2019 CFP National Championship - Betting Odds to Win

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CFP National Championship Betting

In an effort to remove any doubt and crown an undisputed national champion, the College Football Playoff was born and introduced following the 2014 season. While the format has been widely successful, it isn’t without detractors. There will always be teams that feel deserving of a spot and get snubbed. That’s just how it is in a subjective selection process. But it’s what we have and the Super Bowl of college football will celebrate its fifth anniversary at Levi’s Stadium with the winners of the Orange Bowl and Cotton Bowl squaring off on January 7, 2019.

2019 CFP National Championship at a Glance

Date: Monday, January 7, 2019

Time: 8 p.m. ET

Venue: Levi’s Stadium

Location: Santa Clara, California

Teams: National Semifinal Winners

TV: ESPN

CFP National Championship Format

Through a selection process by a 13-member committee, the top four teams are ranked No. 1 through No. 4 and compete in the College Football Playoff. The bracket-style format pits No. 1 vs. No. 4 and No. 2 vs. No. 3 in the national semifinals, which are played the week before the National Championship Game.

The two semifinals rotate between six major bowl games. For the 2018 season, the Orange Bowl and Cotton Bowl will host the semifinals with the winner of those games meeting in Santa Clara. The Fiesta and Peach Bowls will be a semifinal destination next season with the Rose and Sugar Bowls entertaining semifinalists for the 2020 season.

The first CFP following the 2014 season was a huge success at the turnstiles with over a quarter of a million fans attending the three games. The first national championship game attracted 85,788 fans to ATT Stadium to watch Ohio State claim the title with a victory over the Oregon Ducks.

CFP National Championship Game Results

Last year, for the first time in the game’s brief history, two schools from the same conference squared off when the Tide defeated Georgia, 26-23, in an overtime thriller. Alabama didn’t win or compete in the SEC title game, but was invited to the CFP for a fourth time. Georgia, which won the SEC title, made its first appearance.

The inaugural title game was the most lopsided to date with Ohio State upsetting 7-point favorite Oregon, 42-20. The Buckeyes held a 1-point lead midway through the third quarter before future first-round draft pick Ezekiel Elliott went off. Elliott scored the game’s final three touchdowns and totaled 246 rush yards, a record that still stands. OSU won its first national title since 2002 and its eighth overall.

The middle games featured two barnburners between the same teams. Alabama won the 2015 season game, 45-40, by holding off a late Clemson comeback bid and handing the Tigers their only loss. The Tide was coming off a shutout of Michigan State in the semis, but had a tough time containing Deshaun Watson, who amassed a national championship game record with 478 total yards.

Watson’s touchdown pass with 12 seconds remaining pulled Clemson close, but Bama recovered the onside kick to seal the victory. The teams combined for over 1,000 yards of offense with Clemson producing 550 against the nation’s third-best defense.

The rematch a year later was just as scintillating with Clemson able to exact its revenge, handing Alabama its only loss of the season, 35-31. It was also the first ever rematch between No. 1 and No. 2 in a national championship game. Clemson had a number of players return for just this reason with Deshaun Watson being one of them, and he went out in style. Watson set a CFP title game record with 420 passing yards, the final two coming on a touchdown with one second left on the clock for the game-winner.

The final four-and-a-half minutes were heart-stopping. Wayne Gallman’s touchdown gave the Tigers a 28-24 lead, only to watch Jalen Hurts throw a scoring pass with 2:31 remaining for a 31-28 Tide advantage. Taking over with just over two minutes remaining, Watson delivered his finest moment.

Most All-Time Wins at CFP National Championship

Largely considered the best conference in college football, the Southeastern has proved it sending four teams to the national championship game and coming away with a pair of victories. Led by Nick Saban, Alabama has been a dynasty and is the only team to appear in all four CFP tournaments reaching the championship game in each of the last three years and winning the SEC’s two titles.

The ACC, Pac-12 and Big Ten have sent only one representative to the CFP title game and Clemson is the only other team to make multiple appearances. With the balance of power in the hands of just a few teams, it could be a few more years before that trend is broken.

Only the Big 12 has yet to make an appearance in the CFP title game, though the league had its chances. Oklahoma reached the playoff in the 2015 and 2017 seasons only to fall in the semifinals.

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