The 2022-23 College Football Season has ended with Georgia’s dominant win over TCU to win back-to-back championships.
Now, it’s never too early to look ahead to next year and see who the contenders and pretenders are.
Betfred has already released 2023 title odds, which you can check out here and it's time to look at the best bets and stay aways.
Best Bets:
Alabama (+450): The Crimson Tide were written off after the year they had. They were uncharacteristically undisciplined for one and struggled to find a go-to receiver out wide. Next year, the big issue will be who replaces Bryce Young at quarterback. Jalen Milroe or Ty Simpson is in line for the job. Kadyn Proctor and Malik Benson are in line to come in and help right away on the offensive line and in the receiving corps. The defense is going to look a lot different without Will Anderson and Henry To’o To’o, but it’s fair to not bet against Nick Saban when it comes to defense. These odds aren’t amazing, but I love this bet because there’s not going to be much attention on Alabama as there has been, and I just can’t bet against Nick Saban like many people will this offseason.
Ohio State (+700): Ohio State got into the College Football Playoff this past year thanks to some controversy. They got in and made the most of their opportunity. They almost beat the eventual national champion, Georgia, but just missed a potential game-winning field goal as time expired. The Buckeyes are set up well for 2023. They are going to have the best receiving corps in the country once again with Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka. Kyle McCord is the favorite to win the quarterback job, but he’s going to have some competition with Devin Brown. Losing Paris Johnson Jr. and Dawand Jones on the offensive line is going to hurt the most in addition to C.J. stroud at quarterback. Another factor is that a lot of people are done with Ryan Day, when he proved in the Playoff game against Georgia, he’s still got a lot left. These odds are very good of the favorites and says that you need to pay attention to the Buckeyes next year.
Michigan (+800): There’s a giant caveat here and that’s assuming Jim Harbaugh is still the coach at Michigan for this upcoming season. J.J. McCarthy and Blake Corum will be back next year, which immediately makes the Michigan offense one of the best in the entire country. The defense will get a little bit of a makeover with different players leaving, but the Michigan defense has shown it can be one of the best in the country. The Wolverines have the talent to be back in this spot, but they have stuff to clean up. Assuming Jim Harbaugh’s back, this is shaping up to be the best team he’s had in his time at Michigan. If there’s any time to bet on the Wolverines, it’s for next year.
LSU (+1800): Don’t look now, but LSU is back. The hiring of Brian Kelly was seen as a head-scratcher at first, but all he does is win. In his first season, the Tigers won the SEC West over Alabama, but got blown out by Georgia. Jayden Daniels is back at quarterback, and he has almost the entire offense back too, outside of Kayshon Boutte. Malik Nabers is a star in the making at receiver too. Aaron Anderson is a huge pick-up at receiver as well. The biggest makeover for LSU is coming on the defense. They lose BJ Ojulari at linebacker, but are adding Jalen Lee, Bradyn Swinson, and Jordan Jefferson to beef up the defensive line. After just one season in Baton Rouge, Kelly proved you can’t bet against him, and with another year under his belt, there’s no reason to think LSU could be even better than last year.
Stay Aways:
Georgia (+250): Georgia has the best odds and rightfully so as the defending champions. They’ll lose Stetson Bennett and Darnell Washington on offense and then Jalen Carter and Kelee Ringo on offense. Carson Beck is next up for the quarterback job, and he’ll have Brock Bowers and newcomer Dominic Lovett to throw to in the receiving corps. The defense should still be great with Kirby Smart being a defensive guru. The amount of talent that the Bulldogs have is unlike 95% of all of college football, and there’s nothing against them with this pick. The issue is just that there’s very little value here, and while going back-to-back is very hard, winning three straight is almost impossible. I expect the Bulldogs to be among the best again, but there’s a lot going against them here.
USC (+1200): USC made an immediate impact in year one under Lincoln Riley. The offense was one of the best in all of college football and produced the Heisman Trophy winner, Caleb Williams. However, the USC defense was terrible and was the biggest reason why the Trojans missed out on the Playoff altogether. The defense should be better with another year, but they were so bad, there’s nowhere to go but up. They do add some help too across the defense. USC is going to be a trendy pick by some to make a run, but I just don’t see it. If USC’s defense is below average, the Trojans should be looked at as a hard stay away. Their offense will be good enough to carry them with Caleb Williams, but when it comes down to it there’s not much a year can do to fix a defense as bad as they were.
Clemson (+1800): Clemson having these types of odds is honestly surprising. They were one of the most disappointing teams this past year, especially given the talent they have on their roster. The Tigers completely underperformed on offense, but do welcome a new quarterback under center, Cade Klubnik, after DJ Uiagalelei decided to transfer. The offense should be much better this year with Garrett Riley running the offense now, instead of Brandon Streeter. The defense should be very good once again, but they can’t carry the team like they needed to at times last year. I don’t like these odds for the Tigers because I think it’s fair to question Dabo Swinney now. Has he lost his grip on dominating the ACC? The team that should have better odds than them is Florida State, with all the talent the Seminoles have next year. These last two years have made me question Clemson and Swinney altogether and that’s why I don’t like these odds.
Check out all the 2023 title odds in the Betfred Sportsbook - where remember, new users can bet $50 on any game, and up to $1,000 in free bets!!!!