The 2023-24 NCAA College Football season begins on August 26th when the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Navy Midshipmen clash at 2:30 PM EST at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland.
Even though the season doesn’t kick off for over three weeks, 18+ college football betting sites are already primed and ready with a full slate of game lines for opening Saturday.
This season marks the final campaign where a four-team playoff will be held. The postseason in 2024-25 will include twelve teams for the first time.
The teams that make up the twelve CFP programs will include the top four ranked conference winners, the next six at-large ranked teams, and then the next two conference winners.
Compiling the odds for betting on the College Football Playoffs across the various 18+ sportsbooks we recommend suggest that this year’s CFP will include the following programs.
2023-24 CFP National Championship Odds
- 1. Georgia +225
- 2. Alabama +420
- 3. Ohio State +750
- 4. Michigan +1000
The above CFP odds illustrate one of the main gripes that most critics have with the current format – not enough conferences are represented. The above NCAAF final four prop bet includes only two conferences, the SEC and the Big Ten.
Also notable, both top spots belong to the Southeastern Conference.
Below, we take those same futures offered at CFP National Championship betting sites and create the following projection for a twelve-team playoff.
Potential 12-Team Playoff Based On The CFP Odds
- CFP Round 1 Bye Weeks
- 1. Georgia – SEC Champions
- 2. Ohio State – Big Ten Champions
- 3. USC – Pac-12 Champions
- 4. Clemson – ACC Champions
- CFP First-Round Games
- 5. Alabama vs. 12. Tulane – AAC Champions
- 6. Michigan vs. 11. Texas – Big 12 Champions
- 7. LSU vs. 10. Tennessee
- 8. FSU vs. 9. Penn State
- CFP Second-Round Games
- 1. Georgia vs. FSU/Penn State Winner
- 2. Ohio State vs. LSU/Tennessee Winner
- 3. USC vs. Michigan/Texas Winner
- 4. Clemson vs. Alabama/Tulane Winner
- CFP Semifinals
- Top Seed vs. Lowest Remaining Seed
- Second Remaining Seed vs. Third Remaining Seed
- CFP National Championship Game
Even with the field expanded to twelve NCAAF teams, the SEC would still take up four spots in the CFP.
The sixth overall seed going to a non-Power Five Conference winner is sure to ruffle some features. The Tulane Green Wave project as the American Athletic Conference winner, which would place them in the CFP even though they’ll likely finish outside the top-25.
However, the college football squad barking the loudest will likely be an SEC school. It should also be noted that this year’s odds-on favorite to win the Big 12, the Texas Longhorns, will become a member of the SEC beginning in the 2024 season.
Ultimately, the expansion from four to twelve teams should prove satisfactory for a decade or two. We’ll just have to suffer through one more elite-only postseason before it happens.
Other projected 2023-24 conference winners are:
- Toledo – MAC Conference
- Boise State – Mountain West Conference
- South Alabama – Sun Belt Conference
- Western Kentucky – USA Conference
Sports Business Journal, Bovada (Bovada 18+ Sportsbook Review)
