Alabama is a heavy favorite to beat Michigan State and advance to the College Football Playoff championship game.
Beyond that, sports books expect a Tide-Oklahoma Sooners matchup on Jan. 11.
Bama is listed at -110, and considering that oddsmakers normally take bets at -110 (it’s the standard “vig”), the listed odds essentially give the Tide a 50/50 shot at bringing home the fourth national title of coach Nick Saban’s tenure.
The Oklahoma-Clemson game is more closely contested. In Vegas, the Sooners are a 3.5-point favorite. The overall national title odds are skewed more toward Oklahoma, so we can assume that the sports books think OU has a better chance at taking down the Tide than Clemson.
If you think everyone is wrong about the Spartans, and that the Big Ten is going to bring home another national title, you’ll get a good return on your investment. A $100 bet on Michigan State to win the national championship currently will turn into $600.
There is very little value on Alabama — or any of these teams, for that matter — compared to the preseason. The Tide, for example, sat at 7/1 to win the national title as of May 21. So a $100 bet on Alabama in May would return more money than a $100 bet on Michigan State today.
Here are the current national championship odds:
| TEAM | ODDS |
|---|---|
| Alabama | -110 |
| Oklahoma | +225 |
| Clemson | +550 |
| Michigan State | +600 |
*Odds according to Bovada as of noon ET Monday.
An itinerant journalist, Christopher has moved between states 11 times in seven years. Formally an injury-prone Division I 800-meter specialist, he now wanders the Rockies in search of high peaks.
