Clemson emerges as ’20 favorite after Bama rout
Dabo Swinney says it’s a blessing for Clemson to be champions again and the first 15-0 team in college football history. (2:23)
Clemson won its second national championship in the past three seasons Monday and is the favorite in Las Vegas to win next year’s title.
The SuperBook at the Westgate Las Vegas opened Alabama as the 3-2 (+150) favorite on Monday night during the title game, followed by Clemson at 7-2 (+350). After Clemson’s impressive performance in the first half, the odds were adjusted to Alabama 2-1 and Clemson 5-2 (+250), and eventually Clemson +180 and Alabama +250 by the end of the Tigers’ 44-16 win.
No other team has odds in single digits.
Jeff Sherman, VP of risk management at the SuperBook, told ESPN they initially made the Tide the favorite due to the “overwhelming support they receive even at the low odds.” The odds shifted based on the result of the title game and Clemson’s dominance.
Despite the loss and several highly touted players leaving for the NFL draft, Nick Saban’s team will return Heisman runner-up quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.
Ohio State (12-1), Georgia (12-1) and Michigan (14-1) were followed by Oklahoma (15-1), one of this year’s other playoff teams, with the next-best odds.
Texas is 20-1, and Nebraska, Washington, Florida and Notre Dame open with 25-1 odds. Oregon, which returns star QB Justin Herbert is 30-1.
Penn State (100-1), Florida State (100-1), Michigan State (200-1) and Stanford (200-1) are among big-name programs with longer odds next season.
Next year’s championship game will be held on Jan. 13, 2020, at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans.
Last month, FanDuel paid out all straight bets from customers who picked Alabama to win the 2019 national championship. With Clemson bringing home the title Monday night, the company now has to pay out winners on both ends but said in a statement it has “no regrets.”