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The Westgate Superbook has released its updated national title odds for the 2019 season, and both Alabama and Clemson are listed as 9/4, making them co-favorites to win the championship. This is significant because, when odds were first released in January, Alabama was 3/2 while Clemson was 7/2. So clearly the public believes Clemson is now on equal footing with the Tide.
The next closest to those two titans would be Georgia, which has moved from 12-1 to 6-1.
What’s perhaps the better indicator of the gap between Alabama and Clemson and everybody else is another prop Westgate has available. You can bet on Alabama or Clemson to win the national title this season at a price of -170 or you can take the field at +145.
This is jamoke money rolling in on Clemson, TBH. And, the more the merrier say I. The same time the Tigers saw their odds shorten to 9/4, the Tide’s odds grew longer — from 3/2 to 9/4. And, on BetDSI (a far more realistic book), the bait was laid out even more for Clemson: they’re not even tied with the Tide at 9/4; CU is the favorite at 9/4 vs. 5/2
So, bring it on. Rain your disregard down on Alabama. Anoint Clemson the Summer’s national champion. Firmly park the Tide in second place all season. Let your ESPN crew pay visits to South Carolina every week. Disrespectin’ the Tahd all year, Pawwwwl. Drink up: the rat poison ain’t goin’ anywhere, boys!
And then let’s see what happens in January.
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That said, I have no idea why Georgia’s odds shorted so quickly at Westgate. Rarely do oddsmakers make such drastic alterations right out of the gate, especially when there have been no material changes to the personnel, coaches, schedule, natural disasters, etc. That tells you more than likely that the sharps thought there was good value on the Dogs at 12:1 — and they’ve been so close the last few years. But, Vegas, lemme’ hip you to this: “so close” is as much a Georgia motto as “we’re young” is in Auburn. Don’t fall for this sucker bet.
Florida is sitting at 40:1. They’re in a second tier of contenders a la Texas, so that’s not a bad little bet if you’ve got $20 burning a hole in your pocket. Realistically, we know that will never happen, but if does... Oh, well. That’s why it’s called a gamble.
But, the one that I absolutely love is Ohio State, which saw their odds grow much longer, from 10/1 to 14/1. This team is still loaded and bettors’ memories must be brief — look at what the Buckeyes did under Ryan Day last season, then compare those results to Urban Meyer’s last days. The Bucks played better, the offense was more dynamic, they were more disciplined, the playcalling was simply better. And, with the East taking a step back this year, if OSU can survive two thorny road trips, they should cakewalk into the playoffs.
It should be noted that BetDSI has the Bucks a more realistic 9/1 and the Dogs at 8/1, both seem much more in keeping with the trajectories of these two programs.
Here are your updated complete odds. Note, I’m going to use BetDSI since it’s not gibberish. The Westgate ones may make for fun offseason fodder, but I think these are probably more realistic:
2019 CFP Title Odds
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| Team | Odds |
| Clemson | 9/4 |
| Alabama | 5/2 |
| Georgia | 8/1 |
| Ohio State | 9/1 |
| Oklahoma | 16/1 |
| Michigan | 16/1 |
| Texas | 25/1 |
| LSU | 28/1 |
| Texas A&M | 30/1 |
| Notre Dame | 35/1 |
| Washington | 35/1 |
| Oregon | 40/1 |
| Florida | 45/1 |
| Nebraska | 45/1 |
| Auburn | 60/1 |
| Wisconsin | 85/1 |
| Florida State | 100/1 |
| Iowa | 100/1 |
| Miami, Fl. | 100/1 |
| Mississippi State | 100/1 |
| Penn State | 100/1 |
| USC | 100/1 |
| Utah | 100/1 |
| Washington State | 100/1 |
| Michigan State | 175/1 |
| Oklahoma State | 200/1 |
| Stanford | 225/1 |
| TCU | 225/1 |
| Virginia Tech | 225/1 |
| Arizona | 300/1 |
| Baylor | 300/1 |
| Iowa State | 300/1 |
| Northwestern | 300/1 |
| Purdue | 300/1 |
| Syracuse | 300/1 |
| UCLA | 300/1 |
| Arizona State | 350/1 |
| South Carolina | 350/1 |
| Tennessee | 350/1 |
| Virginia | 350/1 |
| BYU | 500/1 |
| Boise State | 500/1 |
| Boston College | 500/1 |
| California | 500/1 |
| Fresno State | 500/1 |
| Houston | 500/1 |
| Kansas | 500/1 |
| Kansas State | 500/1 |
| Louisville | 500/1 |
| North Carolina State | 500/1 |
| Texas Tech | 500/1 |
| UCF | 500/1 |
| Utah State | 500/1 |
| West Virginia | 500/1 |
| Arkansas | 1000/1 |
| Colorado | 1000/1 |
| Duke | 1000/1 |
| Georgia Tech | 1000/1 |
| Kentucky | 1000/1 |
| Maryland | 1000/1 |
| Minnesota | 1000/1 |
| Ole Miss | 1000/1 |
| Pittsburgh | 1000/1 |
| Indiana | 2000/1 |
| North Carolina | 2000/1 |
| Wake Forest | 2000/1 |
| San Diego State | 5000/1 |
| Vanderbilt | 5000/1 |
| Illinois | 9999/1 |
| Nevada | 9999/1 |
| Oregon State | 9999/1 |
| Rutgers | 9999/1 |
| UNLV | 9999/1 |
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So, what do we think?
Who’s your favorite?
Would you take the field over Alabama/Clemson to win it all?
Do you see anything in Georgia that would make their odds literally shorten by 50%? Or was that simply a market correction?
Who’s a good sleeper pick?