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After a wild week in College Football during Week 7, Week 8 saw a little less drama. Unlike last week, there wasn’t a big shakeup atop the College Football Playoff odds board. We did have a Top 10 match-up in the Pac 12 where Oregon put themselves in the driver’s seat for a Conference Championship bid with a win over then-#10 UCLA. At the top of the National Championship odds list, Georgia had a week off while Alabama and Ohio State made easy work of conference opponents Mississippi State and Iowa. Alabama’s odds shortened a little bit from +400 to +350 while Georiga and Ohio State own matching odds of +180.
Florida vs #1 Georgia Betting Preview
This week, #6 Alabama gets the week off before what appears to be a tough road test against a resurgent LSU team. #1 Georgia head to Jacksonville to take on the Florida Gators in a neutral site game. #2 Ohio State heads to Happy Valley in one of the games of the week for a showdown with #13 Penn State. Ohio State is currently a 14.5-point favorite in their matchup while Georgia is favored by 22.5 points against Florida.
#2 Ohio State vs #13 Penn State Betting Preview
In one of the weekend’s biggest games, #3 Tennessee hosts #19 Kentucky in a huge SEC showdown. Tennessee currently has the 4th best odds to win the National Championship with +1600 odds while Kentucky is way down the board with +50000 odds. A win this week at home for the Vols would set up a massive showdown next week with #1 Georgia with a possible SEC Championship bid on the line. Tennessee is a better team than Kentucky on paper, but the Wildcats play very solid and disciplined defense. If they catch Tennesse looking ahead to Georgia at all, they could come away with a win.
#19 Kentucky vs #3 Tennessee Betting Preview
A pair of Big 12 teams fighting for their chance at a conference title are in action this week. #7 TCU, who owns +6500 National Championship odds, heads to Morgantown, West Virginia in what could be a tricky spot. TCU has faced hurt or backup quarterbacks the last 4 weeks and the Mountaineers are capable of putting up points fast. #9 Oklahoma State visits #22 Kansas State in what is likely a Big 12 Championship elimination game. Oklahoma State’s lone loss was in overtime at TCU, so if they run the table they will be in the College Football Playoff conversation.
#9 Oklahoma State vs #22 Kansas State Betting Preview
College Football Playoff Odds: National Championship Winner
| Ohio State +180, | Georgia +180 | Alabama +350 |
| Tennessee +1600 | Clemson +1600 | Michigan +1600 |
| Oregon +4000 | USC +6000 | TCU +6500 |
| Oklahoma State +10000 | North Carolina +15000 | Wake Forest +20000 |
| Penn State +20000 | Mississippi +20000 | Utah +25000 |
| UCLA +25000 | Kentucky +50000 | Purdue +100000 |
| Kansas State +100000 |
National Championship Value Bets
I think the National Championship bet with the most value this week is the UCLA Bruins at +25000. The Bruins lost 45-30 on the road against Oregon last week, but they still control their own destiny in the Pac 12. If UCLA wins out they’ll get into the Pac 12 Championship game with a likely bid against Oregon and a chance to avenge their loss. Basically, if UCLA wins out they’ll find themselves with a very worthy case to be included in the College Football Playoff. UCLA hosts Stanford on Saturday night, and unless some upsets happen in front of them, their College Football Playoff Odds should remain similar next week.
Stanford vs #9 UCLA Betting Preview
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