College Football Handicapping Articles

2014 Alabama Crimson Tide Odds to Win the SEC with Picks & Predictions
by Aaron Smith - 7/28/2014

The Alabama Crimson Tide have set the bar extremely high. They’ve set it so high that last year’s 11-2 record feels like an extreme disappointment. That’s going to be the case at a school where they won the BCS National Championship in 2009, 2011, and 2012. Alabama entered their game at Auburn with an 11-0 record, and they were 10-point favorites in that game.

2014 Ohio State Buckeyes Odds to Win the Big Ten with Picks & Predictions
by Jim Riggio - 7/28/2014

Expectations are always high for Ohio State and this season should be no different under third-year coach Urban Meyer. The Buckeyes have gone 24-2 since Meyer took over and have yet to lose a conference game under him. They open the season Aug. 30 on the road against Navy in Baltimore.

2014 College Football Futures Odds: Teams with Best Value
by Trevor Whenham - 7/28/2014

When it comes to betting on college football futures, anyone can pick a favorite. There is no joy for bettors in that most times, though — the risk usually isn’t reflected by the price, and even if it is you still have to tie your money up for too long. The best approach to betting on these futures — whether it is for conference champions or division winners — is to look at longer shots that have a chance to break through. It only takes one or two of those hitting to have a great year.

College Football Futures Betting: Sucker Bets
by Trevor Whenham - 7/28/2014

Betting on college football futures — divisions winners or conference champions — can provide an excellent opportunity for value. Unfortunately, though, most casual bettors entirely forego that value and instead jump on the bandwagons of favorites and high-profile teams. It is very tough to find value when doing so, so you might as well just put your money in a pile and light it on fire. You might cash a winning bet in the short term, but in the long term you are headed for ruin. Here are five futures bets, with odds from Bovada, that will draw far more attention than they deserve.

Betting Impact of the New College Football Playoff System for National Championship
by Trevor Whenham - 7/28/2014

The start of the new college football season will mark the dawn of a new era as the BCS Championship is replaced by a playoff system. The top four teams — as selected by a carefully-selected group — will play off for the right to play in the National Championship Game. From a competitive perspective I am skeptical that this is really progress — it feels like a way to bring order to a sport that is unavoidably and beautifully chaotic, and there is no reason to think that the controversy that so frustrated people in the BCS system will be avoided here.

2014 Odds to Win the SEC West Division for College Football with Picks and Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 7/24/2014

The SEC West has won the last five SEC Championships — and they have just one fewer National Championship in the same time frame. When people say that the SEC dominates college football, what they actually mean is that the SEC West does. Really, it’s just the states of Alabama and Louisiana — only twice since the current divisions were formed in 1992 has at least one of Auburn, Alabama or LSU not at least shared a piece of the division crown.

2014 Odds to Win the SEC East Division for College Football with Picks and Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 7/24/2014

When it comes to the SEC East, the bigger question isn’t which team is going to win the division but whether the division members can quit embarrassing themselves and actually be relevant in the greater SEC picture again. For too long the East has been the little sister of the SEC — fodder for whatever team wins the West in the SEC Championship Game. The West is again the stronger division, but there could be some cracks in their armor. So, can the East rise again? And which team will lead the way?

2014 Odds to Win the ACC Atlantic Division for College Football with Picks and Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 7/24/2014

The teams in the ACC Atlantic operate in three clear tiers. Florida State is dominant. They are the defending national champs and could be just as good — or better — this year. They are the clear class of the group. Clemson and Louisville are on the second tier — not good enough to threaten Florida State at full strength but capable of picking up the pieces and capitalizing if the Seminoles stumble. Then there are the other four. None of those teams are particularly good, and a fourth-place finish would be reason to celebrate. Not a lot of real drama to be had here this year.

2014 Odds to Win the ACC Coastal Division for College Football with Picks and Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 7/24/2014

The ACC Coastal is the poor cousin of the conference this year. The three best teams in the conference are in the Atlantic — Florida State and Clemson are obvious, and Louisville is probably third-best. What’s interesting, though, is that because Florida State is so clearly and significantly dominant, betting on the ACC Coastal is just a lot more attractive than the Atlantic.

2014 Baylor Bears Season Win Total NCAA Football Picks
by George Monroy - 7/24/2014

Baylor Bears coach Art Briles has the team riding a wave of momentum after leading the school to its most successful year in the program’s history. Last season’s accomplishments—winning the Big 12 and playing in the Fiesta Bowl—have Briles talking about a national title in 2015 and “swinging for the fences” instead of settling for “bunts” and “singles”.

2014 Odds to Win the SEC Conference for College Football with Picks and Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 7/23/2014

For so many years it has been easy to pick the National Champion months in advance — just figure out who is going to win the SEC. Florida State finally changed that last year, and there is a growing murmur that perhaps the league isn’t as strong as it has been. So, will we see yet another SEC team on top when the playoffs roll around? Or is it time for some much-needed change? Which perennial contenders are vulnerable? Here are the odds to win the SEC for college football, with picks and predictions thrown in:

2014 Odds to Win the ACC Conference for College Football with Picks and Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 7/23/2014

It’s another season of change for the ACC, with some new faces and one missing one. Louisville now takes the place of Maryland — an upgrade in every sense of the word. Notre Dame also joins the conference — sort of. They will play five games a year against ACC foes starting this year. They won’t be eligible of the ACC postseason (so don’t factor in our discussion here) but get access to all ACC bowl games beyond the playoffs.

2014 Odds to Win the Big 12 Conference for College Football with Picks and Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 7/23/2014

The Big 12 was, not too long ago, a very mighty conference that was always nationally relevant. The last few years have not been particularly kind, though. They lost the conference realignment battle in a big way. The marquee program, Texas, has been a punchline. Oklahoma hasn’t done enough to fill in the gaps. Baylor has been a bright light but not yet on a truly national scale.

2014 Odds to Win the Pac-12 South Division for College Football with Picks and Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 7/23/2014

The Pac-12 South is more interesting this year than it has been in the past. There are, at least according to the odds, three teams that have a chance to come out on top and represent the division in the Pac-12 Championship Game. Even better, whichever team wins will have a legitimate shot at winning the conference — not usually the case in the new Pac-12. UCLA, Arizona State and USC all face brutal schedules, but one team is going to come out on top.

2014 Odds to Win the Pac-12 North Division for College Football with Picks and Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 7/23/2014

Between Oregon and Stanford, the Pac-12 North has been where all the action and excitement has been in the Pac-12 for several years now. The South is getting stronger again, with both USC and especially UCLA looking to threaten the northern supremacy. Whether they can do that or not, it remains clear that whichever team wins this Pac-12 North, which is far from an easy task, will be a major player in the conference.

T.J. Yeldon Odds to win the 2014 Heisman Trophy
by Dave Schwab - 7/23/2014

Alabama’s football team under head coach Nick Saban has not only become known has one of the top programs in the nation with three national titles since 2009, but it’s also known for producing some of the top running backs in the country.

Melvin Gordon Odds to win the 2014 Heisman Trophy
by Trevor Whenham - 7/23/2014

There was a time when it was almost a given that a running back would win the Heisman Trophy, which is awarded annually to college football’s most outstanding player. There was a stretch from 1973 to 1983 when running backs made a clean sweep of winning this award. Flash forward to recent times, and the Heisman is now dominated by quarterbacks, with the Heisman going to this position in 12 of the last 14 years.

2014 Odds to Win the Big Ten West Division for College Football with Picks and Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 7/22/2014

The divisions in the Big Ten are exactly why I hate that conferences have gotten big enough, and greedy enough, to need divisions and championship games. These conferences, loosely based on geography, pay no real attention to competitive balance. You don’t have to pay attention very closely to know that historically Michigan and Ohio State have ruled this conference, with Michigan State and Wisconsin making noise from time to time. Of those four powers, only Wisconsin is in the West. Penn State, a once and potentially future force, is in the East, too.

2014 Odds to Win the Big Ten East Division for College Football with Picks and Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 7/22/2014

The Big Ten East, at least in Big Ten terms, is loaded — though not as loaded as it could be. Thanks to the strangely unbalanced new divisions in the Big Ten, traditional conference powers Ohio State, Michigan and Michigan State are all in the same division. Penn State, another program clearly on the rise, would be another contender, yet thanks to their seemingly endless suspensions they aren’t eligible for the postseason again this year. There is serious imbalance in the divisions, so winning the Big Ten East will be almost as impressive as winning the whole conference.

South Carolina Gamecocks Odds to Win the 2015 College Football National Championship
by George Monroy - 7/22/2014

The South Carolina Gamecocks may not be the glamour program in the SEC, especially with Alabama, Auburn and LSU taking all the attention on a yearly basis. The school, however, has been one of the best programs in the nation over the last few years and is in the middle of its third consecutive 11-2 season. The trouble for South Carolina and coach Steve Spurrier is that the SEC typically has an undefeated or one-loss team by the time bowl season rolls around.