2015-16 NCAAF Futures – Week 3 Upheaval!
We’re three weeks into the NCAAF season and the National Championship picture is only getting more muddled. Several early favorites have already suffered setbacks. When it comes to reaching the College Football Playoff, it’s easier to overcome an early loss than a late one. But it’s easiest to overcome no losses, so the title futures have shifted significantly in the recent weeks and days.
The preseason favorites, Ohio State, are still undefeated and top the title futures. But their QB play – which was supposed to be a failsafe given that they had three legitimate Heisman candidates to choose from – has been suspect. Thanks to three picks (two from Cardale Jones and one from JT Barrett in relief), the Buckeyes struggled to get by Northern Illinois at home last weekend (20-13). (Northern Illinois?!)
Alabama wasn’t as lucky. For the second straight season, the team fell to Ole Miss (43-37). This time, though, the Rebels came to Tuscaloosa and handed Nick Saban his first home loss since 2012, when one Jonathan Paul Manziel went all Johnny Football on the Tide. The loss to an SEC West foe has put Alabama well behind the eight-ball in the conference race. They’ll have to hope the Rebels make some missteps.
Over in the Pac-12, two of the conference favorites already have a tick in the loss column, as well. USC lost to Stanford at the Coliseum (41-31), while the Oregon Ducks fell to a surging Michigan State Spartans team in Lansing (31-28). UCLA and Arizona are still undefeated in the South division (as is Utah) but that will only be true for a couple more days, with the Bruins heading to Tucson this week.
There isn’t time nor space to cover all the recent events (ok, there’s both but I’m lazy), so let’s just get to some numbers. I know they’re the only reason you’re here anyway!
Odds to win the 2016 BCS Championship:
- Ohio State: 7/2
- TCU: 8/1
- Michigan State: 9/1
- Ole Miss: 10/1
- Georgia: 12/1
- LSU: 12/1
- Baylor: 16/1
- Florida St.: 18/1
- Texas A&M: 18/1
- Alabama: 20/1
- Clemson: 22/1
- Oklahoma: 25/1
- UCLA: 28/1
- USC: 35/1
- Oregon: 38/1
(Photo credit: Scott Stuart [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons.)
Sascha was a hockey player in his youth, a lawyer in his capricious mid-20s, and has been with SBD since 2014. He specializes in football, basketball, politics, baseball, and hockey.
