We’re Getting Closer To Finding Out Who’s In The Expanded College Football Playoff

At four times the size of previous seasons, a dozen teams now have an opportunity to come out on top in the upcoming College Football Playoff. That expanded lineup means intense competition within conferences and the likelihood for some late-in-the-season surprises.

But as the CFP draws nearer, a few of the pieces are beginning to fall into place.

Place your bets

Whether you're trying to figure out which colleges represent the safest wagers or which schools could pay off the most upon winning, there’s plenty of data to consider. As it stands, the surest National Championship bet is Oregon, with +350 odds. That means a $100 bet on the team would pay $350 if the Ducks win. Texas is a close second at +400 followed by both Ohio State and Georgia with +475 odds.

On the other end of the spectrum are some longshot teams that could return a small fortune on the same $100 bet. If you’re not satisfied with +25,000 odds from UNLV, Miami’s +30,000, or massive +50,000 odds for Ole Miss, place a bet on Army for the chance to bring home a cool $100,000.

CFP projections

Another way to forecast the playoff is with projections that currently place Big Ten champ Oregon at the top followed by the SEC’s top team Texas, ACC champion SMU, and Boise State, which led the Group of 5.

A few remaining games could seal the fate of teams that remain in contention. For example, Arizona State will take on Iowa State, putting their similar season stats to the test. Both teams are 10-2 overall and 7-2 in conference play.

There are a lot of factors that go into deciding the CFP lineup, and they’re all in play ahead of this unprecedented postseason.

Chris Agee December 3rd, 2024

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