Earlier this week, we gave you the odds for which team will win the 2019 national championship. With Week 9 upon us, it’s time to turn our attention to the field that would determine this season’s champion.
If the season were to end right now, the four teams that would make up the 2019 College Football Playoff field as semifinalists would be, based on the most recent Associated Press Top 25, No. 1 Alabama, No. 2 LSU, No. 3 Ohio State and No. 4 Clemson. In odds released by one offshore sportsbook this week, those would indeed be the four semifinalists, albeit in a slightly different order:
Clemson: 1/3 (-300)
Alabama: 5/12 (-240)
LSU: 2/3 (-150)
Ohio State: 5/8 (-160)
Lurking just outside of that top four wagering-wise is Oklahoma at 10/17 (-170). The only other school remotely close to those five is Georgia at 3/1 (+300).
All six of those teams actually have a very clear path to the playoffs: win out and you’re in. Clemson (by far the easiest remaining schedule of anyone), Oklahoma (No.14 Baylor, No. 23 Iowa State, potential rematch with Texas in the Big 12 championship game) and Ohio State (No. 13 Wisconsin, No. 6 Penn State, No. 19 Michigan, potential rematch with the Badgers in the Big Ten championship game) would all get in as unbeaten Power Five conference champions, regardless of what anyone else in the country does.
As for the three SEC teams, many will consider the LSU-Alabama matchup in Tuscaloosa two weeks from now as a play-in game, with the winner potentially facing Georgia in the SEC championship game and the winner of that securing a spot in the playoffs.
Of course, Alabama would still have to get past No. 9 Auburn on the road... and Georgia that same Auburn team... and LSU... well, LSU has Ole Miss on the road and Arkansas and Texas A&M at home after Alabama, so there’s that.
All of that looks very nice and neat. Just win and *poof!!!* you’re in. As we all know, though, the college football season is very rarely ever nice and never ever neat.
In other words, prepare for playoff chaos to ensue in three... two... one...
