College football is just around the corner.
In just a few months, the 2023 season will kick off, and both fans and bettors are gearing up for it. However, Virginia residents aren’t permitted to bet on in-state college teams, a restriction that doesn’t exist in other states, such as Louisiana, where fans of local teams like LSU can use offers like the Caesars Louisiana promo code to wager on them.
So as the new college football season approaches, which team is favored to win the upcoming national championship?
Alabama the favorite to win title
College football’s dynasty program is once again predicted to win the next national championship.
Alabama is at +200 odds to be the next national champion, according to FanDuel. The Crimson Tide lost to Georgia, 33-18, in last season’s national championship game, but is considered one of the best, if not the best, teams in all of college football nearly every season.
Alabama returns Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Bryce Young, who threw for 4,872 yards, 47 touchdowns and seven interceptions last season while also rushing for three scores.
Though the Tide looks ready to roll again this season, coach Nick Saban, widely regarded as one of the best coaches of all time, has been involved in drama this offseason. He caught flack recently for comments he made about NIL and SEC foe Texas A&M.
“I know the consequence is going to be difficult for the people who are spending tons of money to get players,” Saban said at a World Games countdown event, according to al.com. “You read about it, you know who they are. We were second in recruiting last year. A&M was first. A&M bought every player on their team. Made a deal for name, image and likeness.
“We didn’t buy one player. Aight? But I don’t know if we’re going to be able to sustain that in the future, because more and more people are doing it. It’s tough.”
Saban also said Jackson State, coached by former NFL superstar Deion Sanders, “paid a guy a million dollars last year” to attend the school, presumably referring to five-star cornerback prospect Travis Hunter.
Fisher and Sanders publicly rebuffed the accusations, and Saban has since apologized for his comments, saying he shouldn’t have singled out any schools. Some fans and analysts took Saban’s remarks as an indication that he’s worried about losing his winning grip on college football.
The odds to keep winning, though, are still in the legendary coach’s favor.
Georgia, Ohio State right behind in top odds
Two other powerhouses sit behind Alabama in odds to win the national title. Georgia is at +350, with Ohio State at +500, according to FanDuel.
Georgia will enter this season as the reigning national champion, a feat it accomplished after five seasons of continuous growth under coach Kirby Smart. The Bulldogs have made a name for themselves under Smart by employing world-class defenses, exemplified by the record 15 defensive players the program had drafted into the NFL recently.
Smart, though, isn’t concerned about turnover.
“We’ve got a group of men that are part of the team that I’m tremendously excited about going out and playing football games with,” Smart said at SEC spring meetings, according to Dawgs247. “You know, if you’re good enough, you’re old enough. So everybody thinks you have to be a certain age to be a performer on the football field, but if you’re talented enough, then you’re old enough.
“And we’ve got some talented guys; we just don’t have a lot of experience. But they’ve bought in, they’ve done a tremendous job in our offseason, and they’re getting ready to come back in the next couple days to get back to the grind. I’m excited.”
Ohio State, meanwhile, will be buoyed by standout quarterback C.J. Stroud, who threw for 4,435 yards, 44 touchdowns and six interceptions last season. The redshirt sophomore returns as one of the top signal-callers in the country, fitting in at a school with a long history of successful quarterbacks.
With Stroud at the helm, the Buckeyes could be a strong play to win it all this season.
“At this point last year, he hadn’t thrown a college pass. Now he’s got a whole year under his belt,” Ohio state coach Ryan Day said of Stroud during spring practice, according to The Associated Press. “You kind of learn what to do, now you learn why you do it. It’s just a little more of a deeper understanding of things.”
