College Football National Championship Futures: How 'Bout Them Georgia Bulldogs?
John Supowitz ran through three college football national championship contender futures bets.
As we get to the halfway point of the college football season, we’ve seen a lot moving around in the rankings, changing the landscape of who is looked at as a national title contender.
There were four ranked opponents that lost to non-ranked opponents, including two in top 10.
There are three top teams that continue to play at a high level this season, and we’ll look at those championship contenders that deserve attention.
All odds via DraftKings
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Futures Bets For CFB National Title Contenders
Georgia Bulldogs
Georgia has been going about its business during the first few weeks of the season and dominating games.
The Bulldogs have crushed opponents early on, posting a +200-point differential in their first five games. While they have played a couple of non-conference games, three of those games have been against SEC opponents.
Their first real test came this past weekend against No. 5 Alabama. The Crimson Tide kept it close and led 14-10 at halftime. However, in the tough environment of Tuscaloosa, the Bulldogs came back for the 20-17 victory.
Georgia showed its depth despite missing several players. Running backs Nate Frazier and Chauncey Bowens did not play, and it was Dwight Phillips Jr. who stepped up with a huge 120-yard rushing performance.
The defense also played a large role, holding Keelon Russell to a season-low 185 passing yards and sacking him four times.
The Bulldogs are looking like the most complete team in the country. Their offense showed off early in the season, but when it struggled against Alabama, the defense stepped up, kept the game close, and made the comeback possible.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Notre Dame continues to show strength on both sides of the ball. The Irish are coming off a 58-7 win over Stanford, marking the fourth time this season they have scored 40 or more points while holding opponents to 13 points or fewer.
They showed fantastic offensive balance in this matchup.
The backfield looked like a three-headed monster. Jonas Walton had a huge game with 181 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns; Nolan James had 73 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns; and Aneyas Williams caught a 70-yard touchdown reception.
C.J. Carr had another great day; he threw for 181 passing yards, averaging 9.1 yards per completion, and 3 touchdowns.
The defense might be one of the best units in the country. They are fourth in the nation in points allowed per game (11.0) and third in takeaways (14).
The next three weeks will determine whether the Fighting Irish are the real deal. This week, they face a tough road test in Provo against No. 8 BYU. Two weeks later they host No. 3 Miami. If they can beat these teams, they'll be a title favorite.
Utah Utes
During the preseason, Texas Tech and BYU looked like the two leading candidates to win the Big 12, but Utah might be throwing its hat in the ring.
Last week, the Utes faced their first big test of the season against Kansas. The Jayhawks trailed by only three points entering the fourth quarter, but the Utes scored 14 unanswered points.
Devon Dampier is turning into a real dual threat. This was one of his best performances of the season, with 238 passing yards, 3 passing touchdowns, a season-high 71 rushing yards, and 1 rushing touchdown.
Dampier’s rushing performance paled in comparison to what Wayshawn Parker did against Kansas. Parker had his second straight game with at least 170 rushing yards and 2 rushing touchdowns.
Parker and Dampier are helping the Utes build one of the best ground games, which ranks eighth in the country in rushing yards per game (238.0) and 11th in EPA per rush (+0.19).
They are also showing off a strong defense, ranking seventh in points allowed per game (13.0) and eighth in yards allowed per play (4.6).
Utah will face BYU in a few weeks, and if they can go into that game undefeated and win, then they will be in a good position to get to the Big 12 Championship.
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