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Now that spring practices are all complete and the NFL Draft is behind us, there is only one thing that the most diehard of college football fan can and should be focusing on: the gambling odds for who is going to win the respective Power 5 conferences this fall.
Our friends over at BetOnline.ag have released the conference title odds for the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12, and SEC. Unsurprisingly, the Ohio State Buckeyes are significant favorites to win the conference crown for the fifth straight season, coming in with 2⁄3 odds. That means that (based on my very rudimentary understanding of numbers, and my even more embarrassing grasp on odds and probability) the oddsmakers are giving Ryan Day’s squad a 60% chance to win the 14-team league.
It also means that in order for you to win $100 betting on the Buckeyes to win the B1G, you’d have to put up $150. While it might not give you the return on investment that betting on Rutgers to win at 50/1 would, it does kind of feel like free money at this point, right?
Paul Chryst’s Wisconsin Badgers are second with 8/1 odds (you’d make $800 with a $100 bet) and Jimmy Harbaugh’s Mitten Men and James Franklin’s Nits are close behind at 17/2 (win $850 on $100).
2021 Big Ten title odds from BetOnline.ag
2021 Big Ten title odds
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| Team | Odds |
| Ohio State | 2/3 |
| Wisconsin | 8/1 |
| Michigan | 17/2 |
| Penn State | 17/2 |
| Iowa | 11/1 |
| Indiana | 12/1 |
| Northwestern | 12/1 |
| Nebraska | 14/1 |
| Minnesota | 20/1 |
| Michigan State | 50/1 |
| Purdue | 50/1 |
| Rutgers | 50/1 |
| Maryland | 80/1 |
| Illinois | 100/1 |
So, Ohio State is the runaway favorite to win the Big Ten title this season, but how do they stack up to the other Power 5 predicted champions? In the chart below, the conferences are listed in alphabetical order, but no shock to anyone, the Clemson Tigers have the best chance to win the ACC and keep it from being relegated to FCS.
Clemson comes in as 1/8 favorites, meaning that they have an 88.9% chance to win the embarrassment of a league. With Notre Dame back to being only a partial member following its one year rumspringa from independence, no one will likely challenge Blabo’s team; although I might enjoy a Jeff Hafley/Boston College upset in the ACC as much as I would another OSU championship.
The Tigers, of course, have the best odds to win their conference of anyone in the Power 5, followed by the Buckeyes (60%), Oklahoma (58.3%), Alabama (55.6%), and finally OSU’s Week 2 opponent Oregon (30.8%).
If you were to place a bet on Clemson winning the ACC this season, in order to take home $100 in profit, you would have to wager $800. The Ducks on the other hand, if you bet that $100, you’d walk away with $225.
2021 Conference title odds from BetOnline.ag
2021 Conference title favorites
| Conference | Team | Odds |
|---|---|---|
| Conference | Team | Odds |
| ACC | Clemson | 1/8 |
| Big 12 | Oklahoma | 5/7 |
| Big Ten | Ohio State | 2/3 |
| PAC 12 | Oregon | 9/4 |
| SEC | Alabama | 4/5 |
So, while it doesn’t appear that sports gambling is going to be legal in Ohio before the start of football season, I’d imagine that the degenerates amongst us can still find ways — wholly legal or otherwise — to get a bet or two in. Happy hunting.