Not too much has changed at the top of the betting board halfway through the 2017 college football season, as the top-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide (6-0) have only strengthened their status as the team to beat for this year’s national championship.
Odds courtesy of OddsShark.com
The Crimson Tide have taken advantage of a fairly weak SEC so far and cut their future odds down to +120 (bet $100 to win $120) as the favorite.
Alabama likely will not be truly challenged until squaring off against the 10th-ranked Auburn Tigers (5-1) in their annual Iron Bowl rivalry game on November 25. Four of the Tide’s next five games are at home, and none of their opponents during that stretch are ranked.
The Tigers are listed at +3300 and could find their way into the CFP field for the first time ever with an upset of Alabama if they can also defeat the fourth-ranked Georgia Bulldogs (6-0) when they play host to them on November 10.
The Bulldogs are +1800 to win the national title and like the Tide do not have many tough games before taking on Auburn. Georgia also plays four of its next five at home, with the lone road game during that stretch coming against the aforementioned Tigers.
Another Tigers team is the second choice behind Alabama, the defending national champion Clemson Tigers (6-0) at +375. Clemson has not really missed a beat this season despite losing All-American quarterback Deshaun Watson to the NFL’s Houston Texans.
Junior Kelly Bryant has stepped in nicely for Watson and just needs to stay healthy the rest of the way for the Tigers. Bryant is currently nursing an ankle injury.
While Clemson looks like the strongest team in the ACC again, the Big Ten still has a way to go to determine the conference’s best squad. The Ohio State Buckeyes (5-1) and defending Big Ten champ Penn State Nittany Lions (6-0) appear to be the best of the bunch right now, although that could obviously change over the next month or so.
The Buckeyes are the +750 third choice to win the NCAA title with the Nittany Lions next in line at +1000. Penn State hosts the Michigan Wolverines on October 21 and visits Ohio State the following week in a game that may determine the Big Ten East.
