College football no longer starts only in September, or even in the summer. The spring games at some schools will bring in thousands of people in attendance and aired on national television. Here is a look at the odds for next year’s college football playoff heading into the spring games, some of which have already started.
The reigning champions from Alabama are favored at 7/4 at BetDSI. While quarterback was supposed to be a hot topic, Tua Tagovailoa still has an injured hand. That means Jalen Hurts is the unquestioned #1 for now and Nick Saban might be looking for another quarterback to step up in the absence of Tagovailoa, the hero of last season’s title win over Georgia. Also, the Crimson Tide have a lot to replace on defense, but it is Alabama and they’ll have players ready to step up, such as Mack Wilson and Dylan Moses at linebacker.
Clemson comes in at 5/1 and Kelly Bryant is their quarterback, but he has a couple of players on his heels, like Hunter Johnson, Zerrick Cooper and Trevor Lawrence, who was the top quarterback recruit in the country. However, Clemson has a ton of players returning from a defense that led the country in yards allowed. That alone makes the Tigers a championship contender.
Georgia are next at 7/1 after their close loss to Alabama in the title game, but Jake Fromm showed that he could be trusted to make plays. The Bulldogs will need their quarterback to step up as they lost a lot at running back. Also, the Bulldogs have a lot of players back on defense, although they’ll have to replace two starters in the secondary, so that will be a major focus of their spring games.
The Big Ten trio of Ohio State, Michigan and Penn State come in at 8/1, 12/1 and 12/1. The Buckeyes are loaded at running back with J.K. Dobbins and Mike Weber, which will make things easier for Dwayne Haskins, who has some experience after backing up J.T. Barrett. The Wolverines will have an excellent defense, but it is all about quarterback and how well Brandon Peters looks. As for the Nittany Lions, Saquon Barkley will be hard to replace at running back, but quarterback Trace McSorley is back under center.
Oklahoma and Washington come in at 20/1, while Auburn and Florida State aren’t far behind at 25/1.
