Missouri and Tennessee, traditionally not considered college football powerhouses like Georgia and Ohio State, are now part of the national championship conversation following the expansion of the College Football Playoff field from four to 12 teams. Jay Kornegay, Westgate’s executive vice president for race and sports operations, noted that with the increased playoff size, more teams have the opportunity to compete for the title, attracting attention from bettors looking for value in their wagers. This shift allows for unexpected outcomes in single games and breaks away from the predictability of the top contenders in a limited playoff format.

At BetMGM Sportsbook, eight teams are favored to make the playoffs, with Ohio State leading as the heaviest favorite at -750. Surprisingly, No. 6 Mississippi stands as an unusual contender at -130, having never made the previous four-team playoff. Defending champion Michigan is listed at +140, while teams like Missouri and Tennessee, as mentioned by Kornegay, are each at +180 to make a potential playoff appearance.

In regard to winning the championship, Georgia is favored at +300, with Ohio State closely following at +325. The Heisman Trophy race at Westgate sees three quarterbacks, Georgia’s Carson Beck, Texas’ Quinn Ewers, and Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel, as co-favorites at +800. The Heisman award has become predominantly a quarterback honor, with the last seven out of eight winners playing that position.

Week Zero kicks off with four games this Saturday, with No. 10 Florida State being the sole ranked team in action against Georgia Tech. The Seminoles are favored by 11 points according to Westgate. Even though a Group of Five team is guaranteed a playoff spot, bettors are less inclined to bet on those schools. Liberty leads the odds at +375, followed closely by Boise State at +400. Boise State has the best odds among Group of Five schools to win the national championship at +25,000.