Steve Dominey
- BetOnline has updated National Championship odds following Week 4 of the college football season
- Georgia’s title hopes (+650) are holding steady after surviving an early-season test from Notre Dame
- Wisconsin (+2500) and Auburn (+3300) are using old-school rushing attacks to make runs at the CFP Playoff
Week 4 of the college football season provided three huge games between ranked opponents. No. 13 Wisconsin and Jonathan Taylor ran all over Jim Harbaugh’s team, leaving Michigan’s title hopes to die on the side of the street.
No. 3 Georgia pulled off a second-half comeback against No. 7 Notre Dame, keeping the Bulldogs squarely in the mix for the 4-team Playoff.
And No. 8 Auburn handed No. 17 Texas A&M their second loss of the year, beating the Aggies 28-20 at College Station.
Let’s see how these results impacted the National Championship odds.
2020 CFP NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP ODDS
| Team | Odds |
| Clemson | +225 |
| Alabama | +250 |
| Georgia | +650 |
| LSU | +800 |
| Ohio State | +900 |
| Oklahoma | +1400 |
| Wisconsin | +2500 |
| Auburn | +3300 |
| Utah | +3300 |
| Florida | +5000 |
| Michigan | +6600 |
| Oregon | +5000 |
| Penn State | +5000 |
| Texas | +5000 |
| Washington | +5000 |
| Iowa | +10000 |
| Nebraska | +10000 |
| Notre Dame | +10000 |
GEORGIA STAYS IN TOP THREE
The Bulldogs barely survived their first test of the year after trailing Notre Dame 10-7 at the half. An Ian Book interception swung the momentum of the game, and Jake Fromm sealed the deal early in the fourth quarter with a 15-yard touchdown strike that put Georgia ahead 23-10.
Never knew Jake Fromm does a little flick of the ball before throwing a pass. Wonder if this is something that will turn off NFL scouts pic.twitter.com/wtmBB74s9a
— Kevin Boilard (@247KevinBoilard) September 22, 2019
Oddsmakers weren’t exactly swooning with the Bulldogs’ performance, dropping their national title odds from 600+ to +650. Georgia’s SEC schedule continues with two cupcake games (at Tennessee, vs South Carolina) before a visit from Kentucky.
But the next real test for Kirby Smart’s program won’t come until November 2nd, when UGA heads to Gainesville to play the No. 9-ranked Gators.
WISCONSIN ENTERS CFP MIX
As a guy who pounded the Michigan under at 9.5 wins, it was extremely satisfying to see the Badgers jump out to a 35-0 lead against the toothless Wolverines.
Entering the day No. 1 nationally in scoring defense, rushing defense, total defense (107.5 ypg), and passing defense (87.0 ypg), UW smothered Michigan’s fancy new spread scheme. Quarterback Shea Patterson went a miserable 14-for-32 for 219 yards, an interception, and two garbage-time scores.
Jonathan Taylor’s resume is absurd:
? More rushing yards as a freshman than AP (2004)
? Bested Herschel Walker’s freshman/sophomore season combined numbers by nearly 1,000 yds
? Needs 2,234 yds this to become NCAA’s all-time rushing leader https://t.co/WtTk6E1bmU pic.twitter.com/W1YZ0PoRfs— Bleacher Report CFB (@BR_CFB) September 21, 2019
The Badgers, meanwhile, piled up 359 yards on 57 carries. Surging Heisman-candidate Jonathan Taylor accounted for 203 of those yards and two TDs in an unstoppable performance that has FiveThirtyEight wondering if Wisconsin’s old-school offense can rush its way into the playoffs.
The win also sawed UW’s title odds in half from 50/1 to 25/1.
AUBURN ACES ANOTHER TEST
Auburn has been one of the most impressive teams in college football this September. After coming back from a 13-point second-half deficit in the season opener to beat Oregon, the Tigers enjoyed a workmanlike 28-20 win over Jimbo Fisher’s Aggies.
True freshman quarterback Bo Nix only had to throw for 100 yards and a touchdown as Auburn’s ground game continues to do all the heavy lifting.
Never knew Jake Fromm does a little flick of the ball before throwing a pass. Wonder if this is something that will turn off NFL scouts pic.twitter.com/wtmBB74s9a
— Kevin Boilard (@247KevinBoilard) September 22, 2019
Over four games, the Tigers have almost double the number of rush attempts to pass attempts, with 1,038 rushing yards to 656 passing yards.
Just like in Wisconsin, old-school football seems to be back in style in Auburn. Currently sitting with 33/1 odds to win the 2020 National Championship, the Tigers host a half-decent Mississippi State team in Week 5, followed by a stiff road test against Florida in Week 6.
