Projecting the College Football Playoff After Week 13

The college football regular season has come to an end. Week 13 wrapped up Saturday night, leaving only conference championship games before we head into another postseason. Although most teams are headed for bowl games, four programs will battle it out for national supremacy, vying for berths in the upcoming College Football Playoff. 

Three teams are all but guaranteed spots, but who will fill the fourth seed?

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#1 – Georgia Bulldogs (12-0)
National Championship Odds: +200

Most people might be expecting the Michigan Wolverines at the top of the board following their decisive victory over the second-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes, but there are a few factors at play here. 

First, the Georgia Bulldogs are the two-time defending National Champions. Second, they maintained their perfect record while running a gauntlet of SEC teams. Lastly, Michigan was embroiled in a cheating scandal this season, which also impacts the optics of staking them to the top spot. 

Georgia has asserted itself as the best team in the nation, and unless they lose the SEC Championship Game, they can expect to head into January as the first seed. 

Check out SportsGrid’s CFB Game Picks and CFB Props Picks all Season Long.

#2 – Michigan Wolverines (12-0)
National Championship Odds: +185

Of course, the Michigan Wolverines slide into the second seed after defeating their conference rivals in a Week 13 grudge match. 

Michigan’s season has been punctuated with convincing victories over some imposing foes. Over the past three weeks, the Wolverines knocked off two top-ten opponents, winning and covering the spread versus the Buckeyes and Penn State Nittany Lions. 

Now, all Michigan has to do is defeat the Iowa Hawkeyes as 23-point favorites next week to guarantee themselves a spot in the final four. 

#3 – Washington Huskies (12-0)
National Championship Odds: +2000

Bettors continue to discount the Washington Huskies’ playoff chances, installing them as +2000 longshots to win the National Championship. But the Huskies continue to prove naysayers wrong, running the table on a perfect Pac-12 regular season. 

Washington concluded the season with a nail-biting 24-21 win over their in-state rivals, the Washington State Cougars. Next up for the Huskies is a date with the Oregon Ducks, a team they beat earlier in the season. 

Again, bettors have no faith in Washington’s ability to get it done against the Ducks in Week 14. Oregon opened as prohibitive -9.5 chalk, stacking the odds against the Huskies. As we’ve seen all season, Washington could surprise everyone and punch their tickets to the national semifinal.

#4 – Florida State Seminoles (12-0)
National Championship Odds: +2800

The Florida State Seminoles have been the most unassuming playoff team since the start of the campaign. FSU has been a top-ten team all year, and despite going undefeated in the regular season, they still face long odds to win it all. 

Entering championship weekend, the Seminoles are priced at +2800 on the National Championship futures board. Florida State has dutifully taken care of business, knocking off a few noteworthy opponents along the way. An ACC title all but assures the Seminoles of a postseason berth, but they’ll have to get past a top-25-ranked Louisville Cardinals squad.

FSU is another playoff-bound team that has fallen off people’s radars.

In The Hunt

Alabama Crimson Tide
National Championship Odds: +900

The Alabama Crimson Tide were on the verge of missing out on the playoffs until a last-minute touchdown on a 31-yard fourth-and-goal propelled them to victory. A win versus the Bulldogs in the SEC Championship Game could be enough to warrant inclusion in the playoffs, but they would likely need a loss from FSU and Oregon, too.

Oregon Ducks
National Championship Odds: +500

The Ducks seemingly control their own destiny, with the CFP committee looking for a reason to include them in the playoffs. A win over Washington guarantees the Ducks are playing football in January.

Ohio State Buckeyes
National Championship Odds: +6500

The only team not in action but still with an outside shot at a playoff spot is the Ohio State Buckeyes. Still, they need everything to go just right to be included in this year’s iteration. Georgia, Michigan, and Washington all need to win, and Ohio State would still need Louisville to pull off an upset over FSU. 

Texas Longhorns
National Championship Odds: +900

All they needed to do was corral the Oklahoma Sooners for 1:17, but the Texas Longhorns couldn’t do it. A last-second loss to the Sooners back in Week 6 will likely keep the Longhorns out of the playoffs. It’s hard to envision a scenario where Texas is included. They might be rooting for the same outcomes as Ohio State, but even then, the committee would likely give the edge to the Buckeyes.

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