Pre-Season NCAA Football Preview
The preseason college football magazines are a great way to identify underrated and overrated teams for the upcoming season.
That’s why the Sportsbook.com research team accumulated all the pre-season publications and compared it to the current odds for the six major conferences.
Here’s what we found out.
ACC – Atlantic
1) Clemson (8:5)
2) Wake Forest (8:1)
3) Florida State (4:1)
4) Boston College (25:1)
5) Maryland (30:1)
6) NC State (30:1)
ACC – Coastal
1) Virginia Tech (3:1)
2) North Carolina (8:1)
3) Miami-Fl (6:1)
4) Georgia Tech (30:1)
5) Virginia (50:1)
6) Duke (100:1)
Magazine Analysis: Wake Forest has nine starters back on defense plus quarterback Riley Skinner, but they are not being given a lot of respect at 8:1. Conversely, Florida State’s odds at 4:1 seem to be based more on reputation. The magazines also like North Carolina a little more than Miami.
Big East
1) West Virginia (10:11)
2) South Florida (5:2)
3) Pittsburgh (4:1)
4) Connecticut (10:1)
5) Rutgers (5:1)
6) Cincinnati (8:1)
7) Louisville (15:1)
8) Syracuse (50:1)
Magazine Analysis: Connecticut brings back 17 starters on offense and defense from a team that went 9-4 and 5-2 in the Big East last year. Their schedule is tougher but they still look like a terrific value at 10:1 odds.
Big 12 North
1) Missouri (5:2)
2) Kansas (12:1)
3) Colorado (25:1)
4) Nebraska (12:1)
5) Kansas State (75:1)
6) Iowa State (100:1)
Big 12 South
1) Oklahoma (6:5)
2) Texas (7:2)
3) Texas Tech (8:1)
4) Oklahoma State (40:1)
5) Texas A&M (40:1)
6) Baylor (100:1)
Magazine Analysis: Colorado has a lot of value at 25:1 odds, especially if their young team starts to jell quickly. Nebraska is overvalued at 12:1, possibly due to the Cornhuskers fantastic legacy.
Big Ten
1) Ohio State (1:3)
2) Wisconsin (3:1)
3) Illinois (5:1)
4) Penn State (5:1)
5) Michigan (11:2)
6) Michigan State (12:1)
7) Iowa (10:1)
8) Purdue (12:1)
9) Northwestern (25:1)
10) Indiana (30:1)
11) Minnesota (50:1)
Magazine Analysis: The Big Ten odds are holding pretty true to form, but Michigan State at 12:1 is a team to keep an eye on. They get Wisconsin and Ohio State at home, and don’t have to play Illinois.
Pac-10
1) USC (2:7)
2) Arizona State (3:1)
3) Oregon (7:1)
4) California (8:1)
5) UCLA (8:1)
6) Arizona (20:1)
7) Oregon State (30:1)
8) Washington (15:1)
9) Stanford (30:1)
10) Washington State (40:1)
Magazine Analysis: The magazines are not as high on the chances of Washington and Coach Ty Willingham. The Huskies went just 2-7 in the conference last year, and while they should be improved on both sides of the ball, it doesn’t justify the 15:1 odds.
SEC East
1) Georgia (5:2)
2) Florida (7:4)
3) Tennessee (8:1)
4) So. Carolina (30:1)
5) Kentucky (50:1)
6) Vanderbilt (50:1)
SEC West
1) LSU (4:1)
2) Auburn (4:1)
3) Alabama (12:1)
4) Mississippi State (50:1)
5) Arkansas (50:1)
6) Mississippi (40:1)
Magazine Analysis: The odds for LSU and Auburn are the same at 4:1, but the magazines feel that the defending champs (LSU) are the better team at this juncture. Ole Miss is 40:1 but their magazine rankings come out behind Mississippi State and Arkansas.
