Alabama Nearly Even with Clemson at the Top of the National Championship Futures

• Clemson enters 2019 as the defending National Champions
• But Alabama is closing the gap in the 2020 title futures
• Ohio State & Oregon should be considered candidates thanks to strong options at QB

Stop me if you’ve heard this before. Clemson and Alabama have been listed as the National Championship favorites for next season.

But anyone looking to bet the favorites early should take note. Our National Championship odds tracker, which tracks the futures odds movement throughout the season, shows that Bama and Clemson are available at the best price they have been all year.

Here’s how the odds look at two prominent online sportsbooks.

College Football National Championship Odds

Odds taken 5/8.

As the season draws near and the hype train begins to roll, Clemson and Alabama may go back below that +200 threshold.

They said it couldn't be done.

Best Ever ??#ALLIN pic.twitter.com/uWI3OCuftL

— Clemson Football (@ClemsonFB) April 6, 2019

Expect Repeat Performance From Trevor Lawrence

Trevor Lawrence was the highest rated QB recruit ever coming out of high school and he proved why in his first season.

He had 3,280 yards passing to go along with 30 TD and only 4 INT, even though he started the year as the backup.

It wasn’t only Lawrence’s raw numbers that impress, though, it’s when he piled them up.  The true freshman saved his best for last, tearing up the College Football Playoff tossing for 674 yards and 6 TDs, combined, against Notre Dame and Alabama.

His first national championship was no fluke, and even though the Tigers did lose a lot of talent to the NFL draft, don’t expect it to be Lawrence’s last.

Congrats bro!! Best decision you could have made. Let’s go to work ? @DJUiagalelei pic.twitter.com/6BFLmhxNXO

— Trevor Lawrence (@Trevorlawrencee) May 5, 2019

Clemson backers also have an insurance policy. The school landed DJ Uiagalelei, the next massive recruit at QB.  He’ll likely have to sit two years behind Lawrence but if for some reason Lawrence went down due to injury, Clemson would still be favorites in the weak ACC with their next QB ready to go.

Could Alabama Join Clemson In The National Title Game Again?

Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide are always a team to be feared. They have reached the final each of the last four years and are the only program to make the CFP in all five years of existence.

They also have a talented NFL prospect at the QB position in Tua Tagovailoa, who finished 2nd in Heisman Trophy voting last year to Kyler Murray .

They have a tougher road back to the playoff, playing in the SEC; but despite claims the conference is much better than all the others, they always seem to find their way through it in the end.  It’s likely they end up in the playoff yet again, but that +250 price tag is still too short given that their spot in the CFP is less sure than Clemson’s.

Enough Said.

It’s the #BamaFactor pic.twitter.com/0pwGi88d0y

— Alabama Football (@AlabamaFTBL) April 30, 2019

Other Picks To Play In The CFP

Ohio State can win the Big Ten with Georgia transfer Justin Fields replacing Dwayne Haskins at quarterback.

Sticking with the theme of high-end QB talent, Oregon is a decent bet to win the Pac-12 and get the conference back in the playoff thanks to Justin Herbert.

Is either programs likely to win the title?  I wouldn’t go that far yet, but they certainly have the QB talent to help them contend.

Considering you can get them at +1000 and +3300 they could be worth a play before they get playing.  My pick to win it is Clemson, but Alabama, Ohio State and Oregon deserve a look for sure.

PICK: CLEMSON TIGERS (+240)