College Football Playoff Picks, Predictions: Who Will Join Georgia, Michigan?
There are six teams that still have a chance at winning the national championship. Read on for our College Football Predictions.
We all know that the Georgia Bulldogs and Michigan Wolverines are in the College Football Playoff no matter what happens this weekend. However, after that, there’s a bit of gray area. What if the undefeated TCU Horned Frogs lose? Will they be penalized while a team that missed its conference championship game is rewarded? What if the USC Trojans lose? What if both teams fall?
Here are our College Football Playoff picks (odds via DraftKings Sportsbook, FanDuel Sportsbook).
College Football Playoff Picks
- USC to Make the Playoffs (-150 via DraftKings)
- TCU to Miss the Playoffs (+540 via FanDuel)
- 1. Georgia, 2. Michigan, 3. USC, 4. TCU (+900 via FanDuel)
Check out Bet365's "Win and You're In" boost for this weekend's slate of games.
College Football Playoff Predictions
USC to make the playoffs (-150)
The Utah Utes may have been the only team to beat the Trojans this season, but they have not been playing at the same level of late as they were earlier in the season.
Additionally, the Trojans have future Heisman trophy winner Caleb Williams under center, which is going to be the ultimate difference in the Pac-12 title game. The Trojans are going to find a way to win, even if the game is uncomfortably close.
Unfortunately, you have to pay a bit of a price for this bet, but the odds are much better than TCU’s -550 to make the playoffs. The odds difference between DraftKings and FanDuel is currently negligible, with the Trojans -156 on FanDuel and -150 on DraftKings.
TCU to miss the playoffs (+540)
If anyone is going to slip up this week, it feels like it’s going to be TCU. Every week, the Frogs are discussed as a team that could lose, and yet they always find a way to win. Last week, they absolutely demolished one of the best defenses in the country, scoring 62 points against them.
While I believe that TCU will make the playoffs, there are a few reasons why this could be a good bet. First, it's hard to beat a team twice. The Horned Frogs beat Kansas State by 10 earlier in the season, but the Wildcats are a solid and scrappy team that can easily make the adjustments to win.
Second, the odds of Ohio State making the playoffs simply aren't long enough. Right now, the Buckeyes are +120 on DraftKings and +104 on FanDuel. While the other odds would signal that the sportsbooks are expecting USC to be the team that slips up, they face a much easier matchup than TCU.
If Ohio State gets in, it will be because TCU, loses not because of USC. Therefore, take the solid +400 line of TCU to miss the playoffs rather than the +120 line of Ohio State to make it. Since the College Football Playoff rankings came out, this line shot up from +350 at FanDuel to +540.
1. Georgia, 2. Michigan, 3. USC, 4. TCU (+900)
Is the College Football Playoff selection committee really going to leave out a Power 5 team that went undefeated throughout the regular season? Based on lines and the current College Football Playoff ranking, we don’t think so.
Therefore, if the Horned Frogs lose this weekend, they're still going to sneak in. It will just be a matter of what seed they get. I think the Trojans are well-positioned to win their revenge game against the Utes. If they win and TCU loses, then the Trojans will jump to No. 3. After that, the question becomes will TCU or Ohio State get in as the fourth team.
If the Horned Frogs lose a close one, then they deserve to be in. Interestingly, FanDuel is giving Ohio State a much better chance of being the fourth seed in this situation with odds at +600.
Where to Bet a College Football Playoff Picks
Here are our top-rated sportsbooks:
College Football Playoff picks made 11/30/2022 at 7:58 a.m. ET
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