3 Best Bets for 2020 College Football Division Winner Odds
- Alabama, North Carolina, and Minnesota present the best early division winner bets for the upcoming 2020 college football season
- Is there value to be made betting on division winners instead of conference winners?
- Read below to see the odds and betting analysis for our picks
Hope is in the air, as odds continue to come out for the upcoming 2020 College Football season. This time we’re looking at winners for each division, so unfortunately for Big 12 fans, this piece does not concern you.
At first glance of the opening Conference Title Odds, Alabama, North Carolina, and Minnesota had some great value, and that translates to them emerging victorious in their division as well.
With LSU winning the national championship last season, Alabama is just a -125 favorite to win the SEC West. That’s unchartered territory for odds surrounding a team playing under Nick Saban.
Odds to Win 2020 SEC West Division
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| Alabama | -125 |
| Texas A&M | +400 |
| LSU | +500 |
| Auburn | +700 |
| Mississippi State | +1400 |
| Ole Miss | +3300 |
| Arkansas | +10000 |
All odds taken April 13th
Alabama’s Reign
Nick Saban and his crew have won five of the last eight SEC West titles. They lost last season to an undefeated LSU team, and they lost on a tiebreaker to Auburn in 2017 and 2013. Both of the following seasons, the Crimson Tide went on to win the SEC West. I believe that is exactly what will happen again in 2020.
With the permanent absence of Tua Tagovailoa, the Tide still have great options at quarterback. Mac Jones proved he’s a worthy replacement after torching Michigan in the Citrus Bowl, throwing for 327 yards and three scores in a 35-16 win.
Jones will have two young guns nipping at his heels. The Tagovailoa legacy will continue at Alabama, with Tua’s little brother Taulia entering his sophomore season.
One of Alabama’s four five-star recruits in the 2020 class, Bryce Young will also be gunning for the starting job. Young is the number one dual-threat quarterback in his class and will definitely make some noise as a freshman on this team.
Bryce Young. The future 💥 pic.twitter.com/Bn9GfB5lgA
— Touchdown Alabama (@TDAlabamaMag) April 12, 2020
Alabama also locked down the top two defensive ends in the 2020 class in Will Anderson and Chris Braswell. Their last five-star signing and number one athlete in the 2020 class was Drew Sanders from Denton, Texas who could make an impact on-field this season as well.
After opening the season with USC in Arlington, their only tough games remaining will be against Georgia, Texas A&M, and LSU. With Myles Brennan filling in for Joe Burrow, I do not think this team will have the same look. Lock down Alabama for this bet immediately.
Bet: Alabama (-125)
Odds to Win ACC Coastal Division
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| Miami (FL) | +200 |
| North Carolina | +250 |
| Virginia Tech | +250 |
| Pittsburgh | +1000 |
| Virginia | +1000 |
| Duke | +1400 |
| Georgia Tech | +10000 |
North Carolina’s Time to Shine
North Carolina finished 7-6 last season under head coach Mack Brown and freshman quarterback Sam Howell. So, the question is: Why pick UNC to win the division? Well, in their six losses they lost by a combined 26 points. Although this is a jaw-dropping stat, it’s only the tip of the iceberg for the Tar Heels.
Howell is the reason for optimism at Chapel Hill. As a freshman, he threw for 3,641 yards, 38 touchdowns, and just seven interceptions. North Carolina is returning 10 out of 11 offensive starters, and they should hit the ground running once football returns.
The Tar Heels will be returning both running backs, Michael Carter and Javonte Williams, who combined for almost 2,000 yards last season. Dyami Brown and Dazz Newsome also both went over 1,000 yards receiving in 2019 at the receiver position.
#UNC QB Sam Howell says that after the 2019 season he asked for every LSU game so he could study Joe Borrow's tape.
Howell said he watched each cut-up at least three times.
— Ross Martin (@RossMartin_IC) April 8, 2020
Howell seems like the real deal, and the Tar Heels made sure to help him by recruiting a boatload of talent. North Carolina had the third-best ranked recruiting class in the ACC this offseason. The Tar Heels managed to bring in nine four-star recruits, which is the most since 2009 where they brought in 12.
Highlighting North Carolina’s class are a crop of defensive studs. Defensive end Desmond Evans, safety Ja’Qurious Conley, and defensive end Myles Murphy, who are all ranked in the top 10 of their respective position.
North Carolina plays UCF and Auburn in the first two weeks of the season. Those two games will be very telling on how the rest of the season will play out.
Moreover, just because Miami landed D’Eriq King doesn’t mean this team is headed to the ACC Championship game. North Carolina is a much deeper and experienced team and is probably the only team that could potentially take down Clemson.
Odds to Win Big Ten West Division
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| Wisconsin | -175 |
| Minnesota | +350 |
| Iowa | +800 |
| Nebraska | +900 |
| Northwestern | +2200 |
| Purdue | +3300 |
| Illinois | +6600 |
Row the Boat, Baby
PJ Fleck and the Golden Gophers had one of the more surprising college football seasons last year. Minnesota finished 11-2 last season, with notable wins over Penn State and Auburn. Although losing star wide receiver Tyler Johnson will be a big hit, this team will be just as dominant in 2020.
Tanner Morgan was elite last season becoming the first quarterback to throw for over 3,000 yards and 30 touchdowns in Minnesota’s history. Rashod Bateman will easily be able to fill in for Johnson as Morgan’s primary target winning Big Ten receiver of the year in 2019.
Rashod Bateman Soph Season:
• 60 catches
• 1,219 receiving yards
• 11 receiving TDs
• Big Ten Receiver of the Year
• Biletnikoff Award semifinalist
• All-Big Ten First Team
• AP Third-Team All-America pic.twitter.com/UNjMvPWoFv— Minnesota Football (@GopherFootball) April 5, 2020
The defensive line is where the Golden Gophers will have to get creative. Defensive coordinator Joseph Rossi hopes defensive end Micah Dew-Treadway who transferred from Notre Dame before the 2019 season, will be able to lead a young talented group.
The reason for picking Minnesota is because of their schedule. They play FAU, Tennessee Tech, and BYU in their non-conference schedule. This means Michigan and Wisconsin will be their toughest tests.
To be blunt, I don’t believe a Wisconsin-less Jonathan Taylor squad will be much of a threat. Take the Golden Gophers who pose outstanding value right now.
Bet: Minnesota (+350)
Other Options
In case none of these picks tickle your fancy, here are some of my other favorite bets on division winners: Cincinnati to win ACC East (+250), Georgia to win SEC East (-110), and Arizona State to win Pac-12 South (+450).
With 5+ years of sports journalism under his belt, Ryan Sura may be young, but he's already making his mark. Ryan is the lead NHL editor at SBD, along with managing content for MMA, Boxing, and Racing. He is also the commercial manager, highlighting the best promos at online sportsbooks across US.
