College Football Movers & Shakers: Week 9
Utah’s victory over USC saw the Utes assigned national title odds for the first time this season.
Online sportsbook Bovada released its latest round of college football futures on Monday, serving up an insight into how Las Vegas currently sees the footballing landscape.
Things remain incredibly tight at the top with Alabama (6/1) pacing the field, while Georgia (7/1), Mississippi State (7/1), Oregon (7/1), Florida State (15/2) and Michigan State (8/1) all appear to be in the midst of a battle royal between true contenders.
It’s not only the top six teams that make for interesting reading though. Across the field – which has been whittled down to 18 schools – there are some definite trends worth keeping an eye on.
Betting Sports now reveals three teams trending upwards and three heading in the other direction.
Moving On Up
Utah
With an overtime victory over Southern California (5-3, 4-2 Pac-12) on Saturday, Utah (6-1, 3-1 Pac-12) booked its place on Bovada’s list of national championship contenders for the first time this season.
While the Utes may only have be assigned long odds, the team from Salt Lake City remains a contender in the Pac-12 South and could see those odds shrink some more with an upset road victory over fellow contender Arizona State (6-1, 4-1 Pac-12) this coming Saturday.
Current Odds: 75/1
Kansas State
Kansas State (6-1, 4-0 Big 12) continued its steady climb up the college football futures list with a 23-0 shutout of Texas (3-5, 2-3 Big 12) in the Little Apple on Saturday. The Wildcats have now seen their odds shorten in four of the last five weeks.
Still, the Big 12 continues to be unpredictable and the Wildcats will face stiff competition from Baylor (6-1, 3-1 Big 12) and TCU (6-1, 3-1 Big 12) heading forward. With both teams still on the schedule, Bill Snyder’s team really could go either way before the season is out.
Current Odds: 25/1
Nebraska
Nebraska (7-1, 3-1 Big Ten) handed Big Ten newcomer Rutgers (5-3, 1-3 Big Ten) a 42-24 defeat on Saturday and moved to the top of the West Division courtesy of Minnesota (6-2, 3-1 Big Ten) losing on the road at Illinois (4-4, 1-3 Big Ten).
The one-loss Cornhuskers continue to lie in the reeds, waiting to spoil the party for Michigan State (7-1, 4-0 Big Ten) and Ohio State (6-1, 3-0 Big Ten), both with an eye on the conference championship and a College Football Playoff berth.
Nebraska’s odds shortened from 40/1 to 33/1 this week. Could they be set to shorten further in the coming weeks?
Current Odds: 33/1
The Downward Spiral
Mississippi
Heading into this past weekend there was more than a little noise about whether or not the Egg Bowl on Nov. 29 might be contested by a pair of unbeaten sides. We got the answer to that query as Louisiana State (7-2, 3-2 SEC) help Mississippi (7-1, 4-1 SEC) scoreless through the final three quarters of play at Death Valley last Saturday, before snatching a 10-7 victory late on.
Understandably, having been handed a first loss of the season, Mississippi saw its stock falter with the bookmakers this week. Last week’s 15/2 odds – good enough for fourth place on the list – stretched to 10/1 on Monday, enough for the team to fall into a tie for seventh place. That’s by no means a massive drop, but the fact that Alabama, Mississippi State and Georgia are all SEC sides ahead of the Rebels on the futures list could be significant. Significance is certainly a byword for this week’s game with Auburn.
Current Odds: 10/1
Oklahoma
After two losses in three weeks, Oklahoma (5-2, 2-2 Big 12) remained on the futures list by the skin of its teeth last week. This week, with the Sooners idle, bookmakers seem to have thought better of their positive mental attitude.
Oklahoma fell off Bovada’s futures list this week, and with five teams within the Big 12 sporting a superior record, figure to stay that way. Even running the schedule at this point won’t be enough for the team from Norman.
Current Odds: Off
Marshall
After Week 9 just three undefeated teams remain in the FBS. Only two of those teams are relevant.
Despite owning more wins than any other school, Marshall (8-0, 4-0 C-USA) – which earned a 35-16 victory over Florida Atlantic (3-5, 2-2 C-USA) on Saturday – was removed from the futures list this week.
The Thundering Herd had seen its odds shrink from 200/1 on opening day to 50/1 last week, but the realization that a non-Power 5 conference team isn’t going to get a shot at the College Football Playoff regardless of its record seems to have sunk in.
Current Odds: Off
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