It’s all change at the top of the betting to win the NCAAF Championship after last weekend’s results, so with the fixtures for week eight nearly upon us, it’s time for our free NCAAF betting picks.
Last weekend, the Tennessee Volunteers handed Alabama Crimson Tide their first season defeat in the standout game last weekend. The Volunteers won 52-49 with a last-second field goal. The win for Tennessee ended Nick Saban’s 15-match winning run over them and saw the Volunteers move up to No.3 in the AP Poll. The result also saw Alabama slide down to No.6, and as we will discover later, it also impacted their betting odds.
The wild celebrations also saw Tennessee’s goalposts disappear, and now they need some funds to replace them.
Elsewhere, the Georgia Bulldogs did light work of Vanderbilt, defeating them 55-0 to maintain their perfect start to the season. And the same can be said of the Ohio State Buckeyes, who also recorded a comfortable victory over the Michigan State Spartans.
All this has led to a major change in the betting odds of winning the NCAAF Championship. The top two have barely changed. Ohio was the +200 betting favorites last weekend, and they still are this weekend. At the same time, the Georgia Bulldogs have slightly shortened from +225 to +210.
The big movers are the Alabama Crimson Tide. They were +260, but since their defeat to Tennessee Volunteers, they are now out to +425 in the betting. Tennessee themselves are also big movers. The result saw them cut to just +1400 to win the Championship.
The latest betting can be found below from BetOnline. You can read more about this bookmaker and its latest offers in our BetOnline sportsbook review.
| NCAAF 2023 National Championship Betting |  |
|---|---|
| Ohio State Buckeyes | +200 |
| Georgia Bulldogs | +210 |
| Alabama Crimson Tide | +425 |
| Clemson Tigers | +1200 |
| Michigan | +1200 |
| Tennessee | +1400 |
It’s time to look at this weekend’s matches, and with the Bulldogs having a weekend off, we will be focusing on the matches involving the Buckeyes and the Crimson Tide. So let’s take a look at their matches and get ourselves some NCAAF betting picks.
First up is Ohio State, and this weekend they defend their unbeaten record at home to Iowa.
Last week Ryan Day’s team had a rest week. This came from their impressive 49-20 win away to Michigan State the previous weekend. The Spartans did give the Buckeyes a stern test early on, but realistically the match was over at the halfway point.
The Hawkeyes are 3-3 this season, but they head into this match on the back of two straight defeats. Last weekend they lost a low-scoring match 9-6 away to Illinois. The previous weekend they lost 27-14 at home to Michigan, to which there is no real disgrace.
As the game against Michigan perfectly highlighted, the Hawkeyes are a tough side, but they haven’t got the firepower to challenge the top teams.
In the handicap market, Ohio State is -112 starting from -30.5. Iowa is -108 with a +30.5 start. The total points spread is 49, quite a low mark in the NCAAF, but that’s down to Iowa’s recent record. Both under and over 49 points is -110.
I’m going for Ohio to win on the handicap for my pick. They beat MI State by 29 points away from home two weeks ago, and I can see them beating Iowa by more.
Despite the low-scoring nature of Iowa’s matches, I feel that if the Buckeyes beat the handicap, then overs will also come in. But if they don’t beat the handicap, it could be two bets down, so I’m leaving that market alone.
What has happened to the Crimson Tide defense? They conceded 52 points last weekend, 20 the week before, and 26 the week before. Scoring-wise, things look fine, but that’s okay against the weaker teams, of which MS State (ranked 24) isn’t one.
On the handicap, Mississippi is starting at +21, at odds of -104. From -21, Alabama are -116. The total points spread is set at 60.5. Over 60.5 is -110, and it’s the same price for under 60.5.
I am pretty sure, not certain that Alabama will bounce back with a win this weekend. I’m not ‘certain’ because there has been more than one setback for the Crimson Tide this season, despite registering just one loss.
I don’t want to bet against the Crimson Tide on the handicap, as I know they can dismantle the Bulldogs by 20 to 30 points. But, as I’m not sure if the handicap spread will be beaten, I’m leaving that bet alone.
Instead, my betting pick for the Crimson Tide against the Bulldogs is for over 60.5 total points. That is a better value bet because even if Nick Saban’s team wins with 40 to 50 points on the board, I can still see them conceding a good few.
