College football is back and the question on everyone’s minds right now is who is going to win the College Football Playoff?!
This year, the path to the national championship will look different, as it will feature a 12-team playoff for the first time in the sport’s history.
The reigning champ is Michigan, but coach Jim Harbaugh left Ann Arbor for Los Angeles, and the team lost several top players to the draft, including quarterback J.J. McCarthy.
Can Big Blue win back-to-back titles? Or is there another squad ready to take the top trophy?
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And how about looking at the landscape from a betting perspective? Which team presents the perfect combination of talent, ceiling and return on investment?
For that, we turned to our betting experts to find out who they are picking to win it all this upcoming season.
Our experts — Chris “The Bear” Fallica, Sam “Sammy P” Panayotovich, Geoff Schwartz, Jason McIntyre, Patrick Everson and Will Hill — are here to help.
Let’s dive into their title picks.
Chris “The Bear” Fallica
Georgia: +300 (bet $10 to win $40 total)
Georgia very easily could have won a third straight national title last year but just had injuries and other things pop up at the wrong time.
The Bulldogs suffered their only loss of the season in the SEC Championship Game. People are excited about playoff expansion, and rightfully so. But that doesn’t mean the field of potential champs is any bigger. The list of teams that can win the national title is still short and Georgia is either 1A or 1B on this list.
The Dawgs are deep, talented and will be in the playoffs. Just punch this ticket and put it away until December, knowing you have it moving forward.
PICK: Georgia (+300) to win College Football Playoff
CFB Preview: Ohio State, University of Georgia or the field?
Sam “Sammy P” Panayotovich
LSU: +2000 (bet $10 to win $210 total)
Georgia and Ohio State are going to be popular picks, and you understand that.
I stopped by the South Point in Las Vegas recently and talked to sportsbook director Chris Andrews. He’s offering a prop on Ohio State and Georgia against “The Field” to win it all. Andrews opened -110 each way, wrote his first bet on the favorites and now he’s out to -125 on “The Field.”
I would bet that OSU-UGA combo at plus money, but let’s dive deeper for this story. My numbers have LSU favored in every single game. The Tigers get Ole Miss, Alabama and Oklahoma at home and their game at Texas A&M in late October is the toughest road tilt. I believe LSU’s defense will be improved from last year and there’s never a shortage of skill and speed at the offensive skill positions.
Garrett Nussmeier has big shoes to fill at quarterback, replacing Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels, but he can flat out spin it. I’ll take 20-1.
PICK: LSU (+2000) to win College Football Playoff
Geoff Schwartz
Georgia: +300 (bet $10 to win $40 total)
The 12-team playoff may allow more teams into the dance, but it’s only going to favor the teams with the most depth. Those teams would be Georgia, Ohio State, Oregon and a few more contenders. I’m rolling with Georgia, as the Bulldogs are well-rounded with a quarterback who’s got serious top-of-the-draft talent. They are seasoned in the stresses of the postseason and that will help them mentally prepare for the grind of a 12-team playoff.
PICK: Georgia (+300) to win College Football Playoff
Ohio State and Georgia headline RJ’s Top 5 Championship Contenders going into 2024
Jason McIntyre
Ohio State: +380 (bet $10 to win $48 total)
The Buckeyes are the class of the Big Ten, and their only serious test on the schedule is a trip to Oregon. That game against the Ducks is the only game this season in which the Buckeyes are not favored. They’ve dominated Penn State — going 11-1 in the last 12 matchups — and they haven’t lost to Sparty since 2016. If Ohio State beats Oregon, it should get the No. 1 seed, leading to a bye and home games in the 12-team playoff.
PICK: Ohio State (+380) to win College Football Playoff
Michigan & Ohio State in Joel Klatt’s preseason top 10
Patrick Everson
Ole Miss: +1600 (bet $10 to win $170 total)
When the College Football Playoff championship game ends on Jan. 20, no one will really be surprised if it’s Georgia or Ohio State lifting the trophy. Or perhaps it’s Oregon or Texas. But I’d really like a better payout than those four teams offer.
So while I don’t necessarily recommend this for you, I’m taking Ole Miss.
If the Rebels live up to their current reputation — sharp college football bettor Paul Stone has Ole Miss No. 5 in his power ratings — then they could get the No. 5 or No. 6 seed in the CFP. Ole Miss would be favored in the first round and likely favored in the quarterfinals. So why not take a flier to go the rest of the way?
Says Stone: “I obviously hold Ole Miss in high regard. If you’re going to take a team down the list, I think the Rebels are as good as any.” Ole Miss is +1600, far more attractive odds than the +290 of Georgia or +360 of Ohio State.
Let’s have a little fun, hope things go a little sideways at the top and maybe get lucky to cash a bigger ticket.
PICK: Ole Miss (+1600) to win College Football Playoff
Ole Miss could be CFP darkhorse candidate
Will Hill
Oregon: +700 (bet $10 to win $80 total)
Most will either pick Ohio State or Georgia, and understandably so. But I will be a little different and go with an Oregon team that is loaded on both sides of the ball.
Quarterback Dillon Gabriel joins a talented roster and will bring more of a downfield passing attack to Oregon, as opposed to the dink and dunk nature of offense under Bo Nix. The Ducks’ toughest game — and perhaps the most anticipated regular season game of the year — is at home vs Ohio State on October 12.
Dan Lanning has to prove he can get a team over the hump, and that conference title game loss to Washington cost me a bundle. It killed my Bo Nix 14-1 Heisman ticket.
However, this year’s team is stacked at wide receiver and Oregon raided the transfer portal to supplement its defensive talent. The Ducks at 7-1 is a great number for a team that I think will be playing for the championship.
PICK: Oregon (+700) to win College Football Playoff
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