NCAA Football: The Three Best Longshot Bets to Win the 2023 National Championship

We are four weeks into the college football season and the AP Top 25 Rankings are filled with teams building their resume for the College Football Playoffs. While we have blueblood programs like Georgia, Michigan, and Texas sitting atop the rankings, they are far from the only teams with a shot to hoist the CFP Trophy.

Below we are sharing our three favorite longshot bets to win this season’s National Championship. We’ll provide odds and all the information you need to win big at NCAAF betting sites this season.

• Record: 4-0
• Odds to win title: +2000 at BetMGM Sportsbook

The Pac-12 is having a fantastic final season, led by an elite Washington team. They have scored 199 points through their first four games, though they haven’t faced a true test yet. They should move to 5-0 when the face off against Arizona this weekend, but then they will welcome #9 Oregon to town in a crucial division matchup.

Washington is led by senior quarterback Michael Penix Jr (1,636 YDS, 106 TD, 2 INT), who continues to look like a Heisman Trophy favorite. He has thrown for at least 400 yards and three touchdowns in three of his four starts. He has been helped by receiver Rome Odunze (544 YDS, 4 TD), who has at least five catches and 100 yards in all four of Washington’s games.

The Huskies fate will ultimately be decided at the end of the regular season. Washington’s final four games will come against #8 USC, #10 Utah, #19 Oregon State, and #16 Washington State. That is a brutal run, but if they can win at least three of those games, it will lock them into the CFP and give them a shot to win the National Championship.

• Record: 4-0
• Odds to win title: +2000 at DraftKings Sportsbook

If anyone had any questions about the Ducks, they were answered with their 42-6 win over #19 Colorado last weekend. The Buffs were overrated after their stellar start but holding Shedeur Sanders and Colorado to just 199 yards while gaining 522 is incredible. Things will get easier as they head to take on Stanford this weekend, but the game is a must-win given that their remaining schedule features just two unranked teams.

We all know Oregon quarterback Bo Nix (1,169 YDS, 11 TD, 1 INT) is great, but running back Bucky Irving (305 YDS, 3 TD) has caught our eye. While his yardage totals aren’t overly impressive, he is averaging 8.2 yards per carry. That is partly thanks to his performance against Colorado where he ran for 89 yards on just ten carries. Irving has over 420 scrimmage yards this season, and we think he keeps rolling.

Oregon has a brutal schedule coming up, which could help solidify their chances to make the CFP. After this weekend, they will face #7 Washington, #16 Washington State, #10 Utah. They will also host #8 USC in November. We think Oregon wins at least three of those games, which will prepare them to play equally tough competition in the CFP.

• Record: 4-0
• Odds to win title: +7000 at FanDuel Sportsbook

After a humiliating 2022 campaign, the Canes retooled their roster and added a fantastic recruiting class. It has shown through the first four weeks of the season, highlighted by their win against a Texas A&M team that was ranked twenty-second in the country. The rest of their schedule has been soft, but that will change in two weeks when they head to North Carolina to take on the fifteenth ranked Tar Heels.

The first thing you notice about this team is their size. Their combination of strength and athleticism was impressive, and they have looked like an NFL team through their first two weeks. A big reason for their success is the play of quarterback Tyler Van Dyke (1,042 YDS, 11 TDs, 1 INT). The Junior was awful last season but is showing why this coaching staff stuck with him.

Getting Miami at this price is worth the risk, especially considering their schedule. They play just two ranked teams, including their rivalry game against Florida State on November 11. If they can win that game and limit themselves to no more than one loss, it should lock them into the CFP.