The Southeastern Conference is largely considered to be the best grouping of college football programs in the country. While this may fall under the category of “opinion,” anyone paying attention to college football cannot deny the number of national championships earned and CFP bracket spots eaten up by members of the SEC.
Further evidence of this “opinion” can be found by having a look at not only the initial College Football Playoff Rankings but also the futures odds at 18+ CFP betting sites.
2022-2023 CFP Rankings
- Tennessee Volunteers (8-0)
- Ohio State Buckeyes (8-0)
- Georgia Bulldogs (8-0)
- Clemson Tigers (8-0)
- Michigan Wolverines (8-0)
- Alabama Crimson Tide (7-1)
CFP National Championship Odds
- Georgia +200
- Ohio State +200
- Alabama +350
- Tennessee +800
- Clemson +1600
- Michigan +1600
The top 6 teams listed in the CFP rankings and in the odds at College Football Playoff National Championship betting sites feature a logjam of 3 SEC programs among them.
NCAAF fans are in luck, however, as two of these teams will face each other this weekend, while the other will battle their final legitimate opponent of the regular season.
First up at 3:30 pm is the #1 Tennessee Volunteers traveling to Athens, GA, in hopes of taking down the third-ranked Georgia Bulldogs at their house.
Tennessee Volunteers at Georgia Bulldogs Betting Line
- Spread: TEN +8.0, UGA -8.0
- Moneyline: TEN +240, UGA -290
- Total: 66.5 Points
The Vols are an 8-point underdog to the reigning National Champions of college football. 18+ online college football sportsbooks must think that Tennessee’s prior victory over the sixth-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide was a fluke or that the Bulldogs are simply too dominant this season.
The team that wins the game has the inside track to make it to the SEC Championship Game. The head-to-head edge that the winner between the Vols and Bulldogs will hold is too much for the losing team to surmount over the remaining three weeks of the regular season.
At 7:00 pm this Saturday, the Alabama Crimson Tide face a must-win scenario when they take to the field against the LSU Tigers in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Alabama Crimson Tide at LSU Tigers Betting Line
- Spread: ALA -13.5, LSU +13.5
- Moneyline: ALA -550, LSU +390
- Total: 56.5 Points
Because the Tide have already lost an SEC game to Tennessee, they now risk falling behind LSU in the conference rankings. If the Tigers win, both Alabama and LSU will have 2 losses, with the tie-break going to the Tigers.
The SEC futures odds below also reflect the above projections, as the four teams featured in this article are the only programs with a legitimate shot of winning the conference title.
2022 SEC Championship Odds
- Georgia (#3) +120
- Alabama (#6) +150
- Tennessee (#1) +400
- LSU (#10) +2500
- Mississippi (#11) +5000
- Arkansas +100000
- Mississippi State +100000
- Missouri +100000
- South Carolina +100000
If Tennessee loses to Georgia and finishes out with only one loss, it will create a quagmire for the College Football Playoffs Selection Committee. Why? Traditionally, one-loss SEC teams are included in the CFP bracket, as was the case last year with the Georgia Bulldogs.
There is also the possibility that Georgia could become a CFP qualifier with one loss and no SEC Championship. Can three SEC teams earn inclusion among the final four playoff teams? Yes, but that will depend on whether Clemson can complete their schedule without a loss.
SEC Betting Odds: Bovada.LV
