Alabama goes from underdog to betting favorite to reach CFP

Alabama’s chances of making the College Football Playoff changed significantly on Monday, with the Crimson Tide going from slight underdog to overwhelming favorite to clinch a spot in the 12-team field at multiple sportsbooks.

Alabama began Monday as a +105 underdog and made it into the CFP on ESPN BET, but was a -200 favorite at the end of the day.

The Crimson Tide (8-3) fell to No. 13 in the CFP rankings last week after losing to unranked Oklahoma. They bounced back with a win over Auburn on Saturday in the Iron Bowl, but didn’t make it to the SEC Championship game.

The latest CFP rankings will be released on Tuesday (7 p.m. ET, ESPN), followed by the final picks on Sunday after this weekend’s conference championship games. The top five conference champions in the CFP rankings and the next seven highest-ranked overall teams make up the field.

Two other teams in the bubble, SMU and Clemson, face each other in the ACC Championship Game on Saturday, with the winner receiving an automatic bid. A win for SMU would apparently boost the Crimson Tide’s hopes of making the playoffs. SMU is a 2.5-point favorite over Clemson entering the week.

SMU is -240 to make the playoffs on ESPN BET, while South Carolina (+500), Miami (+600) and Ole Miss (+2500) are each underdogs entering the field.