Updated 2019 College Football Championship Odds - December 4th

Updated 2019 College Football Championship Odds – December 4th

Written by on December 4, 2018

And then there were four. Of all of the FBS teams that entered the 2018 regular season vying for a national championship, the College Football Playoff committee has picked four to advance to the national semifinals, with Alabama, Clemson, Notre Dame and Oklahoma taking the four seeds. That means that Alabama and Oklahoma will square off in one semifinal, while Clemson will meet Notre Dame in the other. Obviously, Alabama is the heavy favorite, after even the loss of Tua Tagovailoa wasn’t enough for Georgia to hold a 14-point lead over the Crimson Tide, who came back to win the SEC Championship and knock Georgia out of the top four. Take a look at our 2019 College Football Championship odds & thoughts on the four contenders.

Updated 2019 College Football Championship Odds – December 4th

  • Alabama                     -240
  • Clemson                     +275
  • Notre Dame                +1400
  • Oklahoma                  +1400

Alabama is the favorite — and why not?

They’re 13-0, SEC champions, and they didn’t really struggle against anyone until the conference championship, when Kirby Smart’s Georgia Bulldogs pulled off one of the biggest choke jobs in recent history, fumbling away a 14-point lead against backup quarterback Jalen Hurts. Smart’s decision to run a fake punt on 4th and 11 when he could see Alabama left their defense on the field might be the worst choice of the entire season. Of the Tide’s 13 wins, 12 were by at least 22 points. They shut out such ranked teams as LSU and Mississippi State. There isn’t a more talented team in the nation, and there isn’t a more consistent system. It helps to have not one, but two quarterbacks who are good enough to start for an elite college program — and their receiving corps, led by Jerry Jeudy, is also one of the deepest in the nation. Those facts overlook a strong running game and a terrific front seven on defense. Clemson arguably comes in with a better quarterback in Trevor Lawrence than they had a year ago in Kelly Bryant. Their defense has been speedy and physical all year long, and they took Pitt to the woodshed in the ACC title game. Pitt had been the only team to beat Clemson in the regular season during their national title run, and Clemson left nothing to chance in their big win. They also have a terrific running game, and while their defense might be a little better than Alabama’s, it’s hard to argue against the Tide offense. Even so, this might be a smart pick just because of the value and because of those intangibles, as Clemson is eager to get revenge for that semifinal loss last year. Notre Dame is a difficult quantity to evaluate, because they haven’t played a team that is considered elite since they beat Michigan in the season opener. However, the Fighting Irish have put up solid defensive numbers, permitting no more than 27 points per game and permitting zero plays that ran 60 yards or longer from scrimmage. Since they went to Ian Book at quarterback, the offense has taken off in terms of explosiveness. He can get the ball to different people in the spread option as well as play action and RPO calls, which could wreak havoc against the Clemson defense. Even with Brandon Wimbush, the Irish would have a chance, but Book gives the Irish several more reasons to cause the Tigers to worry. Oklahoma has the best defense in the nation in terms of scoring, and quarterback Kyler Murray is a finalist for the Heisman Trophy. However, going into the Big 12 Championship against Texas, Oklahoma had given up at least 40 points in four straight games. When they played Texas the first time this season, they lost 48-45 — and then fired their defensive coordinator. However, Oklahoma held Texas to only 88 yards on the ground and five points below their scoring average for the season. The defense also picked up a safety when Tre Brown sacked Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger on a blitz in the fourth quarter. Against West Virginia, the defense did give up 56 points but also scored two touchdowns on fumble recoveries. But what can the Sooners do against the Crimson Tide offense? That question explains why the Sooners’ moneyline is so large.