Reigning national champ Clemson in good spot to repeat
The Clemson Tigers return many of their key components this fall as they look to repeat as national champions. Is betting on Clemson to win another College Football Playoff a smart wager to make?
According to oddsmakers, Clemson is a 2/1 favorite to win the College Football Playoff this upcoming season. Alabama has the next-best odds at 9/4, while Georgia and Ohio State both have 10/1 odds. Michigan comes in next at 16/1. A full rundown can be found at our College Future Odds Page.
Clemson finished last season with a 15-0 overall record and 8-0 in the Atlantic Coast Conference, finishing off its run to the national championship by blasting Alabama by a count of 44-16 back on January 7. The Tigers only played two games all season that were decided by single digits.
Returning to the fold for Clemson will be starting quarterback Trevor Lawrence (3,280 passing yards, 30 TDs, 4 INTs, 65.1 completion pct.) and running back Travis Etienne (1,659 rushing yards, 24 rushing TDs, 2 receiving TDs). Also back are a slew of talented receivers led by Tee Higgins and Justyn Ross. While the Tigers lose some key players at many positions, they also return plenty of players ready to make their mark along with another top-notch recruiting class of which several will play right off the bat.
Clemson will open their season Friday, August 29, at 8 p.m. with a home contest at “Death Valley” versus ACC foe Georgia Tech. While no odds have yet been released for that game, it is a given that the Tigers will open as big favorites and given their slew of talent, they’ll be a good bet to cover. In Week 4 last season at the Yellow Jackets, Clemson cruised to a 49-21 victory.
While other programs will have a say such as the always-powerful Alabama along with hungry Georgia and Ohio State squads, it might be too good of a thing going at the Tigers to not see a third national title hoisted in four years under the guidance of head coach Dabo Swinney.