We are now officially eighty days to the first big Saturday in college football, and over the next few months, we'll be ramping up our coverage here at AT Online in the lead-up to the season.
With Georgia as the two-time reigning national champion, it's time to ask: Who are the teams best-suited to topple them?
Here are a look at five - with their national championship total provided by Betfred Sportsbook.
Alabama (+550): Alabama has more work to do than recent years after not winning the SEC, let alone their own division in the SEC West. The Crimson Tide is also replacing the best offensive player and defensive player that they’ve had in recent years with Bryce Young and Will Anderson both moving on to the NFL. Quarterback is the biggest key with Tyler Buchner, Jalen Milroe, and Ty Simpson all competing for the starting job. The offense is unproven but has a ton of potential. The defense also has a lot of turnover, but it’s highlighted by Kool-Aid McKinstry at cornerback. The Tide will be in the mix because it’s Nick Saban and because - despite the massive roster turnover - they still have the most talented roster in the sport. You simply can’t count Alabama out because of that.
Ohio State (+600): The Buckeyes shouldn’t skip much of a beat this season, despite CJ Stroud and Jaxon Smith-Njigba leaving. Kyle McCord or Devin Brown will be the new starting quarterback. TreVeyon Henderson and Miyan Williams are both back at running back and the wide receivers should once again be great with Marvin Harrison Jr. headlining and followed by Emeka Egbuka and Julian Fleming. The offensive line is also a little questionable. The Buckeyes need their defense to step up and it should after improving last season. The defense will be led by JT Tuimoloau at defensive end and Tommy Eichenberg at linebacker, a pair who finished with a combined 23 tackles for loss a season ago.
And remember, if this truly is an article about teams best suited to beat Georgia, nobody played them tougher than the Buckeyes in last year's playoff thriller.
Michigan (+900): Michigan is once again expected to be back on top of the Big Ten. J.J. McCarthy is back at quarterback and then Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards are also back in the backfield, a pair who combined for over 2,500 yards on the ground a season ago. The offensive line should be dominant once again too with a combination of returners and incoming transfers. The biggest issue will be wide receivers because of how unproven that unit is. The defense - which was once again Top 10 in the country last year - will be led by Will Johnson at cornerback, and Mason Graham on the defensive line. Jesse Minter is a great defensive coordinator and will have this unit ready to go next season. This will be Jim Harbaugh’s best team in Ann Arbor, so it will be interesting to see if they can get over their final hump, and win a national championship.
USC (+1400): The USC Trojans will be back near the top of college football once again this year. Lincoln Riley helped the turn the Trojans around in one year behind an electric offense. Caleb Williams is back for a Heisman Trophy encore and will be college football’s version of superman. The Trojans also have Austin Jones and MarShawn Lloyd at running back and then also have Dorian Singer at wide receiver. The defense should be better than last year and did add SEC transfers Bear Alexander (Georgia) and Anthony Lucas (Texas A&M) to the defensive line who and they have Eric Gentry still at linebacker. Mason Cobb also transferred in from Oklahoma State to add to the linebacking corps. USC is primed for a better season than last year, but the defense needs to show real improvement.
LSU (+1600): Brian Kelly had LSU ahead of schedule this past season when they won the SEC West and beat Alabama in his first season. Jayden Daniels is back at quarterback, making a major leap in Year 1 in Baton Rouge. The offense is also stacked in general with all five offensive linemen coming back. Mason Taylor and Malik Nabers should be the top receiving targets too, with Aaron Anderson transferring in from Alabama to add depth. The running game is unproven too, but they have Logan Diggs as a transfer. Harold Perkins Jr. at linebacker and Maason Smith at defensive tackle anchor a nasty front seven on defense. The secondary should be good, but they brought in a lot of help in the transfer portal in that area too.
Follow Jake Faigus on Twitter - @Jake_Faigus
For full Betfred national title futures - click here
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