Odds to win the 2015 CFP Championship

Odds to win the 2015 CFP Championship

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This upcoming college football season the NCAA will switch to a four-team playoff to determine the national championship. The following is a brief breakdown of the top-four contenders to not only make it into the initial field, but to win it all based on odds provided by Bovada.

Alabama Crimson Tide 11/2

Alabama's bid for a third-straight national championship came to an end with a stunning last-second loss to Auburn in the SEC Championship Game, but when you have a program that has won three NCAAF titles in five seasons it is going to be one of the favorites every year. Head coach Nick Saban has once again reloaded with some of the best high school talent in the nation to add depth to a solid chunk of starters back from last year's squad.

Look for the Crimson Tide to rely heavily on a ground game that will feature a pair of Heisman Trophy hopefuls in TJ Yeldon and Derrick Henry. This offense averaged 205.6 rushing yards a game last year led by Yeldon's 6.1 yards per carry. The defense will have a number of new faces scattered throughout the lineup with just five starters back including linebacker Trey DePriest and safety Landon Collins.

Florida State 11/2

The Seminoles went a perfect 14-0 last season on its way to winning the final BCS Championship with a tight victory over Auburn in the title game. While they did lose a couple of key pieces from that squad, there is more than enough returning talent, especially on the offensive side of the ball, to make another run at a title this season. Bovada has set the moneyline at -250 that Florida State makes it into the four-team playoff to hammer home this point.

Leading the way is quarterback Jameis Winston, who won last year's Heisman Trophy as college football's most outstanding player. He took the world by storm as a true freshman with 4,057 passing yards and 40 touchdown throws. Adding even more fuel to a scoring machine that averaged 51.6 points per game is the return of running back Karlos Williams as well as wide receiver Rashad Greene. Keep in mind that the Seminoles' defense was ranked first in the nation in points allowed (12.1).

Oregon Ducks 7/1

The Ducks were perennial national title contenders during Chip Kelly's four-year run as head coach and they opened last season as 7/1 fourth-favorites to win it all with Mark Helfrich at the helm. Things did not go as planned with regular season losses to Stanford and Arizona State that derailed any title hopes, but with a wealth of talent back on offense, Oregon remains in prime position for another deep run this year.

One of the main reasons for the high expectations is the return of quarterback Marcus Mariota, who has the second-best odds to Winston to win this season's Heisman Trophy. He is a proven duel threat after throwing for 3,665 yards and 31 touchdowns and running for 715 yards and nine scores in last year's campaign making this 6-foot-4, 215 lbs. stud a true playmaker in every sense of the word. The main concern for Oregon could be a defense that was ranked 13th in the nation in points allowed, but had its share of issues stopping some of the better teams it faced.

Oklahoma 9/1

The last time the Sooners hoisted a national championship trophy was back in 2000 and they were runner-ups three times since then, but all the ingredients appear to be in place to end that drought in 2014. Veteran head coach Bob Stoops comes into this season with nine starters back on a defense that is clearly the strength of this team. He will also have seven starters back on an offense that averaged 32.8 points per game.

The biggest unknown entity on this team is quarterback Trevor Knight. After posting some very pedestrian numbers while splitting time with Blake Bell during the regular season, Knight caught everyone's attention in the Sugar Bowl by shredding Alabama for 348 yards passing and four touchdowns in Oklahoma's 45-31 upset as a 17-point underdog. The Sooners' top receiver Jalen Saunders has moved on, but Sterling Shepard returns after finishing second on the team with 51 receptions for 603 yards.

The Best of the Rest

Bovada's odds for few of the other top contenders to win a national title start with last year's runner-up Auburn at 10/1. Ohio State has gone 12-0 in each of the last two regular seasons in the Big Ten and its odds to carry that success into the postseason this year by winning it all have been set at 12/1. UCLA is projected to be the second-best team in the Pac-12 and its odds to win a national championship have been set at 14/1.

Next on the list is a pair of SEC powers with Georgia at 18/1 odds followed by LSU at 20/1. Michigan State out of the Big Ten and the Pac-12's USC Trojans have been listed at 25/1 odds to win the national title.