The College Football Playoff race continues to take shape following Week 10 of the college football season. The odds have shifted, too.
After what proved to be an important week for teams around the CFP bubble, a handful of teams have clearly separated themselves from the pack at the top. Here’s how FanDuel Sportsbooks’ odds have taken shape entering the week.
After a somewhat lackluster week for Georgia and a dominant win over Penn State for the Ohio State, the Buckeyes have leaped the Bulldogs for the top spot in this week’s odds. And what a win it was for the Buckeyes, on the road, no less.
With the win, Ohio State is now back in position to potentially reach the Big Ten title game. All that really stands in the way are games against unbeaten Indiana and rival Michigan, though both are at home. Take care of business and the Buckeyes will be firmly in the national championship hunt.
It was far from a pretty win over a relatively hapless Florida team — one that lost quarterback DJ Lagway in the first half — but the Bulldogs managed to survive. They won’t survive many against quality opponents if Carson Beck continues to struggle like he did against Florida, though.
That caused Georgia to slip in the odds ever so slightly relative to the other top contenders. But there will be ample opportunity to make up for it the next two weeks, going on the road to Ole Miss and then hosting Tennessee.
Oregon moved to 9-0 with a dominant win over Michigan, taking care of one of the toughest remaining opponents on the schedule. The path to 12-0 — and national championship contention — is certainly clear, with games against Maryland, at Wisconsin and Washington remaining.
The Ducks have really made short work of every team not named Ohio State or Boise State so far this season. There will be further tests, but Oregon has aced every one so far.
Texas was on a bye this week after narrowly squeaking past Vanderbilt on the road the week prior. The Longhorns probably aren’t quite firing on all cylinders right now, but the end of the season affords the chance to get right.
First up is a Florida team that may or may not have Lagway available. Then there are two manageable games before what should be a hyped-up regular season finale against Texas A&M.
Miami is no stranger to the close game, and Saturday’s contest against Duke looked like it was shaping up to be another until Cam Ward and the ‘Canes poured it on late in a 53-31 win. Ward hit another gear in that one and is rightfully garnering Heisman Trophy talk, along with the national championship discussion.
The Hurricanes do have a pair of tricky road tests remaining, going on the road to Georgia Tech this week before the regular-season finale comes at Syracuse. It’ll be interesting to see how far the ‘Canes have come since nail-biters on the road at California and Louisville.
Aalabama has two losses and can’t withstand much more if it hopes to remain in the hunt for the College Football Playoff. The good news is the remaining road is very navigable after Saturday’s showdown with LSU.
But that road trip to Death Valley will not be easy. The Tigers got a night kickoff and typically play at a different level under the lights. This week will tell us whether Alabama is a contender or a pretender.
Tennessee has ripped off three straight wins, including an impressive one over Alabama. That said, there are still some tough ones left, starting with a road trip to Georgia in two weeks.
The regular-season finale, which is normally a gimme game, comes against Vanderbilt. That’s far from a guarantee this year the way the Commodores are playing, so Tennessee still has work to do, even with only one loss on the season.
Penn State’s national championship hopes took a good lick on Saturday with the loss to Ohio State, where the offense once again looked pretty lifeless after so much talk of improvement earlier in the season. The Nittany Lions still have some tough contests left, too.
None, though, are against the leaders in the conference. Washington is on tap this week, before back-to-back road trips to Purdue and Minnesota, followed by the regular-season finale at home against Maryland.
Indiana just keeps winning. You have to say, though, that the schedule has been pretty light to this point. None of the Big Ten powers have yet appeared on the slate. That changes this week.
Michigan is up next in what should be a good test of overall talent and depth, despite the fact that the Wolverines are having a down year. Then comes a bye week and a monumental showdown with Ohio State. Those two games will tell us everything we need to know about whether the Hoosiers are for real.
Ole Miss already has two losses and this week is pretty much make or break for the Rebels. Georgia is headed to The Grove to take on Ole Miss in a game that will alter one of their national championship aspirations significantly. Maybe both.
The rest of the road is clear for the Rebels to finish with two losses if they can bounce the Bulldogs, though. A road trip to a struggling Florida, followed by a home date against Mississippi State.
Outside of the Week 2 blunder against Northern Illinois, Notre Dame is perfect on the season. There remain some tricky games, but nothing that the Fighting Irish can’t handle if they show up and take care of business.
Floundering Florida State is first up, then a relatively pedestrian Virginia team. A showdown with Army will provide more intrigue than anyone would have guessed before the season, then it’s a road trip to USC to wrap things up. A tough but manageable slate.
Others Receiving National Championship Odds
LSU Tigers: +4500
Clemson Tigers: +6000
SMU Mustangs: +6000
BYU Cougars: +10000
Texas A&M Aggies: +10000
Iowa State Cyclones: +10000
Boise State Broncos: +10000
Colorado Buffaloes: +12000
Kansas State Wildcats: +23000
Texas Tech Red Raiders: +40000
Pittsburgh Panthers: +60000
Tulane Green Wave: +60000
Army Black Knights: +60000
South Carolina Gamecocks: +60000
