There's been a lot of talk since Clemson beat Alabama for to win its second national title in three years about whether or not the Tigers have surpassed the Crimson Tide as a program. There's no telling how many hours of sports radio this discussion has consumed, but from my personal experience doing radio interviews during the offseason, it's a popular topic.
And if title odds are any indicator, Clemson might not have surpassed Alabama, but it has certainly caught it.
The Westgate Superbook has released its updated national title odds for the 2019 season, and both Alabama and Clemson are listed as 9/4, making them co-favorites to win the championship. This is significant because, when odds were first released in January, Alabama was 3/2 while Clemson was 7/2. So clearly the public believes Clemson is now on equal footing with the Tide.
The next closest to those two titans would be Georgia, which has moved from 12-1 to 6-1.
What's perhaps the better indicator of the gap between Alabama and Clemson and everybody else is another prop Westgate has available.
You can bet on Alabama or Clemson to win the national title this season at a price of -170 or you can take the field at +145.
While the SEC having six teams at 50-1 or better is interesting, what I find the most interesting about these odds is what's happening in the Pac-12. In the Pac-12 North we see that Oregon is at 40-1 while Washington is at 50-1 (Stanford is at 200-1), and in the South, Utah is 80-1, ahead of USC at 100-1. While I understand what's going on with Utah ahead of USC, I'm not sure what Oregon has done to receive better odds than Washington. Odds are it's the appeal of Heisman candidate and possible top NFL draft pick Justin Herbert. Based on this, if you can find odds where Washington isn't the favorite to win the North somewhere, I'd suggest taking the Huskies.
2020 national title odds
| Team | Open (January 17) | Current (June 3) |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 3/2 | 9/4 |
| Clemson | 7/2 | 9/4 |
| Georgia | 12-1 | 6-1 |
| Michigan | 12-1 | 12-1 |
| Ohio State | 10-1 | 14-1 |
| Oklahoma | 15-1 | 16-1 |
| LSU | 50-1 | 20-1 |
| Texas | 20-1 | 25-1 |
| Nebraska | 25-1 | 30-1 |
| Auburn | 50-1 | 30-1 |
| Florida | 25-1 | 40-1 |
| Oregon | 30-1 | 40-1 |
| Washington | 25-1 | 50-1 |
| Notre Dame | 25-1 | 50-1 |
| Texas A&M | 80-1 | 50-1 |
| Utah | 80-1 | 80-1 |
| Wisconsin | 50-1 | 100-1 |
| Mississippi State | 50-1 | 100-1 |
| Miami | 80-1 | 100-1 |
| Southern California | 80-1 | 100-1 |
| Virginia Tech | 100-1 | 100-1 |
| Penn State | 100-1 | 100-1 |
| Iowa | 100-1 | 100-1 |
| Florida State | 100-1 | 100-1 |
| Iowa State | 200-1 | 100-1 |
| TCU | 200-1 | 100-1 |
| Baylor | 200-1 | 100-1 |
| Michigan State | 200-1 | 200-1 |
| Washington State | 200-1 | 200-1 |
| Stanford Cardinal | 200-1 | 200-1 |
| Syracuse | 200-1 | 200-1 |
| Oklahoma State | 200-1 | 300-1 |
| Purdue | 200-1 | 300-1 |
| UCLA | 200-1 | 300-1 |
| Arizona | 200-1 | 500-1 |
| South Carolina | 300-1 | 500-1 |
| Tennessee | 300-1 | 500-1 |
| West Virginia | 300-1 | 500-1 |
| Central Florida | 500-1 | 500-1 |
| Houston | 500-1 | 500-1 |
| Virginia | 500-1 | 500-1 |
| Boise State | 500-1 | 500-1 |
| Utah State | 500-1 | 500-1 |
| BYU | 500-1 | 500-1 |
| Northwestern | 200-1 | 1000-1 |
| Arizona State | 300-1 | 1000-1 |
| Texas Tech | 300-1 | 1000-1 |
| California | 300-1 | 1000-1 |
| Fresno State | 500-1 | 1000-1 |
| Kansas State | 500-1 | 1000-1 |
| Kentucky | 1000-1 | 1000-1 |
| Kansas | 500-1 | 2000-1 |
| NC State | 500-1 | 2000-1 |
| Boston College | 500-1 | 2000-1 |
| Louisville | 500-1 | 2000-1 |
| Pittsburgh | 1000-1 | 2000-1 |
| Georgia Tech | 1000-1 | 2000-1 |
| Duke | 1000-1 | 2000-1 |
| Maryland | 1000-1 | 2000-1 |
| Minnesota | 1000-1 | 2000-1 |
| Colorado | 1000-1 | 2000-1 |
| Ole Miss | 1000-1 | 2000-1 |
| Arkansas | 1000-1 | 2000-1 |
| Wake Forest | 2000-1 | 2000-1 |
| North Carolina | 2000-1 | 2000-1 |
| Indiana | 2000-1 | 2000-1 |
| Vanderbilt | 5000-1 | 5000-1 |
| San Diego State | 5000-1 | 5000-1 |
| Rutgers | 10000-1 | 10000-1 |
| Illinois | 10000-1 | 10000-1 |
| Oregon State | 10000-1 | 10000-1 |
| Nevada | 10000-1 | 10000-1 |
| UNLV | 10000-1 | 10000-1 |
| Missouri | 300-1 | XX-1 |
-- via Westgate Superbook
