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  Top 10 teams to make the 2023 College Football Playoff21 August 2023
Despite those upcoming changes, for the upcoming season we are focused on the four-team playoff. With that said, let’s take a look at 10 teams we think can make a push this season and advance to the Final Four. (All lines provided by bet365 Sportsbook & Racebook) 10. Southern California The Trojans are one of the teams deserting the PAC-12 after this season, when they will become a member of the Big Ten. In their last season playing teams out west, the Trojans are preseason No. 6 in the rankings and have their eyes set on a PAC-12 title and playoff opportunity. QB Caleb Williams is the reigning Heisman Trophy winner and is the favorite to win it again at +500, ahead of a couple of other QBs that we will highlight in this article. USC’s schedule is far from easy. The Trojans will face four preseason top 15 teams in a matter of five weeks, followed by the rivalry game against UCLA to end the regular season. While USC has win 11 national titles, the Pac 12 has not fared well in the new college football playoff system with just two appearances in the Final Four (Oregon in 2014 and Washington in 2016) At +240 to make the playoffs, USC will most likely be playing its best football toward the end of the season with the way the schedule is set for them. If the Trojans get rolling during that stretch, look out for them come late December and early January.
9. Michigan It isn’t an understatement how much weight will be on junior QB J.J. McCarthy’s shoulders this season. McCarthy isn’t alone in this. The Wolverines defense is usually one of the better front sevens in football but the running back duo they have this year again will be a major lift. Blake Corum (1,463 yards) and Donovan Edwards (991 yards) led the rushing attack last year and aim to continue to be that two-headed monster for the offense. While the schedule is not as difficult as USC, Michigan ends with one of the tougher matchups in football when it will host Ohio State and that game could very well be the difference of making and not making the college football playoff for both teams. The look-ahead lines for the season at DraftKings sportsbook currently have Michigan installed as a 2.5-point home chalk for that Nov. 25 kickoff. Michigan, which made the final four last year but got upset by TCU in the semifinals, sits at +125 on bet365 to make the playoffs.
8. LSU The SEC has three teams in the preseason top 5 and LSU rounds that number out at No. 5 in the rankings. Led by one of my favorite players to watch, Jayden Daniels, the Tigers avoid having to play Georgia but have to travel to Alabama. The opening game of the season on Sept. 3 might be one of the more intriguing ones on the calendar. LSU is a 2.5-point road favorite against Florida State where two QBs aiming for the Heisman Trophy will go head-to-head. Daniels (+1100) and FSU’s Jordan Travis (+1100) both have incredible arms but are able to get out of the pocket and pick up a first down using their legs. No matter how good the defenses of these two teams are, expect a shootout being very possible when you have the talent of these two guys in a game with a posted total of 56 points. At +400 to make the playoff, LSU certainly has the work cut out for them with Alabama and Georgia in the same conference, so that matchup against Alabama will be crucial for LSU.
7. Florida State Florida State and Clemson are the two top dogs when it comes to the ACC this season. Nobody else in the conference really grabs my attention to be able to knock them off for the ACC title. Because of that, the matchup between the two on 23 September could very well be a decider on who claims the conference championship. Before that happens, the Seminoles have to go up against No. 5 LSU in the season opener, as mentioned. After that, FSU faces off against Southern Miss and Boston College, which should be no-problem wins for this team heading into the Clemson matchup. After Clemson, the toughest remaining opponent for FSU is Miami most likely but that game is home for Florida State even though it isn’t a crazy travel game for Miami. This football program (+333) has a chance to put up double digits wins this season and make a push at the playoff. 6. Penn State Owner of one of the most recognizable and classic jerseys in football, the Penn State Nittany Lions come in at No. 7 in this year’s preseason poll. The team was known for its defense last season and it should be more of the same for Penn State again this year. The defensive line is going to have some highlights behind Chop Robinson and Adisa Isaac. Low-scoring games will be a focus for the Nittany Lions to relieve some pressure off of sophomore QB Drew Allar. Nothing about the schedule for Penn State is easy. Having to travel to No. 3 Ohio State and hosting No. 2 Michigan three weeks later is going to be nothing short of difficult. Getting one win from those two games could be enough to get them into Big Ten title game and would give them a fighting chance at making the playoff. Penn State, like Florida State, sits at +333 to make the playoff.
5. Clemson Clemson has the best playoff odds out of the ACC…barely. Florida State is +333 and Clemson comes in at +325. Similar to Penn State, Clemson had a better year on the defensive side of the football and because the ACC wasn’t very strong last season, the Tigers won the ACC title game against North Carolina and ended up losing 31-14 to Tennessee in the Orange Bowl. The defense is projected to be a top one in the nation yet again but the hope is the offense will see better days. QB Cade Klubnik will be the starter after taking over toward the end of last year. The Tigers still have running back Will Shipley, who can turn something out of nothing when the ball is in his hands. The defense will get its share of stops to put the ball back in the hands of the offense, it will be up to Klubnik, Shipley and company to get points on the board to get back to the Clemson title ways when Trevor Lawrence was leading the offense. 4. Texas Arch Manning, the nephew of Hall of Fame QB Peyton Manning and Super Bowl champion Eli Manning, committed to Texas but he isn’t going to be the one under center this year. The starting QB will be Quinn Ewers and this team will be thrown into the mix of things pretty quickly. The opener is a home game against Rice, which shouldn’t cause many issues for the Longhorns. However, the next week will be in Alabama against the Crimson Tide. If the Longhorns can leave Tuscaloosa with a 2-0 record, their current +320 odds to make the playoff will be much lower. Texas should get used to playing that kind of competition because after this year, Texas will be a member of the SEC and see teams like Georgia, Alabama and LSU more often.
3. Alabama After missing the college football playoff last season, the Crimson Tide and head coach Nick Saban will have a chip on their shoulder. QB Jalen Milroe is going to be the leader of the offense this year and we got to see a few examples of what he is capable of when Bryce Young got hurt and had to miss some time. Milroe is more than ready to show off his big arm and not afraid to take off in the open field and take a hit if it means picking up a first down. The defense at Alabama is always a tough and hard-hitting bunch. Kevin Steele will be taking over the defensive coordinator role for the upcoming season. Losing Will Anderson Jr. to the NFL draft is obviously a big loss as Anderson was the center and leader of the defense, but with the recruiting class a team like Alabama always brings in, and some returning players like Dallas Turner, don’t underestimate them. Fighting against Texas in the second game of the year will be tough enough, but about two months later, having to go against Tennessee and LSU in consecutive games will be extremely difficult. Lucky for Bama, both of those games are home. At +140 to make the playoff, Saban and the Crimson Tide are going to do all they can to avoid missing the playoff two years in a row. 2. Ohio State Another top program that lost its starting QB to the NFL, Ohio State has the second-best odds (-120) to be in the playoff. It is looking more like it will be junior Kyle McCord as the starting QB for the Buckeyes but as long as they have someone able to get the ball to two of the most dangerous WRs in college football, the team should be just fine. Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka are just electric to watch. Harrison Jr. was one of the best WRs a season ago and some at the OSU camp have said he looks even more electric. My advice for defenses are to not let him catch it but unfortunately for them, sometimes that isn’t even possible with how good he is. If, and that is a massive if, you are able to keep those two in check, the third WR option in Julian Fleming is also a very talented pass catcher. This is definitely the most gifted WR room in the nation and this trio will give cornerbacks a major headache throughout the season.
1. Georgia Now we have the favorites and the defending champs. To make the playoff, bet365 lists Georgia as a heavy favorite at -240. If you have watched Georgia football over the last few years, you probably have noticed that opponents really struggle to move the ball against the defense. Expect more of the same in 2023-2024, even though the Bulldogs lost stars like Nolan Smith and Jalen Carter. Georgia seems to always have the next man up mentality on the defensive side. Just like Bama and OSU, Georgia lost its starting QB Stetson Bennett to the NFL. Carson Beck, who is highly rated, will lead the offense. The real spotlight will be on tight end Brock Bowers who seems to have the talent of some of the best tight ends to play college football. His size and speed at his position makes him a matchup problem for anyone so single coverage is not the best option for him. The issue? Well, if you double a tight end, then you are leaving even faster wide receivers on Georgia in more minor coverage. Head coach Kirby Smart has this team rolling as of late and don’t expect that to change anytime soon.
Top 10 teams to make the 2023 College Football Playoff
is republished from Online.CasinoCity.com.
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