This seems crazy but it is never too early to look at the 2023 National Champion Future Picks for college football. After last year’s crazy ending to the season where the Georgia Bulldogs won the National Championship, they truly reigned supreme. Not only did they beat the Alabama Crimson Tide, it was not that close at 33-18.
Now, that Georgia has tasted their first National Championship, the question becomes could they do it again? We take a quick look at them, Alabama, and maybe a couple others in the National Champion Future Picks.
Heading into the end of February, Alabama is still the favorite so far in the National Champion Future Picks. Alabama is one of those teams that just seems to reload and reload year in and year out. This year is no exception and they will be favorite to win the SEC Conference Title as well. They are a team that went 13-2 last year and was a quarter away from winning the National Championship again.
Bryce Young was brilliant all last season. Young became the first Alabama quarterback to win the Heisman Trophy on December 11th. Besides an excellent 13-2 campaign, he won the SEC Conference Championship game. Young is even an early +250 favorite to repeat. With the weapons surrounding him, it is little surprise Alabama is a favorite.
NCAA National Championship 2022-23 Futures | ||
---|---|---|
Alabama Crimson Tide | -204 | -225 |
Georgia Bulldogs | +375 | +375 |
Ohio St. Buckeyes | +530 | +500 |
Clemson Tigers | +1275 | +1600 |
Texas A&M Aggies | +2400 | +1400 |
Oklahoma Sooners | +2500 | +4000 |
Michigan Wolverines | +3200 | +4000 |
USC Fighting Trojans | +3200 | +1400 |
Could the Georgia Bulldogs be the thorn in their side once again? There has been little early movement to change our minds here as Georgia could indeed do it again.
The Vegas online betting sites feature Alabama holding -200 to -225 NCAAF Vegas odds to win back the National Championship. With Georgia hovering around a +375 on the moneyline, they do have some value. Consider that they did it once and that was after losing the regular season game. Arguably, that may be the most impressive feat. Nick Saban usually sweeps those second games. He did not here. Georgia had a game plan and they nailed it. It is why both are leaned on when it comes to a National Champion Future Picks.
Kirby Smart did the unthinkable once. At this point, the Georgia coach could do it again. Nothing is impossible after all. Georgia will be returning most of their players. Also, the Bulldogs even brought in one of the best Defensive Backs coaches in the country from Rutgers in Fran Brown. Smart excels in finding great fits. When one looks up and down his coaching stand, that is what one finds.
Nick Saban is wired the same way. It is why the feeling this season is that Georgia and Alabama will again be battling for college football supremacy. This is besides the usual SEC Football pecking order. Two teams appear at the top. After that, there is another tier of several teams, then another tier of about 4-6 more teams.
As much as Alabama is such a solid favorite early on, one never knows. Yes, Alabama and Saban are a master of making adjustments. On the other hand, Georgia can score just enough and defense wins championship. The old adage of playing smart along with hedging Georgia last year early as a future pick was a wise move. Let’s do it again.
A question fans are going to ask is this. Why take Alabama as a futures hedge pick this time around? Unlike last year, their future number early was much higher than it is now. Again, currently one is looking at a team that is in the -200 to -250 range. The idea and rationale here is to hope for an early season loss or some kind of adversity. Yes, we can hear it now fans. One wants chaos?
The Alabama Crimson Tide are usually more danger when “humbled”. That is the contention anyway. However, this could also be the concern. If Alabama goes undefeated, that could cloud things. Potentially, those odds may shorten further, too. That is an even bigger problem for bettors, bookies, and the like.
Alabama can get the snowball rolling like few teams can. It is partly why they are embraced and despised by sports bettors. That is why we say to look at a small to very small wager on the Crimson Tide right now. Futures are meant to spread wagers around anyhow.
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There was a thought to look at Notre Dame perhaps. However, the way they lost to Oklahoma State on New Year’s Day left a sour taste in many wagerer’s mouths. When it comes to National Champion Future Picks, it is about finding value currently.
For as good as Ohio State can be, are they really National Championship material? That is a huge question mark. They return C.J. Stroud and return a lot of same players from last season’s team. However, the playoff like loss to Michigan revealed a lot of weaknesses that may only be further exposed. Even the Oregon loss earlier the past season raised red flags.
Now, the odds for teams like Texas A&M and even USC are intriguing because of the disparities among current books. For example, taking a look at the Aggies at +3200 on MyBookie is worth a shot. Then, there is USC which is a +1400 there but +4000 on BetOnline. These spreads keep things interesting as Spring Football is a ways away.
Our NCAA Football National Championship Future Picks end with placing another small wager on the USC Fighting Trojans.
Chris Wassel is someone who has covered a little bit of everything: business, writing, sports, food, grilling, the Olympics, injuries, politics, and more. He has climbed mountains like Mount Washington and Mount San Jacinto in Palm Springs, California, and for those who don’t know, he is also big into food challenges. With friends like Joey Chestnut and Casey Webb, Chris has tackled eating feats like finishing a 16-pound turkey or a 32-inch meat lover's pizza. Since 2013, he has focused on fitness, fishing, and sports while managing to fit in running, hiking, rock climbing, and even the occasional mini-triathlon. He can lift more than his body weight with ease and is the person you turn to when you want to know if a NASCAR rain delay means a Monday race. Over his career, Chris has worked at places like Amazon, USA Today, and various rumors and fantasy sports sites. He has been nominated for awards such as the Fantasy Sports Writers Association's Hockey Writer of the Year and has a collection of high-stakes fantasy trophies and rings on display at home. With all this, Chris sums it up best with his motto: "Shut up and play."