College Football Playoff 2017-2018 Odds, Betting Lines For Alabama, Clemson, Oklahoma, Georgia

The team that some believe shouldn’t even be in the 2017-2018 College Football Playoff is the early favorite to win the national championship. Alabama has the best betting odds to finish the season as the country’s No.1 team, though all four teams have a real chance this postseason.

No.4 Alabama is the consensus favorite, followed by No.1 Clemson, who beat the Crimson Tide in last year’s national title game. The odds vary for No.2 Oklahoma and No.3 Georgia, depending upon the sportsbook. Every team has better than 4/1 championship odds.

Alabama and Clemson shared the same odds at Bovada.lv shortly after the field was announced, but Nick Saban’s team has become the clear favorite with +180 odds. The Crimson Tide lead the way with +200 odds at BetOnline, where they are followed by Clemson (+225), Oklahoma (+350) and Georgia (+350). Alabama opened as a 2/1 favorite at the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook, where no team has worse than 3/1 odds.

This marks the third consecutive year in which Alabama and Clemson will meet in the playoffs. They’ll face off in the semifinals after splitting each of the last two title games, both of which came down to the wire. The Crimson Tide held off the Tigers 45-40 two years ago. Deshaun Watson threw for 420 yards, throwing for his third touchdown with a second left to lead Clemson to the championship.

Every team in the playoffs has just one loss on the season, but Alabama is the only team that didn’t win their conference title. The Crimson Tide’s loss to Auburn in the Iron Bowl prevented them from even reaching the SEC Championship Game. The selection committee put both Alabama and SEC champion Georgia in the field ahead of two-loss Ohio State, who won the Big Ten Championship.

The early betting lines for both semifinal playoff games are less than a field goal. Alabama is a two-point favorite over Clemson in the Sugar Bowl, per OddsShark. The Rose Bowl point spread is a pick’em nearly a month before the New Year’s Day affair, though Oklahoma is a one-point favorite over Georgia at a few sportsbooks.

Oklahoma enters the playoffs on an eight-game winning streak, while Clemson has won six straight games since being upset by Syracuse. Georgia has three straight victories, all of which have come by at least 21 points.