Nobody should be surprised that the Clemson Tigers and the Alabama Crimson Tide are the favorites for next season’s national title game.
As the 2019-2019 college football season wrapped up with Clemson crushing Alabama on the biggest stage in the sport last night, it’s time to start looking at next year might hold. And, if oddsmakers are right, it’s another Alabama-Clemson title game.
That’s right, odds for next season’s college football playoff national championship are already here and there’s two teams that are firmly at the top of the list: the Clemson Tigers and the Alabama Crimson Tide.
With how young both teams’ rosters are, and how much talent both teams have accumulated over the past few seasons, this shouldn’t shock anyone at all. And given that Clemson defeated Alabama by 28 points last night, it makes complete and total sense that the Tigers would be favored over the Crimson Tide.
Here’s what the 2020 championship odds look like from Superbook:
- Clemson 9/5
- Alabama 5/2
- Ohio St 12/1
- Georgia 12/1
- Michigan 14/1
- Oklahoma 15/1
- Texas 20/1
- Nebraska 25/1
- Washington 25/1
- Florida 25/1
- Notre Dame 25/1
- Oregon 30/1
- Wisconsin 50/1
- LSU 50/1
- Mississippi St 50/1
- Auburn 50/1
Other teams to note on that list are Ohio State and Georgia (who are tied with identical 12/1 odds for next year and came close to making it into the playoffs this year), Michigan (who returns starting quarterback Shea Patterson), Oklahoma (who has made it to back-to-back playoffs), and Texas (who is back, probably).
Teams that were included but don’t really make much sense:
- Nebraska: The Cornhuskers only won four games this year. They’re improving, but it’s way too early to start talking about national championships with Scott Frost just yet.
- Wisconsin: The Badgers fell short of being a national title contender this year when they choked away a year that they could have won their division.
- Florida: Year one with Dan Mullen was impressive, but the Gators are probably still a few years away from competing for the SEC East with Georgia. Oh, and there’s still Alabama in the West.
- Mississippi State: The Bulldogs lost Nick Fitzgerald, the second-most productive player in program history, and a ton of NFL talent on defense. Also, MSU has never competed for a national title in football before. Baseball and women’s basketball, yes. Football, no.
- LSU: The Tigers were a powerhouse not that long ago. They can become one again in the future if they stop losing games that go into seven overtimes.
So, it’s fair to assume that Alabama and Clemson will meet each other for yet another national title game. Given how last night played out, don’t be surprised if the Crimson Tide enter into next season with something to prove. That could be dangerous for everyone else involved.