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NCAA Football 2024 Season Preview: New CFP Format, Top 25, & Best Bets to Make the Playoff
Written by: Nate Hornung
Last Updated:
Read Time: 4 minutes
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College Football is happening incredibly soon as Week 0 kicks off a week from Saturday. This is the perfect time to discuss the upcoming NCAA Football season with all the exciting changes with conference realignment. Oklahoma and Texas take on the the powerful SEC, the Big 10 stretches from Los Angeles and Seattle all the way to New Jersey, and the Big 12 now features 16 total teams. Not to mention the new playoff format. This article will breakdown the:
- New College Football Playoff Format
- AP Top 25
- Biggest Conference Realignment Moves
- Best Odds to Make the CFP
Let’s get right into it!
College Football Playoff: New 12 Team Format
Can Michigan repeat without Jim Harbaugh?
Last year was the final installment of the CFP being just a 4 team race. Starting this season, we will see 12 teams officially in the College Football Playoff, with a real shot at the National Title. These 12 teams will compete in standard bracket play, with the 1-4 seeds receiving a first round by. The 5 seed with play the 12, the 6 plays the 11 and so on in the first round. Then it’s all win or go home until we have one final team standing.
Now, the Top four seeds receiving byes will more than likely by the Power 4 Conference Champions: ACC, Big 12, Big Ten & SEC. The other 8 teams are simply picked by the committee, but are likely the next 8 teams in the Power Rankings. This is what all College Football fans have always hoped for, and now we get to see it before our very eyes.
The first official AP Top 25 dropped this week, so let’s check it out!
NCAA Football AP Top 25 Preseason Rankings
Can Heisman Hopeful Carson Beck lead the Bulldogs to the CFP?
- #1 Georgia
- #2 Ohio State
- #3 Oregon
- #4 Texas
- #5 Alabama
- #6 Ole Miss
- #7 Notre Dame
- #8 Penn State
- #9 Michigan
- #10 Florida State
- #11 Missouri
- #12 Utah
- #13 LSU
- #14 Clemson
- #15 Tennessee
- #16 Oklahoma
- #17 Oklahoma State
- #18 Kansas State
- #19 Miami
- #20 Texas A&M
- #21 Arizona
- #22 Kansas
- #23 USC
- #24 NC State
- #25 Iowa
Breakdown by Conference
- SEC: 9
- Big Ten: 6
- Big 12: 5
- ACC: 4
- Independent: 1
Currently there are no non-Power 5 teams in the Top 25, as I’m sure we can all group Notre Dame in with the big leagues. There were some huge moves realigning the conferences, and in doing so stacked various leagues. The SEC continues to be a powerhouse, while the Big Ten and Big 12 also made some massive moves to add to their conference depth. The PAC-12 is all but dead, as it only hosts two teams, Washington State and Oregon State. The rest of the conference jumped ship and joined elsewhere. Let’s breakdown the schools that will be facing new opponents this year.
Major NCAA Football Conference Realignment Moves
Can the Longhorns make some noise in the SEC?
Let’s just keep this simple, and I’ll list which conferences added which teams.
SEC New Teams
- Oklahoma Sooners
- Texas Longhorns
Big 12 New Teams
- Arizona State Sun Devils
- Arizona Wildcats
- Colorado Buffalos
- Utah Utes
Big Ten New Teams
- Oregon Ducks
- UCLA Bruins
- USC Trojans
- Washington Huskies
ACC New Teams
- California Golden Bears
- SMU Mustangs
- Stanford Cardinal
As you can see, plenty of new faces in new places should make for a very exciting year. Last but not least, let’s check out some CFP Title Odds, and Odds to Make the 12 Team Playoff.
Betting Odds for the 2024 NCAA Football Season
After transferring to Ohio State, Will Howard leads the #2 team in the nation
As you can imagine, with the nature of some of these squads, making the 12 team playoff is almost inevitable. Thus some of these odds are incredibly juicy.
Odds to Make the 12 Team Playoffs
Odds courtesy of BetOnline, use code BNEWS and get a 50% deposit match up to $1,000 and $10 CASH instantly! BetOnline is a leader in the sports betting industry, offering competitive lines and a wide variety of markets.
- Ohio State -550
- Georgia -500
- Oregon -300
- Texas -225
- Notre Dame -200
- Penn State -150
- Ole Miss -135
- Alabama -110
- LSU +125
- Michigan +150
- Florida State +165
- Missouri +175
- Miami +175
If you’re just betting chalk, those are your 12 teams in this year’s new College Football Playoff (Flip a coin for Miami or Missouri). But can any of these other teams sneak their way in?
- Tennessee +200
- Clemson +200
- Texas A&M +225
- Utah +225
- Liberty +300
- Kansas State +325
- Boise State +400
- USC +425
- NC State +425
- Oklahoma +450
- Louisville +475
That’s every team listed within 5-1 odds, but there are plenty more markets out there at BetOnline.
Now let’s peak at odds to be this year’s National Champion.
Odds to Win the College Football Championship
- Georgia +300
- Ohio State +400
- Oregon +650
- Texas +750
- Alabama +1200
- Ole Miss +1400
- LSU +2000
- Penn State +2200
- Notre Dame +2200
- Michigan +3300
- Florida State +3300
- Miami +3500
Quite the top heavy College Football season in my opinion.
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Nate has been a recreational sports bettor for about 5 years. In that time, he has grown to love the pursuit of winners and sticking it to The Man. Nate loves data and uses his understanding of numbers to help him be a more profitable sports gambler, however he will be the first to tell you this game is about more than just stats.
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