11 Teams with the Best Odds to Qualify for the 2015-16 College Football Playoff
With spring practices complete and the biggest stretch of the offseason ahead, preseason picks are starting to pop up all across the country, from online outlets to season preview magazines.
The most talked-about predictions each year used to be found on Top 25 lists, but with college football's new format, the four playoff picks are the ones fans want to know and debate as the calendar flips closer and closer to the fall.
One of the best ways to find out which teams are the favorites to qualify for the second-ever College Football Playoff is to check out what the experts in Vegas think about this year's field.
According to Odds Shark, these are the 11 teams that currently have the best odds of winning the College Football Playoff this season.
While all four teams from last season's playoff are among the favorites, a few names that were on the outside looking in last season are already building up plenty of buzz for 2015.
LSU
1 of 11
Odds: 29/1
2014 Record: 8-5
Since 2008, only one team outside the state of Alabama has won the SEC West—the LSU Tigers. And while Les Miles' squad hasn't competed for the national title since the 2011 season, LSU could claw its way out of what looks to be a wide-open division and grab a playoff berth.
The Tigers' usual strengths are back. Even with a new coordinator in Kevin Steele, LSU should have one of the nation's best defenses once again thanks to its mixture of returning talent and highly rated underclassmen. The power-running offense will be led by superstar sophomore Leonard Fournette, who should build off a successful first campaign in which he ran for 10 touchdowns and more than 1,000 yards.
Once again, uncertainty at quarterback is the biggest thing holding LSU back from being a serious title contender. But these past few seasons have shown that when the Tigers are playing at their full potential, they look like a group that can beat anyone in the entire country.
Georgia
2 of 11
Odds: 29/1
2014 Record: 10-3
The odds-on favorite in the SEC East, Georgia also boasts a star-powered running game and a defense that looks ready to take the next step into elite territory.
Nick Chubb is coming off one of the best true freshman seasons in college football history and should only improve as the clear-cut No. 1 running back in Athens. Defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt has several key players to replace from last year's defense, but a streak of highly rated recruiting classes have the shelves stocked with young stars ready to storm onto the scene.
If Mark Richt and his team can avoid the annual letdown losses, defeat either Alabama or Auburn in the regular season and knock off the Western division champion in Atlanta this December, the Bulldogs should be locks for the College Football Playoff.
Michigan State
3 of 11
Odds: 28/1
2014 Record: 11-2
If anyone is set up to knock Ohio State off its perch before the College Football Playoff rolls around, it's Michigan State. The Spartans have a talented veteran in Connor Cook at quarterback and a nasty set of lines who should give anyone on their schedule plenty of trouble.
The Spartans are expected to be in the hunt for the Big Ten title, and, in turn, the national title thanks to the consistency the program has built in recent years. Even though Michigan State has questions about the new talent in both its offensive and defensive backfields, Mark Dantonio has led 10-win teams in four of the last five seasons.
The 2015 schedule looks rough thanks to an early-season visit from Oregon and a November trip to Ohio State that could determine the Big Ten's Eastern division champion. Great performances throughout the season and an upset win in the Horseshoe would definitely put the Spartans on the fast track to the playoff.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Baylor
4 of 11
Odds: 24/1
2014 Record: 11-2
The Big 12 is going to have "One True Champion" this season, and Baylor is a heavy favorite to battle TCU for that crown. Between their video-game offense and improving defense, the Bears have the potential to run the table in 2015.
Quarterback Seth Russell looks set to inherit the keys to head coach Art Briles' explosive attack, which has led the nation in scoring and total yards per game each of the last two seasons. Points and yards shouldn't be a problem for the offense—the question is if athletic freak Shawn Oakman and the rest of Baylor's defense can do enough to stay in the win column.
Baylor's easy non-conference schedule most likely means that the Bears need to win the Big 12 in order to have a shot at the four-team playoff. If the Bears can light up scoreboards and pass road tests against Kansas State, Oklahoma State and especially TCU, they'll get the title chance they didn't receive last season.
Oregon
5 of 11
Odds: 19/1
2014 Record: 13-2 (Lost CFP National Championship to Ohio State)
Like Baylor, fans know what to expect out of Oregon this season. While Heisman winner Marcus Mariota is off to the NFL, breakout back Royce Freeman and the rest of the Ducks' offensive system should still put up extraordinary numbers as the defense holds opponents off for big wins.
Even with the turnover of talent in Eugene, Oregon is still favored to win the Pac-12 North and be in the Top 10 for most of the season. An early test against Michigan State will go a long way into determining if the Ducks are still the ones to beat out West.
Oregon has won at least 10 games in its last seven seasons and plays in one of the best conferences in college football. Repeating that success and taking home another Pac-12 title would put the Ducks back into the playoff and on the brink of revenge for last season's championship game loss.
Auburn
6 of 11
Odds: 18/1
2014 Record: 8-5
An early-season favorite to contend for the 2014 national title after 2013's surprise run to the final BCS Championship Game, Auburn collapsed in the back half of its schedule and slumped to a disappointing eight-win season.
But title hype is still surrounding the Tigers, who still have one of the nation's most prolific offenses and now a more prototypical quarterback in junior Jeremy Johnson. Gus Malzahn took a huge step in upgrading his defense in the offseason by hiring former Florida head coach Will Muschamp as his coordinator and signing several blue-chip players who are set to make early impacts.
The schedule looks more favorable for Auburn this season with both Georgia and Alabama visiting Jordan-Hare Stadium late in the season. Improvement on the defensive side of the ball could push Auburn back into the national championship picture as the Malzahn offense continues to light up the SEC.
USC
7 of 11
Odds: 15/1
2014 Record: 9-4
National championship buzz in Vegas is back on a team from Los Angeles this season, and it's not UCLA, which has had the upper hand in the city the last few seasons.
USC has built a talented roster of weapons around star quarterback Cody Kessler and throughout a defense that looks to be on the verge of becoming one of the Pac-12's best. Double-digit wins look like the expectation again for the Trojans, who are led by second-year head coach Steve Sarkisian.
Road trips at Arizona State, Notre Dame and Oregon won't do the Trojans any favors. But if USC wins one of the nation's fiercest divisions and wins a possible rematch with Oregon in the Pac-12 Championship Game, this blue-blood program will be back in the national championship picture again.
Florida State
8 of 11
Odds: 14/1
2014 Record: 13-1 (Lost CFP Semifinal to Oregon)
Like many of the teams on this list, question marks are all over Florida State's resume as a preseason national championship contender. But Jimbo Fisher still has one of the most talented rosters in college football and coaches a team that has dominated its conference the last few years.
The transfer of Everett Golson to Florida State potentially gives the Seminoles a starting quarterback with experience on a team that played for the national championship—Notre Dame in 2013. Thanks to the last few star-studded recruiting classes in Tallahassee, the Florida State defense looks ready to reload from a massive talent exodus to the NFL.
Another undefeated run through the ACC would have the Seminoles playing for the national title for the third straight season. If the top four teams from Las Vegas' current title odds made it to the playoff, Florida State would be in at No. 4.
TCU
9 of 11
Odds: 19/2
2014 Record: 12-1
TCU is led by the player many are calling the best in college football for the 2015 season and finished the 2014 campaign as the team no one in the country wanted to play.
With quarterback Trevone Boykin and an offense that rivals Baylor's as the best in the Big 12 and the entire nation, TCU is set up to be a title favorite from the start of the season. New starters on defense will be the biggest hesitation with the Horned Frogs, but head coach Gary Patterson has the advantage of being a defensive guy at heart.
TCU gets home-field advantage in the Baylor matchup, which could be this season's version of the Big 12 title game. The way the Horned Frogs finished the 2014 season and the experience in key positions make them a program many experts are penciling into their preseason playoff brackets.
Alabama
10 of 11
Odds: 17/2
2014 Record: 12-2 (Lost CFP Semifinal to Ohio State)
Surprise—Alabama is one of the favorites to win the national championship once again. Nick Saban's process of getting the best recruiting classes each year and developing those players into All-Americans and national title contenders is showing no signs of slowing down, even after back-to-back seasons without a national title game appearance.
The quarterback situation and tough schedule are giving some critics reason to doubt Alabama heading into the season. But with players such as Derrick Henry, A'Shawn Robinson and Reggie Ragland back in Tuscaloosa, the Crimson Tide are once again the favorites to win the SEC and grab a College Football Playoff spot.
If there is any program built to burst through the uncertainty of a new season and get back into the national championship picture, it's Alabama. This team might not have as strong of a lock on the conference and the country as it used to, but counting on the Tide to contend again seems to be a smart choice.
Ohio State
11 of 11
Odds: 19/4
2014 Record: 14-1 (Won CFP National Championship over Oregon)
Ohio State's national title run from last season, coupled with the amount of starters returning for 2015, make the Buckeyes the hands-down favorites to not only get back into the College Football Playoff but to win the whole thing again.
The Buckeyes have three established winners to choose from at quarterback, a Heisman favorite at running back in Ezekiel Elliott and a top-tier defense loaded with difference-makers. The early stretch of the season sets up well for a perfect run, and their biggest competition in the Big Ten has to come to their home stadium.
Urban Meyer's team will enter the 2015 season as one of the strongest national title favorites in recent memory. As the defending champion, another Big Ten title should punch Ohio State's ticket to the playoff and put the Buckeyes one step closer to starting a title-winning dynasty.
Justin Ferguson is an on-call college football writer at Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @JFergusonBR.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
