What the AP preseason rankings tell us about the potential 12-team College Football Playoff field and bets to consider now

Nov 12, 2022; Syracuse, New York, USA; Florida State Seminoles head coach Mike Norvell (left) and defensive end Derrick McLendon II (9) lead their team onto the field before a game against the Syracuse Orange at JMA Wireless Dome. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports ORG XMIT: IMAGN-491377 ORIG FILE ID: 20221112_tbs_bk3_167.JPG

The College Football Playoff is expanding to 12 teams this upcoming season. The five highest-ranked conference winners will each clinch a spot in the field, in addition to the next seven highest-ranked teams.

The new format adds another layer of drama to the 2024 season, as more teams get a longer crack at the national championship and bettors have more odds to consider for CFP markets.

It’s too soon to definitively say which teams will end up in the final 12, but the preseason AP poll was released Monday and gives us a glimpse of where voters think the balance of power stands today.

If the end-of-season rankings are similar — which they definitely won’t be — the top four seeds will be Georgia (SEC), Ohio State (Big Ten), Florida State (ACC) and Utah (Big 12). And though a fifth conference isn’t represented in the current top 25, Boise State (Mountain West) received the most votes of teams from other conferences, so we’ll give them the fifth and final conference champ spot.

The next seven teams to qualify are Oregon, Texas, Alabama, Ole Miss, Notre Dame, Penn St. and Michigan.

So, which teams hold betting value based on these results?

Boise State (+400)

Let’s start with Boise, which has -125 odds to win the Mountain West and +400 odds to make the playoff. The Broncos received 15 more votes in the poll than the next non-power conference team, which is Liberty (C-USA).

Utah (+200)

The Utes jump over to the Big 12 this year just as Texas and Oklahoma are departing, so that clears the way for a…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/ap-preseason-rankings-tell-us-191922722.html

Author : FTW Outdoors

Publish date : 2024-08-12 19:19:22

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