Every single day, somebody asks me when they’ll be able to bet on the college football national championship. Americans have a big ol’ football betting itch that needs to be scratched.
“We’re going to put the future pool back up tomorrow,” Westgate SuperBook director John Murray told NBC Sports. “The good thing is, all you have to do is raise the odds, so you can’t really get hurt. If anything, the odds are too low right now without the Big Ten teams factored in. You can’t get hurt by turning the betting back on.”
Several sportsbooks around the country took down their college football future markets because of all the uncertainty surrounding COVID-19. Other books never even posted odds in fear of not being able to finish the season and having to refund all the money.
But with the Big Ten committing to an eight-game regular season and a conference championship game, the College Football Playoff is looking more and more likely. I would say it’s a heavy favorite we’ll get there and that we’ll get through it.[[ad:athena]]
The usual suspects will be atop the betting boards when the odds start to reappear.
“Clemson isn’t necessarily the best team, but they’re the most likely to get into the College Football Playoff because the ACC is so bad,” Murray said without hesitation. “Our order is Clemson, Ohio State, Alabama then Georgia. They’re all pretty clearly ahead of the field. Oklahoma and Texas look like they’re neck-and-neck to be the Big XII champion. Florida and Penn State are in the group after that.”
Murray said to be cautious about betting longer shots to make a title run because of the strenuous, uphill battles they’ll likely face down the stretch.
“Before you make a bet on a team like Penn State at 30-to-1, you have to ask yourself what would they be in the semifinal games or championship game. They might be a double-digit dog in both games. If they’ve got to win the Big Ten, then beat Clemson and Alabama or Clemson and Georgia, I don’t know that you’re really getting value at 30-to-1.”
So how many teams can actually win the national championship?
“I’d say four,” Murray told me. “Clemson, OSU, Alabama, Georgia. I don’t think the Big XII teams can actually win two playoff games.”
The bookmaker has spoken. Now it’s your turn.
