Who are this year’s CFP dark horse contenders?

The College Football Playoff has expanded ahead of the 2024 season. But the pool of realistic national title contenders is still pretty small.

Per BetMGM’s odds, four teams have odds at or better than +850 to win the national title. Georgia is the favorite at +300, ahead of Ohio State at +325. Oregon is set at +700, while Texas sits at +850 after some backfield injuries.

Click here for the Viewer’s Guide to the New College Football Playoff. (Taylor Wilhelm/Yahoo Sports)

Overall, nine teams have odds of 20-1 or better to win the national title. After those nine, the defending national champion Michigan Wolverines are at +3000 along with Florida State, a team that went undefeated during the regular season in 2023.

Anyone behind those teams on the board can reasonably be considered a dark horse. Will any of them win the national title? Probably not. But if you look long enough, you can convince yourself that some teams have a case to win the national title. Here are the five dark horses that we’d consider outside of the main group of favorites.

You don’t have to squint too hard to see how Tennessee could be a national title contender. Nico Iamaleava is a Heisman favorite thanks to his pedigree as a former five-star recruit and his performance in the Citrus Bowl against Iowa.

He’ll have both Squirrel White and Bru McCoy to throw to along with an offensive line that brings back three starters. The defensive line could be one of the best in the SEC too. James Pearce returns after recording 10 sacks and former BYU linebacker Keenan Pili should be an immediate impact transfer.

The schedule is also favorable. There are trips to Georgia and Oklahoma, but Alabama is at home and every other SEC game is very winnable. An SEC title would mean a guaranteed bye in the CFP and if Iamaleava is truly a Heisman contender, then a…

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Author : Yahoo Sports

Publish date : 2024-08-23 13:00:50

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