2019 College Football National Championship Futures Odds with Expert Betting Predictions

by Trevor Whenham - 1/11/2018

The dust has settled, and we have had time to accept that Alabama again reigns as National Champion. It's not the most exciting result, but at least it came after a National Championship Game that was far better than I expected it to be - especially the second half. To the shock of no one who is paying attention, the Tide are again the strong favorite to win it all next year. What stands out behind them, though, is that there are a whole lot of very competitive teams in a bit of a log jam. You'll see as we look at these futures prices from Bovada that it's much easier to find reasonable prices than it is to find a clear favorite.

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Alabama (+275): A true freshman quarterback threw one of the two or three most perfect passes I have ever seen thrown to a freshman receiver to win the national title. Two other freshmen receivers and a freshman running back also had big days. Alabama will be fine because they have the depth of Alabama. There will be losses - especially on defense - and they face coaching changes, but that is nothing new. The price isn't attractive, but a team that has made the playoff every year it has existed, and won it twice, is a good bet to get there again.

Clemson (+600): They have been in the playoff three years in a row, and their young QB will only be more experienced next year. The coaching is strong, the talent is strong, and the ACC is manageable. The price is decent.

Georgia (+750): Again, they have plenty of talent and a young quarterback who will only be better with age. They could easily have won it all this year, and they will again be talented and fairly deep. They again avoid Alabama in the regular season next year, and the schedule could certainly be worse. The price is decent here as well.

Ohio State (+750): J.T. Barrett is gone after a 19-year college career, so the team will have to deal with that. They are in good shape, though, and like everyone else we have talked about so far they have plenty of talent. They will also be playing with a chip on their shoulder after missing out on the playoff last year. Another fair price.

Michigan (+900): We can't evaluate this team just yet. They have had a serious QB problem for years now. Shea Patterson transferred from Ole Miss, and he is a very good talent. His eligibility for this year is far from guaranteed, though, so we can't know what to expect. If he is there then they have a maturing set of skill players, an offensive line that should be better than last year, and a defense that will again be among the best in the country. The schedule is tough - as it is for any team in the Big Ten right now - but if Patterson is available, and if Jim Harbaugh makes the changes to his offensive coaching staff that he needs to and is expected to, then this price would be fair.

Penn State (+1100): I don't generally get too worried about a change in coordinators. Some guys, though, are so important that you really have to be concerned, and this is one of those cases. Joe Moorhead really had a massive impact on this offense in his two years with the team. Now he is coaching Mississippi State, and his replacement has to deal with the absence of Saquon Barkley. I expect a small step back, and in a conference as tough as the Big Ten will be that is going to be a problem.

Oklahoma (+1800): Now we really get to see how good Lincoln Riley is. The coach was nothing short of wildly impressive in his debut season, coming close to winning a playoff game. But he had a Heisman winner at QB and a team that was loaded and ready. He also took over late in the process, so the team was basically handed to him intact. Now Baker Mayfield is gone, and the team has some adjustments to make. There is still plenty of talent there, and they again should be the class of their conference by a decent margin, but nothing is certain. I don't hate this price, but it isn't packed with value at this point.

Texas (+2000): This is truly and totally insane. Sure, Tom Herman is a good coach, and he is going to win here. He has a whole pile of work to do, though, and there was no point last year that we saw more than a glimpse of a national contender. He has holes to plug all over the field, and he isn't yet recruiting like he needs to - at least not in a way that will be helpful for him this year. The Big 12 could be quite manageable this year, but to suggest that Texas is well positioned to win that conference, or that even if they did they would be even remotely up to the caliber of the top teams, is just insane. If you make this bet then you just hate money.

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Start:	September 27, 2018 @ 8:20 PM
Expert:	Vernon Croy
Offered at:	Bovada
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2019 College Football National Championship Futures Odds with Expert Betting Predictions

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