Many college football fans are still digesting Alabama's incredible come-from-behind, overtime win over Georgia in the College Football Playoff National Championship. However, we already have early odds from Las Vegas for next year's national champion. And -- surprise! -- the Crimson Tide are at the top of the list again.
At Westgate Superbook, Alabama starts the 2018 season at 3-1 odds to win next year's national championship game. The team that lost Monday night's game, Georgia, is right there at 9-2. Clemson, the No. 1 team entering this year's playoff, is third at 6-1. However, Oklahoma is all the way down at 30-1.
Here's how the Superbook's list looks ...
Alabama: 3-1
Georgia: 9-2
Clemson: 6-1
Ohio State: 8-1
Michigan: 10-1
Penn State: 12-1
Texas: 25-1
Miami: 25-1
Wisconsin: 25-1
Auburn: 25-1
Oklahoma: 30-1
LSU: 30-1
Washington: 30-1
Michigan State: 30-1
Some takeaways ...
Alabama: There's not a lot of value here because, duh, there never is for odds-on favorites. But there's also a good reason for the Crimson Tide to be so heavily favored again. Against Georgia, their best option at quarterback (Tua Tagovailoa), their leading rusher (Najee Harris) and the receiver that caught the game-winning pass (DeVonta Smith) are all freshmen. And the machine keeps on running at peak performance.
Ohio State: Quarterback J.T. Barrett is a winner, and a decorated one at that. No matter where you fall on the spectrum with him, that part isn't really up for debate. It's also possible Ohio State is ready to move on from that era. The Buckeyes lose several players to the NFL every year, but they've shown capable of reloading and next season's offense will feature an interesting quarterback battle with Tate Martell and Dwayne Haskins.
Michigan State: The Spartans were young this season and still won 10 games. The Big Ten East will once again be a monster division to get through, but if coach Mark Dantonio can somehow get this team to the playoff, there's no doubt it will have been battle-tested. I'm typically wary of national title contenders that don't recruit at a top-10 level, but 30-1 is enticing enough to bite on if you're feeling yourself.