2020 National Championship Odds – Dark Horses Analysis

2020 National Championship Odds – Dark Horses Analysis

Written by on January 8, 2019

With the Clemson Tigers capping off their 2018 campaign with an emphatic 41-16 blowout win over the top-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide on Monday night, underdogs and dark horse 2020 national title hopefuls everywhere will have some belief that they too, can rise up and make their own push to challenge for next season’s national championship.

Thanks to this insightful look at a quartet of dark horse national championship hopefuls, you’ll get the insight you’ll need in order to make a potentially bankroll-boosting NCAAF Futures Odds wager on the odds to win the 2020 national championship.

2020 National Championship Odds – Dark Horses Analysis

Wisconsin

  • 2020 National Championship Odds: (50-1)

Despite being expected to challenge for this season’s national championship, Wisconsin fell completely apart by going 8-5 and just 5-4 in Big Ten play. The good news is that the Badgers return seven starters on offense and seven on defense. The bad news is that Wisconsin loses three starting offensive linemen and a trio of key linebackers.

The good news is that superstar sophomore running back Jonathan Taylor will be back after rushing for a whopping 4,171 yards with 29 touchdowns in his first two seasons. If quarterback Alex Hornibrook doesn’t improve in the spring, the Badgers could have a new starter under center next season. Still, I love head coach Paul Chryst and I believe the Badgers could challenge for something big next season.

LSU

  • 2020 National Championship Odds: (50-1)

LSU went 10-3 and 5-3 in SEC play in head coached Orgeron’s second full season while capping off their campaign with a solid 40-32 win over UCF in the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl.

The Tigers return eight starters on offense and eight on defense, but they lose star cornerbacks, Greedy Williams, and Terrence Alexander. If quarterback Joe Burrow can perform at the level he did in the Fiesta Bowl and Orgeron can find some consistency along the offensive line, LSU could potentially challenge for the SEC title – although that seems to be the case every year.

Mississippi State

  • 2020 National Championship Odds: (50-1)

The Bulldogs went 8-5 and 4-4 in SEC play in head coach Joe Moorhead’s first season and now, I’m thinking Mississippi State could be poised for bigger and better things in 2019 despite losing to Iowa 27-22 in the Outback Bowl and needing to identify a replacement for starting quarterback Nick Fitzgerald.

Mississippi State is one of the dark horses to win the 2020 National Championship.

The Dogs will hand the keys to junior Keyton Thompson and they’ll need to find a combined 11 new starters on both sides of the ball. The good news is that Moorhead, the former offensive coordinator a Penn State, is one of the most respected offensive minds in all of college football.

Auburn

  • 2020 National Championship Odds: (50-1)
The Tigers went 8-5 but just 3-5 in SEC play for polarizing head coach Gus Malzhan. Auburn returns six starters on offense and six on defense, but they’re suffering a big loss with starting quarterback Jarrett Stidham headed to the NFL draft.

The Tigers have a difficult schedule that includes dates against Oregon and road matchups against Texas A&M, Florida and LSU as well as dates against both, Georgia and Alabama. Right now, I don’t see any way Auburn challenges for anything next season in what could be Malzhan’s last.

Last 10 National Champions

  • 2018: Clemson Tigers
  • 2017: Alabama Crimson Tide
  • 2016: Clemson Tigers
  • 2015: Alabama Crimson Tide
  • 2014: Ohio State Buckeyes
  • 2013: Florida State Seminoles
  • 2012: Alabama Crimson Tide
  • 2011: Alabama Crimson Tide
  • 2010: Auburn Tigers
  • 2009: Alabama Crimson Tide