On the eve of the Week 13 College Football Playoff poll release, we take a look at the favorites to win this year’s national championship. Updated odds, courtesy of the Las Vegas Westgate SuperBook, are in parentheses.
Alabama (3-2)
Record: 10-1
Rank: 2
Trending: The Tide has been ascending steadily since its loss to Ole Miss in September and has scarcely been challenged over the last two months.
Ahead: With a win over 14-point underdog Auburn this weekend, Alabama can clinch a berth in the SEC title game where Florida awaits. Barring a loss, the Tide appears entrenched in the selection committee’s top four.
Clemson (4-1)
Record: 11-0
Rank: 1
Trending: The Tigers, who opened the season at 20-1 odds, were down to 7-2 before edging back up to 4-1 this week. They’ve held the top spot in the CFB playoff poll all three weeks thus far.
Ahead: Clemson is favored by 17.5 over a South Carolina team coming off a loss to The Citadel this weekend, and will take on a streaking North Carolina team in the ACC Championship game the following Saturday. The Tarheels haven’t loss since falling to South Carolina in the season opener.
Oklahoma (7-1)
Odds: 10-1
Rank: 7
Trending: The Sooners have won six straight since falling to Texas, including wins over Baylor and TCU in consecutive weeks. Last week’s win over the Horned Frogs—preserved when safety Stephen Parker batted down a two-point conversion pass in the waning moments of the fourth quarter—was the first time during the winning streak the Sooners have scored fewer than 44 points. They’ll likely be on the rise when this week’s poll is released, thanks to losses to No. 3 Ohio State and No. 6 Oklahoma State.
Ahead: Quarterback Baker Mayfield left last week’s game after taking a shot to the head, but has been cleared to practice ahead of this week’s game at Oklahoma State. A win in Saturday’s season finale would clinch the Big 12 title for the Sooners.
Baylor (8-1)
Record: 9-1
Rank: 10
Trending: Following a loss to Oklahoma in their second game without starting quarterback Seth Russell, the Bears were listed at 60-1 odds last week. But a 45-35 win over Oklahoma State changes Baylor’s prospects dramatically.
Ahead: The Bears are at TCU this week—likely led by their third-team quarterback—followed by the regular season finale at home against Texas; but almost as much is riding on the Bedlam Game this weekend. Baylor needs to win out and get an Oklahoma State win over the Sooners to clinch the Big 12 title.
Notre Dame (8-1)
Record: 10-1
Rank: 4
Trending: The Irish are perfect other than a two-point loss at No. 1 Clemson and have consistently improved their odds since then. They’re coming off an ugly 19-16 win over Boston College, but will have an opportunity to impress pollsters in the regular season finale at Stanford this week.
Ahead: The Irish will be without veteran starting cornerback KeiVarae Russell and leading rusher C.J. Prosise this week due to injury, and may need an impressive showing to hold onto a spot in the playoffs. Notre Dame doesn’t have a true signature win, and numerous other one-loss teams—not to mention unbeaten Iowa—are closing in.
Michigan State (12-1)
Record: 9-1
Rank: 9
Trending: The Spartans should be gaining ground in this week’s poll after an upset win over No. 3 Ohio State with their backup quarterback. That makes a 39-38 loss to Nebraska earlier this month easier to forget.
Ahead: Michigan State can clinch the Big Ten East with a win over Penn State on Saturday, and would face currently unbeaten Iowa in the conference title game.
Iowa (20-1)
Record: 11-0
Rank: 5
Trending: Still plugging away as the inconvenient unbeaten, the Hawkeyes have dropped their odds from 1,000-1 since the preseason. They’ve sitting at No. 5 in the playoff committee’s rankings for the last two weeks and could crack the top four when the updates polls are announced Tuesday.
Ahead: Iowa has already clinched the Big Ten West and will take on either Michigan State, Ohio State or Michigan in the conference championship on Dec. 5. They’ll finish the regular season as a 1.5-point favorite at Nebraska this weekend.
Ohio State (20-1)
Record: 10-1
Rank: 3
Trending: The Buckeyes picked a bad time to loss for the first time in 23 games, as last week’s defeat to Michigan State will leave them little time to rebound in the polls. The defending national champions have been the favorite to repeat throughout the season, but with a single game left in the regular season Ohio State needs a win and some help to make it back to the conference title game.
Ahead: The Buckeyes can still win the Big 10 West, but a win over rival Michigan won’t get it done. They also need Penn State to pull off the upset against Michigan State.
Others: Florida (25-1); Oklahoma State (25-1); Michigan (30-1); Stanford (50-1); North Carolina (60-1).