermind poached Sooners quarterback Caleb Williams and ’21 Biletnikoff Award winner Jordan Addison from Pitt via the transfer portal. However, turning a 4–8 Trojans squad into a national champion is a lot to ask.
Texas A&M (+2500) returns a talented list of starters from a team that defeated Alabama last season, and Nick Saban’s offseason crying suggests that Jimbo Fisher’s recruiting class is as good as advertised. If they can get strong quarterbacking out of Haynes King, transfer Max Johnson or five-star prospect Conner Weigman, the Aggies could contend for a CFP berth.
See below the top sportsbooks where you can wager online and choose the best one for you:
