Clemson may have been dethroned by LSU on Monday night, but bookmakers believe Dabo Swinney's team can bounce back next season.
The Tigers' 29-game winning run came to an end in New Orleans, relinquishing the national title after losing 42-25 to LSU in the College Football Playoff championship game.
However, Clemson has been installed as the oddsmakers' favorite to reclaim the title next season.
According to Caesars Sportsbook in Las Vegas, the Tigers are a 2/1 favorite ahead of Alabama at 4/1, with newly-crowned champions LSU and Ohio State at 9/2 and 7/1 respectively.
Clemson has both pedigree and experience on its side.
Aside from the CFP's inaugural season in 2014, the Tigers been among the four teams qualifying for the semifinals in each of the last five years, winning two titles in the process.
Next season Swinney will still be able to count on Trevor Lawrence, who suffered the first loss of his collegiate career on Monday night and is set to return to the Death Valley for his junior year.
According to FanDuel, Lawrence is 11/2 to win the Heisman Trophy next season, behind 7/4 favorite Justin Fields, who will return to Ohio State in 2020.
While Lawrence will wear orange and white for another season, Clemson will be without its seniors and will also lose 2019 Butkus Award winner Isaiah Simmons, who has declared for the NFL draft.
While Lawrence will light up college football again next season, LSU and Alabama will both have new quarterbacks, with Heisman Trophy winner Joe Burrow and Tua Tagovailoa both heading to professional football in April.
The Crimson Tide will also lose wide receivers Jerry Jeudy and Henry Ruggs III, while Oklahoma will wave goodbye to star wideout CeeDee Lamb and quarterback Jalen Hurts.
Ohio State, who lost 29-23 to Clemson in the CFP semifinal last month, will welcome back quarterback Fields, but star defensive end Chase Young and cornerback Jeff Okudah are heading to the NFL.
Georgia and Florida are fourth- and fifth-favorite at 10/1 and 15/1 respectively and the Bulldogs will also have a new quarterback, after Jake Fromm last week confirmed he will enter the draft.
Oklahoma reached the CFP semifinal this season only to be thrashed 63-28 by LSU, and it's a 22/1 outsider to win the title next season, the same odds as Auburn.
Notre Dame, Texas, Penn State and Michigan round out the top 10, with the Fighting Irish and the Longhorns both at 25/1, while the Nittany Lions and the Wolverines are 30/1 shots.
As LSU has shown this season, however, nothing can ever be ruled out in college football. The Tigers were a 50/1 outsider when the season began, while Clemson was a 9/5 favorite, slightly ahead of Alabama at 11/5.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Dan Cancian is currently a reporter for Newsweek based in London, England. Prior to joining Newsweek in January 2018, he ... Read more
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