CFP National Championship Betting - Football Odds

CFP National Championship Betting

The College Football Playoff National Championship Game for the 2023 season took place on January 8, 2024 at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas and it was the No. 1 Michigan Wolverines defeating the No. 2 Washington Huskies by a score of 34-13. The Wolverines defeated the Alabama Crimson Tide in one of the College Football Playoff semifinal games, winning 27-20 in overtime, while the Washington Huskies outlasted the Texas Longhorns in the other semifinal game, winning 37-31. The Wolverines controlled the College Football National Championship Game from start to finish and it was Michigan covering the 5.5-point spread with the total going under the number of 55.5. The College Football National Championship Game at the conclusion of the 2023 season marked the end of the four-team playoff. The College Football Playoff will expand to 12 teams for the 2024 season.

College Football Betting Lines

The Michigan Wolverines were listed as the favorite on the moneyline to win the national title at odds of -192, while the Huskies were +170 on the moneyline. The Wolverines not only won the national title game outright, they easily covered the 5.5-point spread and the game was never in danger of going over the total.

2023-2024 College Football National Championship Game

Michigan Wolverines 34 Washington Huskies 13

In the College Football Playoff title game on Monday, January 8, 2024, No. 1 Michigan, led by Jim Harbaugh, defeated No. 2 Washington 34–13. Blake Corum ran for 134 yards and two touchdowns in the fourth quarter. The team seemed unfazed by suspensions and a case of sign-stealing that followed the program.

With 3:37 remaining, Corum, who had earlier in the Rose Bowl semifinal against Alabama scored the game-winning touchdown in overtime, blasted in from the 1-yard line to put Michigan ahead by 21 and ignited yet another wild reenactment of "The Victors," securing the Wolverines' (15-0) first national championship since 1997.

Despite missing six regular-season games this season due to separate sanctions, Harbaugh delivered the championship that so many had anticipated when he took over a failing powerhouse in 2015. And he did it with a team that Bo Schembechler, his former coach, would have been proud of. In their victory over Washington, the Wolverines amassed 303 yards on the ground, while their defense, which twice intercepted the Heisman Trophy runner-up, Michael Penix Jr., held the Huskies' explosive passing game to just one touchdown.

Penix finished his six-year collegiate career with what may have been his poorest game of the year. Penix was not nearly as accurate against a Michigan defense that negated his hallmark deep throws. Penix threw for 255 yards and a touchdown on 27 of 51 attempts. J.J. McCarthy of Michigan had a quiet game, passing for 140 yards and gaining 31. However, it was sufficient to raise his record to 27-1 while starting for the Wolverines.

The Wolverines led 17-3 early in the second quarter because of two lengthy touchdown runs by Donovan Edwards and 229 yards of rushing in the first quarter, which brought back thoughts of the historic Georgia rout of TCU last year.

In the first half, Washington steadied and didn't let the Wolverines score another point. With 4:46 remaining in the second quarter, the Huskies stopped Michigan on a fourth-and-2 from the UW 38, and Penix got to work. With 42 seconds remaining in the first half, he connected with Jalen McMillan for a 3-yard score on a fourth-and-goal. The Huskies were down 17–10 at the half.

After Will Johnson intercepted Penix on the opening play of the second half, Michigan had another chance to take a two-touchdown lead, but they had to settle for James Turner's field goal to make the score 20–10.

Up until halfway through the fourth quarter, Michigan maintained a touchdown lead. However, the Wolverines eventually gained some breathing room with a 27-13 lead with 7:09 remaining after a 71-yard drive that was finished by a tackle-breaking 12-yard touchdown from Corum who was recognized as the national championship game's offensive player.

National Championship Game Format

The College Football Playoff National Championship Game pairs the winning teams from the College Football Playoff semifinal rounds. Seven teams have made it to the CFP multiple times since its inception with Alabama and Clemson leading the way. Ohio State and Georgia have both made it to the CFP National Championship Game twice, while Notre Dame, and Oklahoma have never made it this far as they are winless in the CFP.

CFP National Championship Past Results

The Wolverines broke the stranglehold that the SEC had in the title game, as an SEC team had won the College Football Playoff National Championship Game for four straight seasons until Michigan broke that trend. LSU was the most dominant team we’ve seen in years during the 2019 campaign and Alabama smashed Ohio State at the conclusion of the 2020 season. Georgia toppled Alabama in 2021 after a heartbreaking loss to the Crimson Tide at the end of the 2017 season in Atlanta, and the Bulldogs completely dominated TCU from start to finish to win to wrap up the 2022 season. Michigan controlled Washington to take the national championship for the 2023 regular season.

CFP National Championship By Team

Three programs have stood above the rest when it comes to college football in the CFP era. Alabama, Georgia and Clemson have clearly been the elite programs in the nation, although the Tigers have not made it to the CFP for the last three seasons. These three schools have combined to win seven of the last eight national championships.

Georgia has emerged as the new team to beat in the current era. The Bulldogs became the first team in the CFP era to win consecutive titles in 2022, and they nearly knocked off Alabama in overtime of the 2017 National Championship Game. Kirby Smart has built a Death Star in Athens, and the Bulldogs look to be a serious contender for the foreseeable future.

Since its inception, two teams have been constant fixtures in the College Football Playoff. Alabama has made it to the CFP eight times and has played in the CFP National Championship Game six times. The Crimson Tide are 3-3 in the national championship, with two of their losses coming to the other power in this era.

Clemson went to the CFP for six straight seasons from 2015 to 2020. The Tigers lost twice in the national semifinals, and they made it to the title game four times. They bested Alabama twice thanks to standout performances from Trevor Lawrence and Deshaun Watson.

Now, it might be Georgia’s turn to dominate. The Bulldogs secured the biggest blowout in national championship history with a 65-7 throttling of TCU at the end of the 2022 season to win their second straight national championship. They are the first team to repeat as national champions in the CFP era. The Bulldogs did not get a chance to three-peat, as they were left out of the 2023 College Football Playoff.

2023-24 College Football Bowl Games

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