The 2023 college football betting season is just around the corner, with teams already holding training camps and practices. There are some big non-conference games scheduled this season as always, meaning some of the top teams have to be ready at the outset.
It’s been a busy few days around the sport, including the requisite big news stories across the country. Here is a look at some of those stories and their possible impact on the season.
Back to Big 12
The University of Colorado is heading back to the Big 12 Conference, that after the Board of Regents unanimously approved the return. The latest school to bolt the Pac-12 puts the future of that conference in serious jeopardy.
The 2023-24 school term will be the Buffs’ last in the Pac-12, coinciding with the current television rights deal ending, too. UCLA and USC are leaving the Pac-12 at the end of this season as well, with both of those LA schools heading to the Big Ten..
Colorado hasn’t had success since joining the Pac-12, but it is a program on the rise with the hiring of Deion Sanders. It’s finishing near the bottom of the Pac-12 this season, if the prognosticators are correct, but will be a much more exciting team than in past seasons.
While the Pac-12 is soliciting new schools to join the league, it has to worry about others leaving, too. Arizona and Arizona St. could be the next ones out the door, so the Pac-12 needs to act fast in order to stop the stampede.
Meanwhile, the Big 12 does not appear to be done adding new schools, as that league is hoping to get to 14 teams. It’s unclear how it will get there, but no qualms about pilfering teams out of other leagues.
That’s the Ticket
The University of Georgia Bulldogs have been the best college football team over the last few years, but they also lead the country in another category as well. It’s a program that has had a tough time playing by the rules of the road.
Defensive lineman Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins is now the latest to be cited with a moving violation, and that’s now the 12th time it’s happened since January. Coach Kirby Smart has been concerned with the driving habits of his team, but nothing he’s said has sunk in.
This past Jan. 15th, offensive lineman Devin Willock and a staff member were killed in a wreck after celebrating the national championship.
According to police reports, Willock was racing teammate Jalen Carter when the crash occurred, and that stunt had an impact on how Carter was viewed by some NFL teams.
Smart is not happy with the coverage that his program is receiving because of the speeding violations but is concerned these transgressions continue. Others on the team have addressed the issue as well, but the program can’t seem to stop it.
Returning to the mundane matters on the field, where the Dawgs ate solid +225 favorites to complete a three-peat, according to NCAA football championship odds by BetUS sportsbook.
Thompson to Tigers
Games haven’t begun, but the University of Auburn was able to secure a win over the University of Alabama. These two schools are bitter rivals, in the state and in the conference, often after the same recruits in that part of the country.
Wide receiver Perry Thompson previously committed to coach Nick Saban and ‘Bama, but he has now decided to enroll at Auburn. This was a pretty quick flip by Thompson, having just committed to the Crimson Tide back in June.
Thompson is the fourth-best prospect in the state of Alabama and was as high as No. 40 nationally in some rankings. It’s a big get by coach Hugh Freeze and the Tigers.
Henry Jr. to Horseshoe
Ohio St. has turned into a place where many top wide receivers want to go. That was the case again this week, as Chris Henry Jr. announced committed to Columbus as part of the Class of 2026. He was receiving offers throughout the country.
He is the son of the late NFL player, also the adopted son of Adam (Pac-Man) Jones. Chris Henry Sr. died back in 2009 when he fell out of a truck during a domestic dispute, and Jones decided to adopt the son of his former West Virginia teammate.
Oho St. is a tepid 8-5 (+160) choice to win the Big 10 this season, as per NCAA football conference odds.
