Alabama joins Ohio State as national title favorites in Vegas

ByDavid Purdum ESPN logo
Monday, November 9, 2015

Alabama's impressive win over LSU -- along with some notable upsets -- shook up the odds to win the national championship this past weekend, just days ahead of the second College Football Playoff rankings release.

The Crimson Tide are now 5-2 co-favorites with the Ohio State Buckeyes at the Westgate SuperBook, followed by the Clemson Tigers (4-1) and Baylor Bears (12-1). Stanford (15-1), Notre Dame (18-1) and Oklahoma State (18-1) also are in the hunt.

It's the first time the defending-champion Buckeyes have not been solo favorites since the SuperBook opened betting on this year's champion on Jan. 13. Ohio State, which was off last week, remained the favorite at other Las Vegas sportsbooks, including the MGM and Stratosphere.

But at the SuperBook, Alabama's 30-16 win over LSU moved the Crimson Tide from 6-1 to 5-2 and into the role of co-favorites. LSU, which entered Saturday's game at No. 2 in the College Football rankings, fell to 25-1.

The playoff selection committee will release its second rankings Tuesday on ESPN.

No. 1 Clemson moved from 6-1 to 4-1 after beating Florida State. The Tigers will be big favorites in their final three games of the regular season, before facing potentially high-powered North Carolina in the ACC Championship Game. The Tar Heels, who have won eight straight games, are listed at 100-1.

Oklahoma State went from 20-1 to 18-1 after its upset ofTCU. The Cowboys, who began the year as 100-1long shots, host Baylor and Oklahoma in the final two weeks of the season. The Horned Frogs fell to 40-1.

Michigan State, which was upset by Nebraska on a controversial touchdown in the final seconds, dropped from 10-1 to 40-1 in the Westgate's odds.

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