Georgia won its second consecutive National Championship last season in a resounding 65-7 rout of overmatched TCU. This came on the heels of the Bulldogs’ 33-18 win in the 2022 National Championship game over SEC rival Alabama.
The College Football world appears to have the same teams projected to win the National Championship this year. The best college football betting sites have labeled Georgia (+240) as the pick to win its third championship in a row.
A third national title for Georgia would be the first time in the AP era that any team has pulled off such a feat. The last time this happened in College Football was in the mid-1930s when the Minnesota Gophers took the crown from 1934-1936.
Alabama Crimson Tide (+650), Ohio State Buckeyes (+750), and Michigan Wolverines (+900), are on the heels of Georgia with sports betting sites. The Crimson Tide has won six National Championships in the Nick Saban era, while the Buckeyes last won a championship in 2014, and the Wolverines raised the trophy in 1997.
Check out our predictions below, to see who we think will win the 2023-24 College Football National Championship.
2023-24 College Football Championship Odds
The following odds are courtesy of Bovada:
| Team | Odds | Team | Odds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Georgia | +240 | Alabama | +650 |
| Ohio State | +750 | Michigan | +900 |
| LSU | +1100 | Clemson | +1400 |
| USC | +1600 | Texas | +1800 |
| Florida State | +2000 | Penn State | +2500 |
2023-24 College Football Championship Betting Favorites
Let’s break down the three betting favorites and see what their squads look like this season:
Georgia Bulldogs (+240)
As football betting sites generally point to another Georgia Bulldogs (+240) title, Georgia (-125) is also favored to win the SEC Championship over Alabama (+275).
Offensively, the Bulldogs must replace quarterback Stetson Bennett, who led them to those two national titles. Currently, Bennett is in the NFL after heading to the Las Angeles Rams.
Junior Carson Beck looks like the top choice to replace Bennett as he has a solid arm and is a quarterback that will fit in the pocket for Coach Kirby Smart.
He completed 26-of-35 passes for 310 yards and four touchdown passes with no interceptions in backup duties for Bennett last season.
Views from 𝖲𝖠𝖭𝖥𝖮𝖱𝖣 📸#GoDawgs pic.twitter.com/8twX9L34s1
— Georgia Football (@GeorgiaFootball) August 13, 2023
Stopping the run will still be a chore for opponents as Dijon Edwards and Kendall Milton return despite the loss of leading rusher Kenny McIntosh to the NFL.
Once again, Georgia is given the nod in having the top-rated defense with its depth and strength as leading tacklers Smael Mondon Jr. and Jamon Dumas-Johnson return at linebacker.
The Bulldogs have to replace cornerback Kelle Ringo as the leader of the secondary, but a plethora of talent is on board to establish that corner position.
Georgia’s speed, strength, and depth in all positions are major keys, along with a very winnable schedule that sees a trip to Tennessee as potentially their biggest problem.
Alabama Crimson Tide (+650)
Like Georgia, the Crimson Tide must replace a starting quarterback by losing Bryce Young, who was the first pick in the 2023 NFL Draft by the Carolina Panthers. Young is set to start for Carolina this season.
Coach Nick Saban has three logical leaders at quarterback in Julian Sayin, Jalen Milroe, and Ty Simpson. All three have the opportunity to win the position. Milroe averaged 8.5 yards per carry in his five appearances last season.
Bama Traditions 👏👏#RollTide pic.twitter.com/L0St7l1zjb
— Alabama Football (@AlabamaFTBL) August 16, 2023
Jase McClellan is Alabama’s leading returning rusher after Jahmyr Gibbs was drafted by the Detroit Lions with the 12th pick of the first round.
Wide receivers Jermaine Burton and Ja’Corey Brooks led the Tide and they will be a tough matchup for opposing defenses not named Georgia.
On the defensive side of the ball, Alabama loses eight of their top nine tacklers to the NFL. However, linebacker Deontae Lawson is the lone returnee from that group.
Alabama will look to strengthen its defensive unit against the run and get back to disciplined football as they averaged eight penalties per game last season.
The Crimson Tide’s schedule is in their favor as tough SEC matchups with Tennessee and LSU are at home. The Texas Longhorns also visit Tuscaloosa in early September.
Ohio State Buckeyes (+750)
Like Alabama, the Ohio State Buckeyes lost a tremendous starting quarterback to the NFL in Texans QB CJ Stroud.
Devin Brown and Kyle McCord are now vying for the starting QB position and will have a talented group of wide receivers led by Marvin Harrison Jr., and Emeka Egbuka.
Miyan Williams leads a complementary running game where he rushed for 825 yards and 14 touchdowns a year ago.
On defense, the Buckeyes have to be more dominant at the line of scrimmage with their pass rush. Georgia destroyed their front seven in the College Football Playoffs last season as Bennett passed for 398 yards and three TDs.
Ultimately, coach Ryan Day will need plenty of speed on the corners if the Buckeyes are to beat an SEC or Big 12 team in a potential matchup in the Playoffs.
From a scheduling standpoint, the Buckeyes are on the road at Notre Dame and Michigan, while they host Penn State.
Best NCAAF Championship Betting Value: LSU Tigers (+1100)
Brian Kelly’s second season at LSU (+1100) will allow the Tigers the stability in coaching that they need to make a run at the SEC title and a potential National Championship.
Kelly has much more talent to work with in Baton Rouge than he had at Notre Dame. Kelly’s overall record is 176-66 as he posted a 113-40 mark in 12 seasons as the head coach of the Fighting Irish.
LSU sits at 5th in the preseason rankings and is expected to be a player for the SEC West crown as the Tigers will not be an underdog until they go to Alabama on Nov. 4.
If they beat Alabama, and don’t have any hiccups along the way, the Tigers could be in repeat mode of 2019 when coach Ed Orgeron led them to the championship behind quarterback Joe Burrow.
The key for the Tigers is to be able to compete against higher-level teams with the same approach and fervor as they do when they are the favorites. Last season, LSU lost to Alabama, Texas A&M, and Georgia by an average of 20.7 points per game.
Senior QB Jayden Daniels completed 68.6 percent of his passes last season with 17 TD passes against only three interceptions. He also led the Tigers rushing attack with 186 carries for 885 yards and 11 scores on the ground.
The offensive line will need to improve from last year as they allowed 43 sacks.
Leading receiver Malik Nabers caught 72 balls for 1,017 yards as he was LSU’s top receiver.
Micah Baskerville and Greg Penn III are key linebackers as they were the leading tacklers on defense, while LB Harold Perkins Jr., led the team with 7.5 sacks.
Best 2023-24 NCAAF Championship Longshot: USC Trojans (+1600)
The USC Trojans (+1600) are a longshot with plenty of potential this season. They are favored to win the Pac-12 (+200), but Washington (+265) and Oregon (+325) look like the closest challengers to the Trojans.
New Trojans head coach, Lincoln Riley, came to Los Angeles last season where he built an offense that was poised to score from anywhere on the field.
The Trojan offense was rated first or second in 18 different offensive categories and returning quarterback Caleb Williams won the 2022 Heisman Trophy.
𝑬𝑳𝑰𝑻𝑬
This is a special QB room. pic.twitter.com/6GH9HGyKxx
— USC Trojans (@USC_Athletics) August 15, 2023
Williams’ return can allow USC to ascend rather quickly if it can develop a more physical approach on both sides of the football.
Utah defeated USC twice last year as the Utes’ powerful style of play allowed them to knock off the Trojans, 43-42, in the regular season meeting in Salt Lake City. They then destroyed USC, 47-24, in the Pac-12 Championship game.
Williams threw for 4,537 yards while tossing 42 TD passes against only five interceptions. His leadership and ability to meet a challenge allowed the Trojans to return to playing for a Pac-12 crown.
According to BetOnline, Williams (+550) is favored to win the Heisman once again as he would be the first player to win consecutive Heisman Trophies since Ohio State running back Archie Griffin in 1974 and 1975.
With Williams, comes a deep wide receiving group with Tahj Washington and Austin Jones.
The question that features the Trojans as a long shot is, “Can the USC defense improve over last season?”
The defense should be improved after giving up 93 points in its last two games, which were losses to Utah and Tulane. Overall, the USC defense gave up 423.9 yards and 29.2 points, which was 94th in college football.
Eight new defensive transfers should help the defense immeasurably with linebacker Mason Cobb coming in from Oklahoma State and former Georgia Bulldog Bear Alexander on the defensive line.
We like the value that USC offers at +1600 odds.
2023-24 College Football Championship Prediction: Alabama (+650)
The SEC brings the fire in College Football and another Alabama-Georgia National Championship game seems to be the logical choice this year.
Alabama had beaten Georgia seven times in a row until the Bulldogs took the 2021 National Championship game with our aforementioned 33-18 beating in Indianapolis.
Coach Nick Saban has had so much success against his former assistant coaches. Alabama won Saban’s first five games against Smart’s Bulldogs.
He is 25-2 against his former coaches overall, as losses in the last two were to Jimbo Fisher and Texas A&M followed by Georgia and Smart.
Saban is still strong at driving his teams to accept a challenge in the correct way. The No. 4 preseason ranking is Alabama’s lowest in 10 years and it will also be a motivator for all the coaches and players in the locker room
Sports betting sites do not think that Georgia and Alabama will both make it to the College Football Playoff. The odds sit at (-325) for one team to miss the Playoffs, while (+250) for both Alabama and Georgia to be entrants into College Football’s Final Four.
Watch quarterback Jalen Milroe become a superstar and the Crimson Tide eliminate their penalty issues of a year ago as Nick Saban wins his seventh national title.
