#3 Alabama (-250) and #2 LSU (-240) Have Almost Identical Odds to Make Four-Team College Football Playoff; Are They Both Locks?

• #3 Alabama (-250) and #2 LSU (-240) are both heavy favorites to make the 4-Team Playoff ahead of their Week 11 matchup
• Clemson (-350) and Ohio State (-300) are also favorites to make the CFP
• Georgia (+265), Oregon (+360), and Penn State (+400) represent the next tier of contenders

Heading into their massive showdown in Tuscaloosa, #3 Alabama (-250) and #2 LSU (-240) are neck and neck in the Four-Team Playoff odds.  The Tide opened as touchdown favorites for Saturday’s LSU vs Alabama game, but regardless of the result, both of these teams have a shot at ending up in the College Football Playoff.

Odds to Make 4-Team Playoff

Odds taken Nov. 6

Whoever wins this game has a good chance to win out, but it’s not guaranteed. Both would have a difficult matchup, likely with Georgia, in the SEC Championship. The Tide, meanwhile, also have a tough Iron Bowl road trip to Auburn on the last week of the regular season.

LSU vs. ALABAMA
#1 vs. #2

See you on Saturday. pic.twitter.com/ta5zE7pHZ2

— SEConCBS (@SEConCBS) November 3, 2019

We’ve seen two teams from the same conference get in before, with Georgia and Alabama in 2017. However, two teams from the same division have never gotten in. The loser of this matchup will still have one of the best one-loss arguments in the country, but they’ll still be subject to the debate of the committee.

Will Tua Be Healthy?

Saturday’s matchup between the Tide and the Tigers has massive playoff implications. The winner is in the driver’s seat for the playoff, and the loser, while having a shot to sneak back in, is not at all guaranteed to make the field.

So much of the College Football Playoff rests on the ankle of Tua Tagovailoa. Right now, he’s expected to play against LSU on Saturday.

Some really good video of Tua Tagovailoa (13) in practice today. pic.twitter.com/lyht7GmcIv

— Michael Casagrande (@ByCasagrande) November 6, 2019

Any Valuable Longshots?

Clemson, (-450), Ohio State (-300), Alabama (-250), and LSU (-240) are the favorites to get into the four-team field, but on the outside, there are a couple of teams that still have a shot to play their way in.

As far as opportunity goes, no one has more than Georgia. They are currently listed at +265, and they have a couple of huge games left on the schedule. With a trip to Auburn, as well as a potential SEC Championship Game against either Alabama or LSU, the Bulldogs have a chance to grab two massive wins and a conference title.

Bringin’ the fight to the Coliseum.
Top plays from this weekend’s victory over USC. #GoDucks pic.twitter.com/3C7Yhe6ImK

— Oregon Football (@oregonfootball) November 5, 2019

Another reasonable longshot is Oregon. At +360, the Ducks are a potential one-loss conference champion, and they currently sit 7th in the CFP Rankings. That one loss came on a last-second touchdown against Auburn, the 11th-ranked team in the country, all the way back in Week 1. Of the one-loss teams vying for a playoff spot, the Ducks have by far the best loss.

This is a wildly unpredictable sport, and while Georgia and Oregon are currently on the outside looking in, by no means are they done for.

If chaos should strike, as its prone to do in college football, a couple of potential one-loss conference champions could provide nice value.