Nick Saban of the Alabama
Head coach Nick Saban of the Alabama Crimson Tide leads his team on the field prior to the game against the Auburn Tigers at Jordan Hare Stadium on Nov. 25, 2017 in Auburn, Alabama. Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

An early look at the upcoming season figures many of the same teams to be in the hunt to reach the 2018-2019 College Football Playoff. Every team that has won a national championship in the CFP era is favored to reach next year’s four-team postseason.

That, of course, starts with defending national champion Alabama. The Crimson Tide don’t simply have the best odds to qualify for the College Football Playoff—they are given better than a 1/2 chance of doing so.

Nick Saban’s team has been a fixture in the CFP. Alabama is the only team that’s made the playoffs in all four years, reaching the national title game in each of last three seasons. The Crimson Tide were the 2016 and 2018 champions, defeating Georgia in an overtime-thriller this past January.

Alabama is the only team that’s had more success than Clemson since the CFP came into existence before the 2014-2015 season. The Tigers faced the Crimson Tide in consecutive national championship games, defeating the defending champs in 2017. Alabama got the better of Clemson in last year’s CFP semifinals as the Tigers made the playoff in the season after Deshaun Watson went to the NFL.

Clemson is second with 5/4 CFP odds, tied with Ohio State. The Buckeyes won the first-ever four-team playoff in 2015, defeating Marcus Mariota and Oregon in the season’s final contest. Ohio State fell just short of making the CFP last season, though they lost no more than two games for the ninth straight year.

Ohio State is the only team that didn’t reach the 2017-2018 CFP that’s among the four favorites to be in this year’s group. They were selected by oddsmakers in place of Oklahoma, who could take a step back after losing quarterback Baker Mayfield to the pros. Mayfield was taken first in the 2018 NFL Draft, having won the Heisman Trophy as a senior.

Mayfield and Oklahoma lost to Georgia in last season’s CFP semifinals. The Bulldogs were taken to the national title game by freshman quarterback Jake Fromm, who should be improved as a 20-year-old.

Six other teams have 6/1 odds or better to make the 2019 CFP, including Oklahoma. Michigan is the only team in that group that didn’t finish last season ranked in the top 25.

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