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The start of the college football season is nearly a month away with five games slated for Aug. 28—including Nebraska at Illinois and Hawaii at UCLA.
So as we get ready for jam-packed Saturdays once again, let’s take a look at William Hill’s latest 2022 college football national championship odds and trends.
Defending national champion Alabama is the current favorite at William Hill Nevada at +300, with Clemson right behind at +400. Oklahoma now has the third-lowest odds at +650, followed by Ohio State (+700) and Georgia (+800). Texas A&M at 15/1 is the only other team with odds lower than 20/1.
Among those top teams, Oklahoma (+750 to +650), Georgia (10/1 to +800) and Texas A&M (22/1 to 15/1) are the ones that have experienced odds shifts from their opening numbers.
“Oklahoma, Georgia, Texas A&M, those three are the teams that are really good that we have liability with,” said Nick Bogdanovich, Director of Trading for William Hill U.S. “They know they don’t have as much of a chance with those longer shots in college football, so they’re more likely to go to that next group right behind Alabama and Clemson.”
Iowa State is next at 22/1, with Notre Dame (25/1), Florida (25/1) and Texas (28/1) all in range. USC is the first Pac-12 team listed at 30/1, then North Carolina (35/1) and Cincinnati (40/1) come after that.
When it comes to betting action, though, the two most popular teams in terms of tickets have been on two teams that have combined for one national title in the past 35 years.
“Georgia actually has the most tickets, and Oklahoma is second,” Bogdanovich said. “Georgia’s been an elite program for some time now, they just need to get over the hump. Sooners have maybe the best quarterback in the country with [Spencer] Rattler, [bettors] must be hoping that an unstoppable offense can beat an Alabama or Clemson in a high-scoring game. Because we have so much liability on Georgia and Oklahoma and do well right now with Clemson, I think their odds could continue to get closer and closer.”
Georgia is tops with 12% of the total number of tickets, with Oklahoma close at 11%. Ohio State (9%), Alabama (8%) and Texas A&M (7%) are the only other teams above 5% in this category.
For total dollars wagered, two SEC teams lead the way with Alabama (24%) and Georgia (20%) at the top. Oklahoma at 15% is the only other team to reach double-digits, while Ohio State (8%) and Texas A&M (6%) also crack this top 5.
One notable omission is Clemson, as the Tigers have generated 4% for both total number of tickets and total dollars wagered.
Among Alabama’s 24% of the total dollars wagered, a Nevada bettor has put a total of $28,000 on Alabama +300. If the Crimson Tide were to repeat, that bettor would receive a total payout of $137,500.
The biggest potential payout on a 2022 college football championship future is on a giant longshot. Another Nevada bettor staked $1,000 on California 750/1 for a total potential payout of $751,000. California’s title odds now reside at 500/1.
Check out William Hill’s latest odds and trends for 2022 college football championship futures below.
