Longshots to Make 2022 College Football Playoffs

The long college football offseason wears on as the top teams in nation focus on spring practices and their 2021 recruiting class. This time of the year is spent on early preparations for a successful run to next season’s four-team college football playoff and a national championship.

Most of the top-rated online sportsbooks have posted betting odds to win the 2022 National Football Playoff Championship with all the same familiar names at the top of the list.

NCAA Football Expert Picks

The defending National Champion Alabama Crimson Tide, out of the SEC, are +260 favorites to repeat. The ACC’s Clemson Tigers are next on the list as +475 second-favorites. These two teams have dominated the college football playoff since it was first instituted ahead of the 2014 season. Over the past seven seasons, Alabama has been a playoff team six times. Clemson has qualified for the playoff the last six seasons.

You could also add the Big Ten’s Ohio State Buckeyes (+650), the SEC’s Georgia Bulldogs (+700) and the Big 12’s Oklahoma Sooners (+800) to the short list of teams favored to fill out the playoff field heading into the 2021 season.

Three Longshots to Win 2022 CFB National Championship

If you are looking for a few teams to make a playoff run with much longer odds to win next season’s national title, here are three to add to the list.

Latest College Football Odds

LSU Tigers (+3300)

With Joe Burrow at quarterback, the Tigers won the national title in 2019. His departure to the NFL as last year’s No. 1 overall pick led to an expected step backwards for LSU in 2020. It finished the season outside the final College Football Playoff Top 25.

Even though the Tigers still have to get past Alabama and Georgia in the SEC, the betting value in this team is tied to a very strong recruiting class. LSU is ranked third in this category behind the Tide and Ohio State. The team landed the second-most 4-star recruits in the nation with 16.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish (+4000)

The Fighting Irish are always in position for a possible playoff run. As one of the four playoff teams last season, they went 10-1 to finish No. 4 in the final CFP Top 25. While the current futures odds to win next season’s national title suggest a step backwards from that successful run, Notre Dame was able to reload with the ninth-ranked recruiting class in the nation.

After playing in the ACC last season, the Irish return to playing as Independents in 2021. A successful run through a schedule that includes Wisconsin, Cincinnati, North Carolina and Stanford should keep Notre Dame near the top of the national rankings all season long.

Professional Sports Handicapper Reviews

Oregon Ducks (+4000)

The Ducks qualified for the college football playoff back in 2014 out of the Pac-12. While that major conference has been shutout of the playoff in five of the past six seasons, Oregon is building a team that could end that draught in 2021.

This is another team that earns high grades for its recruiting efforts. With the most 4-star players in the nation (19), Oregon ranks sixth overall. The Ducks should also have a pretty clear path to the Pac-12 title game as the best team in the North Division. USC should be their biggest competition out of the South.