College Football National Championship Futures Bets: Is Miami Even Better?
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College Football National Championship Futures Bets: Is Miami Even Better?

John Supowitz revealed three teams that are prime college football National Championship futures bets.

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We’re a couple of weeks into the college football season, and we’ve already seen some teams are rising as potential National Championship favorites, while others are falling to Earth.

These three teams have put their stamp on the championship conversation, and look like the real deal. 

All odds via DraftKings

CFB National Championship Futures Picks

Notre Dame Fighting Irish (+650)

Notre Dame has been dominant on both sides of the ball over its last two games and has now scored 66 unanswered points. 

The Fighting Irish look like the nation's best defense, allowing the third-fewest points per game (6.5) and forcing the third-most fumbles (3).

CJ Carr has been efficient, ranking 11th in QB rating (191.2). Running back Aneyas Williams had a strong game against Wisconsin, finishing with 90 rushing yards on 4.5 yards per carry. No one on offense has put up huge numbers yet because the starters haven’t needed to play a full game.

Notre Dame may have an easy path to the College Football Playoff, as its strength of schedule ranks 66th by College Football expert Phil Steele. 

The Fightin Irish’s biggest game of the season will be against No. 5 Miami. Their loss to the Hurricanes last season knocked Notre Dame out of the College Football Playoff. Even though Notre Dame finished the regular season in the top 12, the committee decided to bump them out in favor of Miami.

Given how Miami has looked to start the season, if Notre Dame beats them, the Irish could be the best team in the FBS.

Texas Longhorns (+650)

Let’s talk about the team that was tested and passed. The Longhorns lifted a big weight off their shoulders in Week 2, avenging their loss to Ohio State. Watching the first 45 minutes, with Texas trailing 23-3, it looked like it would be another crushing loss to Ohio State. The Longhorns would hook em’ with 21 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to pull off the upset over the No. 1 Buckeyes.

In that final quarter, quarterback Arch Manning had his coming-out party. He looked every bit like his uncles Peyton and Eli, marching down the field under pressure, converting potential game-deciding fourth downs and leading his team to victory.

This was the test the Longhorns needed given their upcoming conference schedule. They face a tough SEC schedule, with six of their nine opponents ranked in the top 25 and three in the top 10. If they can get through this schedule and play in the SEC championship, it’s hard to argue against them being the best team in the nation. 

Miami Hurricanes (+800)

The Hurricanes have not had the toughest start to this season, but given the dominance they’ve shown in those games, they are ready to face the real competition.

Last week, they crushed Florida A&M, starting the game with a program-record 49 points in the first half. The score was so lopsided, with Miami up 77-0, that both teams agreed to shorten the fourth quarter to 10 minutes.

Quarterback Darian Mensah is quickly emerging as a Heisman Trophy candidate, leading the country in passing yards (635) and passing touchdowns (8).

Mensah’s top receiver, Malachi Toney, may also receive Heisman consideration as he builds on the momentum from a fantastic freshman year. He exploded all over the stat sheet against Stanford, recording 234 receiving yards and 3 touchdowns. Last week, he had only 96 yards on 4 catches, including a touchdown, but the starters played only the first half.

As expected, the defense has looked excellent against inferior opponents. The Canes defense hopes to match last year's dominance, despite losing some top stars. 

It feels impossible to be better than last year’s team that made it to the National Championship, but this year’s Miami team might be.

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