The Michigan Wolverines held a 28-13 lead over the Purdue Boilermakers in the third quarter of the Big Ten Championship, but FanDuel Sportsbook was already looking forward to the postseason. Before the last championship game of the night hit Quarter 4, early odds for the College Football Playoff semifinals were already live at the book.
The final four teams aren’t announced until Sunday, Dec. 4 around noon ET– nearly 14 hours later.
Early and lookahead lines aren’t anything new to sportsbooks. In a competitive industry, offering more options the earlier is certainly an advantage. But FanDuel called their shot.
Early College Football Playoff Odds
Nothing is official until the CFP Committee announces their selections on Sunday, but the field of four seemed clear heading into Saturday. The Utah Utes upset the USC Trojans in the Pac-12 Championship, seemingly knocking the fourth-ranked team out of Playoff contention. With Ohio State at five, their replacement was obvious.
However, seeding was not as certain. After losing 31-28 in overtime to Kansas State, would TCU fall to four? Could Alabama replace them altogether?
FanDuel appeared undeterred. According to these early lines, the College Football Playoff seeding would be:
- Georgia Bulldogs
- Michigan Wolverines
- TCU Horned Frogs
- Ohio State Buckeyes
Georgia and Ohio State would likely square off in the Peach Bowl in Atlanta while Michigan plays TCU in the Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, Ariz.
Again, these aren’t official rankings. More books will post odds once the Playoff field is formally announced.
Projected College Football Playoff Schedule
Should FanDuel’s speculation come to fruition, this would be what the field looks like:
Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl: No. 1 Georgia (13-0) vs. No. 4 Ohio State (11-1)
Saturday, Dec. 31, 4:00 p.m. OR 8:00 p.m. ET, ESPN
Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta, GA)
Opening odds: Georgia -6.5 (-115)
PlayStation Fiesta Bowl: No. 2 Michigan (13-0) vs. No. 3 TCU (12-1)
Saturday, Dec. 31, 4:00 p.m. OR 8:00 p.m. ET, ESPN
State Farm Stadium (Glendale, AZ)
Opening odds: Michigan -9.5 (-115)
College Football Playoff National Championship: TBD vs. TBD
Monday, Jan. 9, 7:30 p.m. ESPN
SoFi Stadium (Inglewood, CA)
Not So Fast!
While FanDuel decided on what the CFP semifinals will look like, not every book is so sure. DraftKings Sportsbook still offered Alabama National Championship odds at +3000 as of Saturday night. FanDuel also interestingly still offered Alabama +4000 to win the title.
The debate raged Saturday over who was more deserving: a two-loss Alabama or a one-loss TCU.
Could the College Football Playoff Committee slot in Alabama on Sunday? We’ll have to watch to find out.
College Football National Championship Odds
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