College Football Betting Odds: Win Totals, Conference Titles, And National Championship Betting Odds
Summertime means just a few things to sports fans – the college baseball world series, the NBA Finals, and most importantly, the countdown to the beginning of College football season. As of right now, there are 70 days, 10 hours, and a few minutes until the first game of the 2017-2018 football season kicks off. But who’s counting, right?
For sports fans, this is an exciting time, because you’re still hopeful for your teams. For bettors, this is a crucial time of study, wherein you begin to make futures bets on what teams will win their conference title, who will make it to the college football playoffs, and of course, who will win the national college football championship.
Betting on all of this starts by studying a team’s projected win total for the season. You can learn quite a lot from what the oddsmakers put out for football futures. Below we’ll examine the teams with the top win total projections.
It should come as no surprise to anyone that Alabama’s win total has been set to 10.5, with betting odds favoring the over. The perennial national championship contenders from Tuscaloosa may have lost a number of players to the draft last year, but Head Coach Nick Saban’s Crimson Tide was unanimously voted the top recruiting class in 2017, so oddsmakers at sportsbooks taking US players clearly aren’t worried.
The Crimson Tide aren’t just favored to have 10+ wins this season – they’re also favored to win the National Championship. Their +350 College Football Championship betting odds are the best on the board by far. Coming in right behind them though are the Ohio State Buckeyes, the only other team given a 10.5 win total. These two teams are the only two to have win totals that potentially put them over 10 wins.
The Buckeyes took home the second-best recruiting class on signing day this year, with additions like five-star prospect OLB Baron Browning and a pair of highly touted CBs in Shaun Wade and Jeffrey Okudah. Oddsmakers are impressed by Urban Meyer’s group of athletes and again have favored the over for season wins. What are Ohio State’s odds to win the National Championship this year? +600.
Both teams are considered shoe-ins for the playoff, although Ohio State might face some real competition in Penn State, who is boasting a heavily favored over line on a 9.5 win totals projection. The Nittany Lions were edged out last year after an impressive showing and a conference championship win, so expect to see them ready and raring to go this coming season. Odds that Penn State wins the College Football Championship? +2000, so not so great. But it would be nice to see them edge out Ohio State this year.
The Nittany Lions may not have great championship betting odds, but there are a couple of teams projected at a 9.5 win total who have the potential to take it all home. The Florida State Seminoles’ recruiting class is highlighted by DT Marvin Wilson and RB Cam Akers. Derwin James will once again lead the defense with the help of veterans Tarvarus McFadden and Josh Sweat, while indomitable Deondre Francois returns to his second year as QB.
The biggest obstacle that the Seminoles face in earning more than ten wins in a season and making it to the college football playoffs is their game opener against the Alabama Crimson Tide in Atlanta. Many are calling this game a preview for a college football playoff semifinal, as the Seminoles currently hold the third best college football championship betting odds at +700.
These are the same odds given to the USC Trojans, who took home a top five recruiting class this spring and who also have their win total set at 9.5 games. The Trojans finished incredibly strong last season, and are poised to continue that momentum in the 2017 season. Their QB returns for another year, and will be joined by a talented if slightly inexperienced offensive group highlighted by five-star RB Stephen Carr. Considered the favorites to win the PAC-12 as well as win at least ten games this season, many oddsmakers believe that this group from Southern California will make a big push for a spot in this year’s college football playoffs.
Rounding out this list are the Oklahoma Sooners. They too are favored to exceed 9.5 wins this season, led by QB Baker Mayfield and HC Lincoln Riley. The team lost quite a bit of talent during their offseason but will remain a powerful opponent in the big 12. Will 10+ wins and overwhelming conference title odds be enough to propel this Midwestern team into the playoffs?
While there are a number of other teams expected to exceed their season win totals, these teams are the most likely to do that and also make it to the playoffs, which is what makes betting on them so exciting. Win totals are a great way to bet on the season before it gets under way. Plus, betting on NCAAFB futures gives you the perfect excuse to research your teams and obsess over them endlessly. LegalGamblingUSA thinks what could be better than that?