College Football Title Odds: Sooners Rise, Buckeyes Fall
Following their impressive 31-16 win at the Horseshoe, Oklahoma saw a significant increase in their odds to win the 2018 National Championship. The Sooners came in to this past weekend’s game at +1800, but reopened a few hours ago at +800 at BetOnline. Ohio State on the other hand, went from +650 (second best) to +1600 (tied for seventh).
As you can see, Penn State and Michigan also benefited from Oklahoma’s road victory. Neither team played in a particularly meaningful game on Saturday, but given that we’ve never seen two teams from the same conference in the College Football Playoff, the Buckeyes’ loss had a big impact on the rest of the Big Ten.
Other notable changes include Clemson, who went from +2000 to +1200 after beating Auburn 14-6 at home, as well as Louisville, who improved from +5500 to +3300 following a victory at UNC. Both teams’ chances also greatly improved following Florida State’s loss of QB Deondre Francois in Week 1, opening the door in the ACC. They’ll be meeting this Saturday in Louisville, with the Tigers currently listed as -3 to -3.5 favorites.
Looking for value? I’d argue that if ever there was a week to take Ohio State, this would probably be the one. Given the strength of Big Ten East this year, I don’t think they’d have gotten away with missing the Big Ten Championship Game (as they did last year), even if they did beat Oklahoma this past weekend. The loss didn’t hurt their Big Ten hopes, as they’re still 1-0 in conference, and will get Penn State at home this year. If they can take the Big Ten Championship, which I believe they’d have to do anyway, we could see them in the Playoff for the second consecutive year, and from there, who knows.
What do you think? Does Ohio State still have a chance? Or do any other teams stand out heading into Week 3? Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comment section or reach out to on Twitter @SportsInsights.
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