College Football

College football odds: The 4 best futures bets to make now

Updated Jan. 13, 2022 4:03 p.m. ET

By Jason McIntyre
FOX Sports Betting Analyst

Georgia is still celebrating the National Championship, but it’s never too early to try and project who will win the title next year.

Given the transfer portal madness, there's still a lot left to be decided. However, a few things are certain. With increasing parity in the Pac-12, Clemson in rebuilding mode in the ACC, and the Big 12 unlikely to have a contender, none of these conferences will produce a finalist in next year's championship.

So, focusing on next year's schedule and returning starters, let’s dive into my best early futures bets, with odds via FOX Bet:

College football odds to win the 2022-23 national championship.

Alabama Crimson Tide +200 (bet $10 to win $30 total)

You can never go wrong with Nick Saban’s Tide. There have been eight years of the College Football Playoff, and Alabama has made seven of them and been in the final six times. And, Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young is coming back.

The early non-conference schedule features cupcakes against Utah State and Louisiana-Monroe, plus a trip to underachieving Texas and former Alabama assistant coach Steve Sarkisian.

PICK: Alabama (+200 at FOX Bet) to win the national championship

Ohio State Buckeyes +750 (bet $10 to win $85 total)

The offense, led by Heisman contender C.J. Stroud and star receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba will have them in the mix for the playoff. And, if you’re looking for a Heisman sleeper, TreVeyon Henderson is your guy.

OSU's defense and schedule are why you’re getting such a big number. Trips to Michigan State and Penn State won’t be easy, and the Notre Dame opener will be telling. If the Buckeyes lose that game, this number might bump up to +1000, at which point you have to take a flier on Ohio State.

PICK: Ohio State (+750 at FOX Bet) to win the national championship

Texas A&M Aggies +3000 (bet $10 to win $310 total)

I took a flier on Jimbo Fisher to win the title last season, and while the win over Alabama was impressive, they only finished 8-4 with several disappointing losses. Injuries mattered, which is partially why you’re getting tremendous value on the Aggies.

It is a lottery ticket, as half of the defensive starters are expected to depart. But the top recruiting class in the country should matter, right? Trips to Alabama and Auburn will determine the season.

PICK: Texas A&M (+3000 at FOX Bet) to win the national championship

USC Trojans +8000 (bet $10 to win $810 total)

If the Aggies are a lottery ticket, what does that make Lincoln Riley’s first year at USC? The Trojans were 5-8 — their worst season in 30 years. The Drakes are gone, and nobody knows who the QB will be, but we can guess it might be Riley’s former quarterback at Oklahoma, Caleb Williams.

Riley is a terrific coach, and the Pac-12 will be down once again, with Oregon dealing with a coaching change, and UCLA still being UCLA. Tough to make a case for the Trojans winning at Utah, though, but there is some value in this number.

PICK: USC (+8000 at FOX Bet) to win the national championship

Jason McIntyre is a FOX Sports betting analyst, and he also writes about the NFL and NBA Draft. He joined FS1 in 2016 and has appeared on every show on the network. In 2017, McIntyre began producing gambling content on the NFL, college football and NBA for FOX Sports. He had a gambling podcast for FOX, "Coming Up Winners," in 2018 and 2019. Before arriving at FOX, he created the website The Big Lead, which he sold in 2010.

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