7 Non Online Favorites That Could Crash the 2015 CFP

Outside of the top 10 college football betting favorites to win the 2015 NCAA college football championship – a handful of teams are waiting to swoop in and ‘steal’ one of the four playoff berths that make up the new, four-team BCS national championship format. Some have more of a look of a legitimate contender than others, but all seven programs should have a chance to record double-digit win totals, thereby effectively giving themselves a shot at getting voted into the four-team playoff. Thanks to this expert spring football analysis on each contender, you’ll have a great idea of where to put your collegiate gridiron betting bucks one the start of the 2015 regular season gets underway in the fall. Okay, with that said and spring practices taking place all over the country, let’s get started. Each of these teams are just off the cusp of being a favorite in the race to win the 2015 national championship.

Let’s Check Out the Top 7 Non Online Odds Favorites That Could Crash the 2015 CFP

.@CBSSportsCFB ranks BYU’s Bronco Mendenhall 28th among 66 P5 coaches; P5 expanded to include Notre Dame and BYU: http://t.co/nThbkvycV3— Greg Wrubell (@gregwrubell) April 1, 2015

Notre Dame +1500

The Fighting Irish (8-5) may have underachieved in losing five games in 2014, but they still managed to haul in the 11th best recruiting class in the country. Unfortunately, head coach Brian Kelly needs to find out if quarterback Everett Golson can transform into a legitimate starter or whether he’s going to remain the turnover machine that he became last season. Still, the Irish return a whopping 19 starters from last season’s team and they should be better than they were a year ago if for no other reason than an increase in experience.

Georgia +2500

The Bulldogs (10-3) need to find a replacement for starting quarterback Hutson Mason and both starting wide receivers from last season. The good news is that they have a running back in Nick Chubb that often looked like the best runner in the country last season when he replaced an injured Todd Gurley in a handful of games.

LSU +1500

The Tigers went 8-5 last season as quarterbacks Anthony Jennings and Brandon Harris struggled mightily to simply play competent football. Now, while the Tigers do have an elite running back in Leonard Fournette, it remains to be seen if either of the aforementioned signal-callers really has what it takes to be the leader of an elite football program. Jennings will open the spring as the starter, but I personally believe that Brandon Harris has the far bigger upside.

Florida State +2500

The Seminoles (13-1) not only lose their starting quarterback from last season, but Florida State also needs to replace three starting offensive linemen and their starting tight end. The good news is that Florida State returns more starters than any of the four teams that played in the inaugural BCS football playoffs.

Ole Miss +2500

With seven returning starters, the Rebels (9-4) will likely field one of the best defenses in the country again in 2015. However, I’m going on record right now to say that Ole Miss will go only as far as the replacement for departed starting quarterback Bo Wallace takes them.

Stanford +2500

The Cardinal (8-5) put one of the best defenses in the nation on the field last season as they finished third overall (282.4 ypg) and a stellar second in points allowed per game (16.4).  The bad news is that Stanford struggled to score the ball in the worst way most times out, finishing 80th in scoring (27.2 ppg). The Cardinal will have to replace All-American offensive lineman Andrus Peat and three starters along the defensive line. Still, with quarterback Kevin Hogan returning for his senior season, I suspect the Cardinal could surprise in a big way in the Pac-12.

UCLA +2500

The Bruins (10-3) have 18 returning starters from last season’s team, though they will need to replace their best player after quarterback Brett Hundley decided to enter the NFL Draft. If likely replacement Jerry Neuheisel can perform at least solidly, then the Bruins and their roster full of talent could surprise. The Bruins have a pair of outstanding cornerbacks and a linebacker in  Myles Jack that is undoubtedly one of the best in the country. I expect UCLA to lean heavily on running back Paul Perkins after the underrated redshirt sophomore star rushed for an impressive 1,575 yards last season.