The group stage of the 2013-14 UEFA Champions League got underway last week. Chelsea apparently did not get the memo, but powerhouses like Bayern Munich, Barcelona, and Real Madrid certainly did.

While futbol is heating up over there, football is doing the same over here. Alabama, Oregon, and Clemson are off to hot starts at the college ranks while the AFC North (and the NFC East, for that matter) is giving the NFL somewhat of a black eye.

Odds provided by Sportsbook.ag.

Champions League

Bayern Munich (+350) – The defending champions got off to a strong start in group play last Tuesday with a 3-0 blanking of CSKA Moscow. Arjen Robben was among the goal-scorers for Bayern, which next has a showdown at Manchester City on Oct. 2.

Barcelona (+400) – Barca was impressive in its opening 4-0 rout of Ajax last Wednesday. Lionel Messi found the back of the net three times, and Neymar was all over the field with five shots on goal and one assist. Next up for Barcelona is Celtic, which is coming off a 2-0 loss to AC Milan.

Real Madrid (+500) – Not to be outdone by Messi (or vice versa, actually, as Barca played one day after Madrid), Cristiano Ronaldo tallied a hat-trick in a 6-1 blowout of Galatasaray. Madrid scored the game’s first five goals before the underdogs got on the scoreboard in the 84th minute.

Manchester United (+1400) – According to the odds, the Premier League’s best are a notch—or more—below Bayern, Barca, and Real. Man U, Man City, and Chelsea are all +1400 to take the title. Whereas Man U and Man City cruised in their group openers, Chelsea was upset 2-1 by FC Basel.

BCS National Championship

Alabama (+200) – That’s one roadblock out of the way as the Tide took care of Johnny Maziel and Texas A&M in their second game of the season. Prior to the SEC Championship, Alabama’s two toughest remaining opponents—Ole Miss and LSU—have to pay a visit to Tuscaloosa.

Oregon (+500) – Oregon is second in both polls and has at least three first-place votes in each. And why not? Even without Chip Kelly, they are the same ol’ Ducks. They pinned 66 points on Nicholls State then went for 59 apiece against more difficult opposition in the form of Tennessee and Virginia.

Ohio State (+500) – No Braxton Miller, no problem. Kenny Guiton filled in at quarterback against San Diego State, California, and Florida A&M, totaling 12 TD passes to just two picks while rushing for a combined 180 yards and one score. Miller is expected to return on Saturday for the 4-0 Buckeyes.

Clemson (+1200) – Florida State, Michigan, LSU, and Stanford are also +1200 to win it all. As for Clemson, it remained undefeated with a win at N.C. State on Thursday night. Tajh Boyd has accounted for nine touchdowns and has not thrown an interception. His Oct. 19 showdown against Jameis Winston and the ‘Noles is going to be huge.

AFC North

Cincinnati Bengals (-150) – You know things are getting crazy when the Bengals are tied with Baltimore (at 2-1) and still considerable favorites to win the division. A close loss at Chicago and home wins over Pittsburgh and Green Bay is a good start for Cincinnati. Running back Giovani Bernard looks like the real deal.

Baltimore Ravens (+140) – That being said, the Bengals’ status as favorites has more to do with the competition. The Ravens looked nothing like last season’s Super Bowl winners through two games; not on paper, and not on the field. A 14-6 win over Cleveland in Week 2 was not impressive, but at least it was better than a 49-27 loss to Denver. In fairness, Baltimore was much improved on Sunday in a rout of Houston.

Cleveland Browns (+1500) – What exactly were the Browns thinking? When you’re in rebuilding mode, a 22-year-old stud running back is probably an ideal piece with which to do so—especially when you had scored 16 points through two games. Of course, 0-2 Cleveland promptly won its first game after shipping Trent Richardson to Indy.

Pittsburgh Steelers (+2000) – The Steelers scored 19 points in their first two games, more than only Cleveland and Jacksonville. In other words, they were second to last in scoring among real NFL teams. Pittsburgh’s offensive line is terrible, but the fact that Todd Haley is the offensive coordinator may be an even bigger problem. The team managed 23 points on Sunday, but it gave up 40 to Chicago.

NL Pennant

Los Angeles Dodgers (-120) – L.A. had a pool party in Arizona when it clinched the NL West last month. The Diamondbacks cried foul, but if they didn’t like it, they shouldn’t have lost the division on their home field. This week the Dodgers are at San Francisco and home vs. Colorado as they try to overcome Atlanta for the NL’s No. 1 seed.

St. Louis Cardinals (+250) – The Cardinals clinched a playoff spot, but losing at home to Milwaukee on Sunday night did not help their progress toward the NL Central crown. Still, St. Louis leads the division by two games, and its six remaining contests are all at home (vs. Washington and the Chicago Cubs).

Atlanta Braves (+300) – Atlanta has just about seen its NL East lead sliced in half from the start of this month, but it was still way too little and way too late for the Nationals. The Braves finally clinched the division on Sunday, and they are 1.5 games up on St. Louis for the top seed and home-field advantage.

Cincinnati Reds (+700) – How competitive is the National League? The Reds are just 3.5 games back of Atlanta for the best record, but their season will in all likelihood come down to a single game next week—the NL wild-card showdown. And it looks like it will come down to NL Central foes Cincinnati and Pittsburgh.

Read more articles by Ricky Dimon