Latest Look at 2023-24 College Football Championship Odds

A long time has passed since Georgia captured its second-straight College Football Playoff championship in January after wrecking TCU. The dog-days (no pun intended to the Bulldogs) of summer have arrived. That means players will be arriving in camp soon. With the 2023 season beginning in late August, it’s time to look at the updated college football national championship odds.

When the early 2023 future title odds came out, the favorites were in the following order: Georgia, a tie between Ohio State and Alabama, Michigan, and USC. Nothing has changed, according to DraftKings Sportsbook. 

Three of those schools are going to have new quarterbacks under center next season. The Bulldogs have to replace Stetson Bennett, the Crimson Tide have to replace Bryce Young, and the Buckeyes have to replace C.J. Stroud. While there’s a bit of uncertainty, don’t fret. Georgia has the best defense in the country while the Tide and Buckeyes have a reputation of developing elite quarterbacks.

There’s much more clarity for the Wolverines and Trojans. Leading the Maize and Blue is expected to be J.J. McCarthy, who tossed 22 touchdowns to only five interceptions last season. For USC, it returns 2022 Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams. The junior signal-caller threw for over 4,500 yards and 42 touchdowns in 2022. Many 2024 NFL mock drafts have Williams going No. 1 overall.

Leading the charge is LSU, who has climbed all the way up to sixth in the future college football championship odds at +1500 at DraftKings Sportsbook. Back in January, the Tigers weren’t even listed inside the top 10. LSU won just 11 combined games in the 2020 and ’21 seasons, but the Bayou Bengals rebounded with 10 wins last season under first-year head coach Brian Kelly. Tigers quarterback Jayden Daniels is expected to remain the starter in 2023.

LSU also pulled in the second highest-rated transfer portal class in the country. Four of the top five Tigers transfers are defensive backs–headlined by five-star Denver Harris. Expect Kelly’s group to have one of the best secondaries across the nation next season.

Another big jumper is Florida St. LSU and FSU have many similarities headed into next season. In 2022, the Seminoles experienced their first 10-win season since 2016. The Noles expect to have quarterback Jordan Travis back as the starter next season. Florida St. also had the best transfer portal class in the ACC, and it was fifth overall in the nation. The Seminoles were around +2800 just five months ago and jumped up to co-ACC favorites at +1800 at DraftKings. You can get even more value on FSU at FanDuel, where the Noles are +2000 to win the national title.

It’s only fitting two of the highest climbers in the title odds square off in the opening week of the season. Florida St. and LSU play at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida, on Sept. 3.

One of the surprise teams of 2022 was Tennessee. The Volunteers finished 11-2 and were ranked No. 1 in the country in early November. Much of that success had to do with quarterback Hendon Hooker and wide receiver Jalin Hyatt. Both were selected in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft.

Replacing Hooker’s production won’t be easy, but it’s possible. Quarterback Joe Milton III is expected to be the starter in 2023. Last season, the senior showed flashes in his limited attempts with 10 touchdowns to no interceptions. Milton threw for 251 yards and three scores in a 31-14 victory over Clemson in the 2022 Orange Bowl.

Overall, Tennessee had five players drafted this past April and an additional five undrafted free agents signed. On top of that, the Vols fell short in the transfer portal. The Volunteers ranked in the bottom half of the SEC in the portal rankings. Between 2020-22, Tennessee has been middle-of-the-pack in recruiting rankings within the conference. With all those factors at play, the Volunteers went from +2000 in early January to +3500 at BetMGM.

A massive surprise in 2022 was TCU. The Horned Frogs went all the way to the National Championship before getting beat down by Georgia 65-7. In January, TCU’s odds to win the 2023 National Championship were +5000, but they have since doubled to +10000 at DraftKings and can be had for +20000 at Caesars Sportsbook.

TCU lost its main three contributors on offense in the NFL Draft: quarterback Max Duggan, running back Deuce Vaughn, and wide receiver Quentin Johnston. Overall, the Horned Frogs have to replace 11 starters from a season ago. Unlike the big dogs like Georgia and Alabama, TCU cannot simply reload with players who are just as good–if not better. Don’t expect TCU to compete for a playoff berth this time around.