College Football About to Ramp Up

As we get near the end of October, the college football season is about to get into full swing. The Big Ten, which originally punted on the 2020 season, had second thoughts and will start the weekend of Oct. 23-24. The Pac-12 also reconsidered and will start Nov. 7.

The SEC, ACC, Big 12 and American Athletic Conference, along with a few Group of 5 conferences, have already had teams play three to five games. Some games have been postponed or rescheduled because of COVID-19, but the sport is still trending toward Dec. 19 as Conference Championship Weekend.

ACC

The No. 1 Clemson Tigers are off to a 4-0 start, including 3-0 in conference games. Last week they thrashed another team that was ranked in the top 10, Miami, and are a big favorite to win the ACC at -600.

They will have to go to No. 4 Notre Dame on Nov. 7 but don’t face No. 5 North Carolina in the regular season. Notre Dame (3-0, 2-0) is currently +600 to win the ACC, while the Tar Heels (3-0, 2-0) are +1000.

SEC

The SEC got a bit of separation last week, and this weekend’s big game between No. 2 Alabama and No. 3 Georgia is sure to change the odds. The Crimson Tide (3-0) are -280 to win the SEC, while Georgia (3-0) is +250.

No. 10 Florida (2-1) lost at Texas A&M last week and had its game against LSU postponed by COVID-19 this week. But the Gators are +300 to win the SEC, as beating Georgia on Nov. 7 would get them the tiebreaker in the East.

No. 11 Texas A&M (2-1) is +2000, but with a loss to Alabama on the resume, the Aggies will need some help to reach Atlanta.

Big 12

Unranked Oklahoma (2-2, 1-2) is still the favorite at +175 after beating Texas (2-2, 1-2) in overtime last Saturday. The Longhorns are now +400 with a big hill to climb.

No. 20 Iowa State (3-1, 3-0) is +300 with a win over Oklahoma under its belt. No. 7 Oklahoma State (3-0, 2-0) is the only remaining unbeaten in the conference and is +400 to win the Big 12.

Big Ten

As the conference gets ready to kick off next weekend, No. 6 Ohio State is a big favorite at -300. No. 16 Wisconsin is the favorite in the West Division at +600 despite an injury to quarterback Jack Coan.

No. 9 Penn State is +650, and it hosts the Buckeyes on Oct. 31, while No. 19 Michigan is +2000.

Pac-12

Pac-12 teams will only play six regular-season games before their conference championship game. No. 12 Oregon is +300 to win the conference out of the North, ahead of Washington at +500.

In the South Division, No. 25 USC is the favorite at +200, while Utah is +700.

National Championship Odds

As for national championship odds, Clemson is the favorite at +200. Alabama and Ohio State are both +300 behind the Tigers, and Georgia is +1000.

After the top four, it drops down to +2000 for Florida, Notre Dame and Penn State.

Heisman Odds

Deciding the Heisman Trophy winner will be unique this season as teams play a different number of games. Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence is off to a great start and is the favorite at +110.

Despite not getting on the field yet, Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields is next at +250, followed by Alabama signal-caller Mac Jones at +500. Alabama wide receiver Jaylen Waddle and Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett IV are both +1000, while Alabama running back Najee Harris and Florida quarterback Kyle Trask are +1500.