11 Teams with the Best Odds to Qualify for the 2016-17 College Football Playoff
National championship dreams are renewed each offseason, but the first step in winning the title is qualifying for the College Football Playoff.
Three months away from kickoff, a select group of programs are considered favorites to claiming a spot in the four-team tournament. Although most teams are the usual suspects, there's no runaway leader.
Odds Shark assigned futures odds for the eventual champion, so we know what Vegas thinks about the 2016 season.
The following list details the 11 teams most likely to reach the College Football Playoff—starting with a tie at the final spot.
Stanford
1 of 11
Odds: 20-1
2015 Record: 12-2
The lone Pac-12 program represented, Stanford has claimed three of the last four conference titles.
Versatile running back Christian McCaffrey—who set the Football Bowl Subdivision record for single-season all-purpose yards in 2015—will again highlight the Cardinal.
However, Stanford could have a little more trouble than advertised.
The offense must work in a replacement for longtime starter Kevin Hogan while opening the year against Kansas State, USC, UCLA, Washington, Washington State and Notre Dame. Early-season schedules don't get much more unforgiving than that.
If the Cardinal manage to escape that stretch at 6-0 or 5-1, they'll need to avoid a slip-up to inferior teams and snatch a road victory at Oregon before winning the Pac-12 Championship Game.
Notre Dame
2 of 11
Odds: 20-1
2015 Record: 10-3
Notre Dame is a promising team with a few questions to address.
First, will DeShone Kizer or Malik Zaire be the quarterback? The former guided the Irish to the Fiesta Bowl last season after an injury ended the latter's season. That competition will be decided during fall camp.
Regardless of the winner, he'll be throwing to new faces. Including running back C.J. Prosise, Notre Dame lost four of its top five receivers. Depending on Corey Robinson's decision, it might become five of six. The pieces are there, but that's a ton of production to replace.
And that transition is especially critical because of the defense. The Irish lost arguably their four most important defenders in Jaylon Smith, Sheldon Day, Joe Schmidt and Romeo Okwara, and the unit wasn't better than average anyway.
Fortunately for Notre Dame, the schedule is tremendously favorable. Michigan State, Stanford, Miami and Virginia Tech all visit South Bend, while the only key road games are Texas and USC.
If they answer each question, the Irish could slide into the College Football Playoff.
Florida State
3 of 11
Odds: 16-1
2015 Record: 10-3
Few teams return more starters than Florida State. And on offense, everyone—plus a handful of key reserves—is back.
The question is whether or not head coach Jimbo Fisher will tab a young quarterback over Sean Maguire. Redshirt freshman Deondre Francois could overtake the veteran and start the regular-season opener against Ole Miss. While that's an important game, though, it's not the most meaningful.
In addition to avoiding an upset, of course, FSU's season will depend on the result of its Oct. 29 matchup with Clemson. The Noles do hold the advantage of hosting the clash and have toppled the Tigers during each of the last four meetings in Tallahassee.
Other key matchups include Louisville, North Carolina, Miami and Florida, but Florida State's experienced roster will likely be favored in each one. As long as the quarterback situation gets settled, the Seminoles will be a CFP threat through the final weekend.
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Baylor
4 of 11
Odds: 16-1
2015 Record: 10-3
Serious off-field problems have affected Baylor's 2016 team. Matthew Watkins of the Texas Tribune reported the school has officially suspended head coach Art Briles "with intent to terminate."
Consequently, the team might not carry these odds for much longer. For now, Baylor will be included.
Seth Russell is expected to be healthy for the upcoming campaign. He was on a Heisman Trophy-worthy pace before a neck injury ended the quarterback's season. The Bears need him upright, because the roster needs to be restocked.
Only one starter on the offensive line returns. Standout receiver Corey Coleman and deep threat Jay Lee departed. The entire defensive line is gone, as well as top cornerback Xavien Howard.
But Baylor will encounter an inviting schedule—headlined by an easy nonconference slate. Oklahoma State and TCU come to Waco, and the Bears travel to Oklahoma and West Virginia.
Though uncertainty clouds the program, Baylor could overcome its self-created problems and win the Big 12.
Tennessee
5 of 11
Odds: 14-1
2015 Record: 9-4
Similar to Stanford, Tennessee is preparing for a relatively brutal stretch right away. Unlike the Cardinal, the Volunteers have their quarterback and a stout defense in place.
After opening the year against Appalachian State—perhaps one of the peskiest "Group of Five" teams in 2016—Tennessee faces Virginia Tech, Ohio, Florida, Georgia, Texas A&M and Alabama.
The Vols played themselves out of contention for anything during the first seven games of 2015, ceding three fourth-quarter leads, dropping a trio of conference games and losing four overall. But this season could be a different story.
Dual-threat signal-caller Joshua Dobbs leads a formidable offense, highlighted by running backs Jalen Hurd and Alvin Kamara. Tennessee's defense has three potential first-round NFL draft picks, so the unit should be among the SEC's best.
However, the Vols must immediately prove the hype correct. They simply don't have another choice for a CFP berth to be a realistic goal.
LSU
6 of 11
Odds: 14-1
2015 Record: 9-3
In order to save head coach Les Miles' job for the second time, LSU probably has no choice but to win the SEC. The roster is absolutely there for a championship run.
Leonard Fournette is the main attraction, but the Tigers defense—now with Dave Aranda as the coordinator—should be a top-10 unit nationally. The D-line and secondary are both strengths, so LSU only needs to fill in a couple of gaps at linebacker.
But all the attention boils down to two connected storylines: Is Brandon Harris a capable enough quarterback when it matters most—especially against Alabama?
The Tigers have dropped four consecutive regular-season outings to the Tide. Though the defense should keep LSU close, Harris and Fournette must finish stronger.
Otherwise, the program may be looking for a new head coach next summer.
Oklahoma
7 of 11
Odds: 10-1
2015 Record: 11-2
The No. 4 seed in the 2015 College Football Playoff, Oklahoma enters the 2016 campaign as the Big 12 favorite.
Although high-scoring offenses rule the conference—and the Sooners should put up plenty of points with quarterback Baker Mayfield slinging the ball—defense should be a relative strength in Norman as long as the front seven is solidified early.
Early, because the schedule is tough right away. Oklahoma begins the year at Houston, then hosts Ohio State two weeks later. Road or neutral-site matchups opposite TCU, Texas and Texas Tech follow, with a home meeting against Kansas State mixed in.
While that's a formidable stretch, the team's Big 12—and subsequently CFP—aspirations may come down to home results on Nov. 12 versus Baylor and Dec. 3 against rival Oklahoma State.
The Sooners should have a stronger defense than any conference foe, but they'll need to prove it twice in high-pressure contests.
Michigan
8 of 11
Odds: 10-1
2015 Record: 10-3
The first year of head coach Jim Harbaugh's tenure brought unexpectedly superb results. The second season has massive expectations.
Michigan has earned the attention, particularly because of a deep, experienced defense. Bleacher Report's Ben Axelrod wrote the 2016 unit could be among the best in college football history.
Like last year, the Wolverines can rely on their defense to carry the team for a majority of the campaign. A weak nonconference slate plus a home-heavy opening to Big Ten action suggests the Maize and Blue should waltz to a 7-0 start.
But then, the schedule's difficultly ramps up quickly. Michigan visits Michigan State, hosts Maryland, heads to Iowa, welcomes Indiana and travels to Ohio State during the closing weeks.
The Wolverines should have their answer at quarterback by then, and it's safe to believe they'll need Wilton Speight or John O'Korn to provide a winning boost instead of the defense at least once, perhaps twice, down the stretch.
Clemson
9 of 11
Odds: 8-1
2015 Record: 14-1
While Michigan's defense could be historically great, Clemson's offense carries the same lofty potential.
"Being able to improve on what we did this year with a lot more veterans, we have a chance to be one of the best offenses ever in college football," Deshaun Watson said at the 2015 Manning Award ceremony, per Bleacher Report's Barrett Sallee. "That's our motivation. To be the best ever."
Last season, Watson became the first quarterback in FBS history to throw for 4,000 yards and run for 1,000. Wayne Gallman set the program mark with 1,514 rushing yards. Five of the top six receivers—plus Mike Williams—are back, too.
The Tigers don't have a terribly tough schedule, but Auburn, Louisville and South Carolina are potential stumbling points for a roster that is reloading on defense.
But, most importantly, there's the Oct. 29 tilt in Tallahassee against Florida State. The winner likely takes the ACC Atlantic, wins the conference championship game and advances to the playoff.
Alabama
10 of 11
Odds: 7-1
2015 Record: 14-1
Another offseason, another summer of questions about the quarterback. It didn't matter in 2014 or 2015, though.
No matter one's personal thoughts about Alabama's trajectory this season, the program has earned the benefit of the doubt. Cooper Bateman, Blake Barnett and David Cornwell have the responsibility of proving whether or not that matters in 2016.
The pressure won't be solely on the quarterback, though. Head coach Nick Saban and Co. should roll out a powerful rushing attack and a dominant defense. That combination propelled the Tide to the playoff last season before quarterback Jake Coker put together career-best games.
Alabama must maneuver a schedule that includes a neutral-site opener versus USC as well as road matchups against Ole Miss, Tennessee and LSU.
But one loss won't derail the Tide's championship dreams—they've already proved it twice.
Ohio State
11 of 11
Odds: 7-1
2015 Record: 12-1
No roster lost as much talent as Ohio State. Save for Alabama, though, no program has recruited better than head coach Urban Meyer.
Plus, the Buckeyes return cornerstones in quarterback J.T. Barrett, center Pat Elflein and linebacker Raekwon McMillan. While the departures are absolutely significant, the trio composes a solid foundation.
The Sept. 17 showdown at Oklahoma will show the immediate readiness of Ohio State's youth, and consecutive road matchups (Oct. 15 at Wisconsin and Oct. 22 at Penn State) will provide useful insight into the rapidness of development.
Again, one early loss won't destroy the Buckeyes. But those tests lead up to the final two weeks of the regular season when they travel to Michigan State and host Michigan.
Ohio State couldn't survive that all-important set last season despite a roster loaded with NFL-caliber players. We'll see if youth can finish the job in 2016 and move one step closer to claiming a College Football Playoff berth.
Stats from CFBStats.com or B/R research. Quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow Bleacher Report CFB writer David Kenyon on Twitter @Kenyon19_BR.
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