Heading into next season, Alabama is sure to be the heavy favorite to not only win the SEC but to likely win the College Football Playoff outright as well. While the Tide may be the easy bet – Alabama is currently the overall favorite at 4/1 to win the national title next season, the true skill in wagering comes from evaluating and identifying which teams provide value when gambling.

As such, ESPN GameDay researcher Chris Fallica believes two such teams fit the bill heading into the spring football in the SEC. In a recent ESPN Insider article, Fallica identifies LSU at 15-1, and Georgia at 30-1, as two of his favorite value bets to win the national title in 2017.

LSU clearly has the talent to compete for the title, although quarterback play will continue to hinder the Tigers’ chances until proven otherwise. There is hope for better all-around offensive production following the addition of offensive coordinator Matt Canada from Pitt and the defense should continue to stand out in its second season under defensive coordinator Dave Aranda.

However, considering the Tigers currently have the seventh-best odds to win it all, LSU runs through quite the gauntlet during its last seven games of the season: at Florida, vs. Auburn, at Ole Miss, bye week, at Alabama, vs. Arkansas, at Tennessee, and vs. Texas A&M in the regular season finale. It’s unlikely any team could run through that slate undefeated, but if LSU manages to do it, a No. 1 ranking will likely be attached next to the program’s name.

Talent has never been Georgia’s problem, either. The defense returns mostly intact, and if Jacob Eason takes his game to the next level and the offensive line continues to develop, UGA should have the best offense in the East, if not the league. Should the Bulldogs run through what could be a tricky Week 2 game at Notre Dame and head into the SEC slate with some confidence, there’s no telling how far UGA could go in 2017. It’s not unheard of for a coach to win a national championship in Year 2 at a school (Bob Stoops, Jim Tressel, Urban Meyer come to mind) and Kirby Smart could add his name to the list. The only true SEC road trips for Georgia this year include at Tennessee, at Vanderbilt, and at Auburn.

Other current SEC national title odds, per Vegas Insider, include Auburn at 25/1, Tennessee at 55/1, Florida at 55/1, Ole Miss at 100/1, and Texas A&M at 100/1.

Tennessee, Florida and Ole Miss strike me as particularly valuable bets as the East is very much up for grabs between the three perceived favorites in the division and Ole Miss has plenty of talent to quickly become a major factor in the West once again. Watch out for Shea Patterson this season, the sophomore quarterback could prove to be the SEC’s biggest game changer in 2017.