Some collegiate athletics administrators say a conference is only as good as the weakest team. In most instances that’s probably a fair assessment, but when it comes to football and the SEC we can think otherwise. The top two favorites to win the national championship for the 2023 college football season are all too familiar with the Georgia Bulldogs favored for a three-peat ahead of the school that won half of the 12 titles before the Dawgs’ run of dominance, the Alabama Crimson Tide.
Georgia and Alabama have combined for five of the first nine titles since the inception of the College Football Playoff and the rich only get richer when it comes to the sport. Both clubs will be loaded again with the only potential downfall the fact that they play in the same conference. That hasn’t been a huge barrier, though, since twice both teams reached the CFP.
Next on the odds board comes the Big Ten with Ohio State and Michigan sitting third and fourth respectively. The four schools mentioned are the only ones with shorter than 10/1 odds to win the national championship. The next four favorites all have shorter than 18/1 odds with another SEC titan LSU in the mix. The sleeper could be USC as the fifth favorite. The hiring of Lincoln Riley helped turn the program around last year and Caleb Williams is the preseason Heisman Trophy favorite after winning it last season. The Trojans with all their history have never been to the CFP, though this could be their year.
The 2023 College Football season opens on Saturday, August 26 with the season running through November 27 with conference championship games scheduled for the first weekend in December. The annual Army-Navy clash on December 9 concludes the regular season with bowl season starting December 16. The CFP National Championship Game is scheduled for Monday, January 8, 2024 from NRG Stadium in Houston.
2023 College Football National Championship Odds
Georgia +251
Alabama +491
Ohio State +626
Michigan +922
USC +1275
LSU +1396
Clemson +1645
Texas +1747
Penn State +2260
Florida State +2312
Notre Dame +3081
Tennessee +3524
Oregon State +3575
Washington +3727
Oregon +4015
Texas A&M +4707
Utah +5438
Oklahoma +5643
Teams to Watch
Alabama Crimson Tide +491
They will have to make up for the loss of QB Bryce Young, but one problem the Tide hasn’t had over the years is bringing in new talent. The team could have success against some lesser NFL clubs, that’s how stacked the program is. And there has to be a level of redemption after Bama failed to win the SEC West and reach the CFP despite their 11-2 record. Heck, the two losses were by a total of four points. It’s always been a national title or bust for the Tide under Nick Saban and you can expect them to be in the hunt once again.
USC Trojans +1275
The Trojans can say adios to the Pac-12 with a run to the title and they have the reigning Heisman Trophy winner running the show. That’s a good start. The school pulled off one of the best hires last year with Lincoln Riley turning the program around. Only this time USC needs to finish and I believe they have the talent to do that. They were on the verge of their first CFP appearance before losing to Utah in the Pac-12 title game. The carryover also affected their bowl game, which they lost to Tulane. Refocused for the task at hand, Williams will again lead a potent offense and the defense improved considerably last year.
Michigan Wolverines +922
The top three favorites on the list all have to replace a starting quarterback that put up ridiculous numbers. I have no doubt they will succeed in finding a replacement since they’ve all done it before. One team without that worry is Michigan with J.J. McCarthy due back after leading the Wolverines to a perfect 13-0 regular season and another demolition of rival Ohio State. The team was dealt a blow with the loss of rushing leader Blake Corum in the CFP semifinal loss to TCU. And the usually stout defense was shredded by the Frogs. Corum has elected to return and UM has a number of significant pieces back to make them a contender again.
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