The nature of college football means that there is a healthy amount of player movement every season. However, with the transfer portal, there is less of a reliance on high school recruiting and more opportunities for players who missed out on following high school to later find homes in bigger schools after proving themselves in smaller conferences.
Comparing the odds to win a national championship against the final Associated Press poll from the 2022 season, the 2023 poll won’t come out until the end of the summer, will show how teams did in the eyes of bookmakers. There is little surprise in the teams on top.
First AP Top 25 College Football Poll of the Year: Do They Match with the Odds to Win the Championship?
2023 NCAA Division I FBS Season
When: August 26, 2023–December 9, 2023
Post-season: December 15, 2023 – January 8, 2024
Number of teams: 133 teams
Bowl games: 43 bowls
CFP Participants Maintain Status at the Top
Three of the four — Georgia (+230), Michigan (+1000), and Ohio State (+700) — teams with the best odds to win in 2023 were entrants into the College Football Playoff last season. Georgia, the two-time defending national champions, having the best odds to win is appropriate.
Michigan now has the fourth-best odds to win behind Georgia and Ohio State, but also behind perennial powerhouse Alabama, which is +550 to win. TCU, which saw veteran quarterback Max Duggan depart to graduation, tumbled down the list and is +10000 to win the national championship.
Nittany Lions on the Rise
Penn State is in a bad situation. The Nittany Lions are in the Big Ten’s East Division, which means it must contest with Ohio State and Michigan every season. The Nittany Lions, who finished in seventh place in the Associated Press poll, are ninth in the odds at +2000. Long-time quarterback Sean Clifford graduated, but the Nittany Lions have some young players that have people excited.
Bet Penn State Nittany Lions to Win
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Are the Seminoles Back?
Florida State finished last season ranked 10thand people seem to think the Seminoles have figured things out under coach Mike Norvell. The Seminoles finished last 10-3 and beat Oklahoma in the Cheez-It Bowl, and upended SEC West champion LSU in their season opener. If Florida State can play near the same level, they should be contenders in a weaker ACC.
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The Brian Kelly Effect
Kelly was mocked after leaving Notre Dame as having the inability to adapt to the southern football culture. Then in Kelly’s first season as LSU coach, he led the Tigers to an upset win over Alabama and won the SEC championship. Following that up in Year 2 will be a difficult task, especially for a program that finished last season ranked 16th.
The Tigers are +1700 to win the national championship, which is tied for the sixth-best odds to win it all.
Bet LSU Tigers to Win
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Lincoln Riley Still Needs to Prove It
USC looked good in its first year under Riley, until the Trojans had to win important games down the stretch. The Trojans were kept out of the PAC 12 title game after being swept by Utah, including a devastating loss in the conference title game. USC then lost a heartbreaking game to Tulane in the Sugar Bowl.
The Trojans return Caleb Williams, but will need to play better on defense to cash bettors +1100 tickets to win the national championship.
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FBS Schedule – Week 0 | Saturday, August 26
| Matchup | Time (ET) |
|---|---|
| FIU at Louisiana Tech | Time TBA |
| Hawaii at Vanderbilt | Time TBA |
| Navy vs. Notre Dame (in Dublin, Ireland) | Time TBA |
| San Jose State at USC | Time TBA |
| UMass at New Mexico State | Time TBA |
| UTEP at Jacksonville State | Time TBA |
| Ohio at San Diego State | Time TBA |
College Football Rankings | AP Top 25
| Rank | Team | Trend | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Georgia Bulldogs (63) | 15-0 | — | 1575 |
| 2 | TCU Horned Frogs | 13-2 | 1 | 1484 |
| 3 | Michigan Wolverines | 13-1 | 1 | 1438 |
| 4 | Ohio State Buckeyes | 11-2 | — | 1394 |
| 5 | Alabama Crimson Tide | 11-2 | — | 1303 |
| 6 | Tennessee Volunteers | 11-2 | — | 1294 |
| 7 | Penn State Nittany Lions | 11-2 | 2 | 1200 |
| 8 | Washington Huskies | 11-2 | 4 | 1097 |
| 9 | Tulane Green Wave | 12-2 | 5 | 1025 |
| 10 | Utah Utes | 10-4 | 3 | 876 |
| 11 | Florida State Seminoles | 10-3 | 2 | 814 |
| 12 | USC Trojans | 11-3 | 4 | 795 |
| 13 | Clemson Tigers | 11-3 | 3 | 791 |
| 14 | Kansas State Wildcats | 10-4 | 3 | 784 |
| 15 | Oregon Ducks | 10-3 | — | 758 |
| 16 | LSU Tigers | 10-4 | — | 757 |
| 17 | Oregon State Beavers | 10-3 | — | 742 |
| 18 | Notre Dame Fighting Irish | 9-4 | 1 | 535 |
| 19 | Troy Trojans | 12-2 | 4 | 322 |
| 20 | Ole Miss Rebels | 9-4 | 4 | 320 |
| 21 | UCLA Bruins | 9-4 | 3 | 243 |
| 22 | Pittsburgh Panthers | 9-4 | 13 | 233 |
| 23 | South Carolina Gamecocks | 8-5 | 3 | 180 |
| 24 | Fresno State Bulldogs | 10-4 | 6 | 164 |
| 25 | Texas Longhorns | 8-5 | 4 | 95 |
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