2018 College Football National Championship Odds, Picks & Predictions

The 2017 college football season may still be over eight weeks away from getting started, but if you’re a college football betting enthusiasts, then you know that it’s never too soon to start getting prepared for a brand new season.

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To that end, I’ve got some expert collegiate gridiron analysis on a handful of favorites and longer shot title contenders that will give you the insight you’ll need in order to maximize your chances of cashing in each and every week, whether you’re betting on a legitimate title contender or one of the longer shot title hopefuls this coming season.

2018 College Football National Championship Odds, Picks & Predictions

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Alabama +300

Whether you love them or hate Nick Saban’s Alabama Crimson Tide, they are once again the prohibitive favorites to win the national championship for several reasons. While the Tide once again lost a ton of elite defensive stars, they have been able to replace them every year with no problems whatsoever. More importantly, heading into the 2017 season, Alabama has a gifted young quarterback in Jalen Hurts and a running back in Bo Scarborough that looks like a superstar just waiting to happen.

Florida State +600

I really like Florida State heading into 2017, thanks to gifted young quarterback Deondre Francois and the general boatload of talent they get at the skill positions every year. If head coach Jimbo Fisher can find a suitable replacement for superstar running back Dalvin Cook, the Noles could surprise. Their Week 1 regular season opener against Alabama will be revealing for both teams needless to say. With Clemson losing quarterback Deshaun Watson, the ACC title will almost assuredly come down to Florida State and Louisville.

Ohio State +450

The Buckeyes have a gifted dual-threat signal-caller in J.T. Barrett and a running back that could shine brightly in Mike Weber. If head coach Urban Meyer can get his defense to play at a high level, then the Buckeyes could pick up where they left off after coming up short in the four-team playoff a year ago.

USC +600

I don’t know how else to say it, except that Sam Darnold looked like the best quarterback on the planet (okay, maybe I’m exaggerating a bit) in USC’s Rose Bowl shootout win over Penn State. If the Trojans play any kind of competent defense in 2017, they could really challenge for the national championship. Still, I expect the Trojans to be in a dogfight with Washington for the PAC-12 title in 2017.

Oklahoma +800

The Sooners finished the 2016 campaign with 10 consecutive victories and have a Heisman Trophy candidate in quarterback Baker Mayfield, although it remains to be seen how they will perform under a new head coach after Bob Stoops’ unexpected retirement last week. Still, the Sooners are the easy pick to win the Big 12 in 2017.

Penn State +1200

Maybe it’s me, but I have no idea why Penn State is just a +1200 pick to win the national championship in 2017 after the fantastic season they had in 2016, not to mention the fact that they have two legitimate Heisman candidates in quarterback Trace McSorley and gifted running back Saquon Barkley. Here is a look at a trio longer shot title hopefuls.

Florida +4000

The Gators have defense, but will they improve an offense under head coach Jim McElwain that was akin to watching paint dry last season?

UCLA +5000

UCLA gets a ton of elite high school talent every year, but they play bad football at the worst time possible under Jim Mora. The Bruins keep underachieving at the worst possible moment. Will the Bruins finally be able to get their act together next season? My guess right now is…not likely.

Notre Dame +3800

Maybe it’s me (again) but I just don;t have a whole lot of confidence in head coach Brian Kelly anymore, which is why I say be careful if you expect Notre Dame to bounce back from their horrific 2016 campaign in 2017.

Stanford +7000

Losing superstar Christian McCaffery is a big blow, that the Cardinal simply will not be able to overcome in 2017, even though I expect them to get better play out of the quarterback position than they did a year ago. While head coach David Shaw doesn’t get the respect I feel he deserves, I believe he’s as good as any coach in the country.