The most powerful conference in college football, the Southeastern Conference (SEC) has certainly had the attention of the collegiate world for some time now. With Texas and Oklahoma soon joining the SEC’s ranks, the collegiate football conference arms race has only just begun. With that in mind, Bovada has gotten in on the action by introducing odds for teams joining new conferences like the SEC and also the Big Ten. As many sportsbook veterans are well aware, you can wager on just about anything as one website pointed out, but Bovada offering odds on conference realignment is a new twist.
For this report, SBS will go over what those odds look like and also some more thoughts and notes about using Bovada.
According to one report, there is a smattering of college football powerhouses that are favored to join the SEC in the near future. At the top of that list is Clemson (+250) who has had a vaunted football program taken to new heights under head coach Dabo Swinney in the 2010’s. A year after the Sooners and the Longhorns announced they would be moving to the already powerful conference, it would appear that the arms race is not over with USC and UCLA announcing their own move to the Big Ten earlier this summer. So this new phase of conference realignment is perhaps just getting into high gear in 2022.
After Clemson, the next four favorite teams are three stalwarts from the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and one from the Big 12. This includes Florida State (+250) who last won a football national title in 2013 and the Miami Hurricanes (+325) who boasted perhaps college football’s premier assemblage of talent back in the 1980’s and 90’s. The two schools make logical sense for the SEC given their geographic location and also the hotbed of recruiting that is the state of Florida. In addition to the two Sunshine State powers, Bovada also has ranked Louisville (+500) and Baylor (+500) as two other potential teams that could make the jump.
The Cardinals would be a nice addition to the SEC especially when it comes to beefing up their roster of basketball-heavy schools. It also would be a natural fit since their in-state rivals, the University of Kentucky, are already in the conference. When it comes to Baylor, the SEC would be wise to add a school that has won national titles on the hardwood in the last couple of years and also give them a stronger foothold in the state of Texas.
Maybe the most recognizable brand in all of college sports, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish have long coveted their position as the great independent power in the sport. With an incredibly-lucrative TV rights deal from NBC, the Irish have positioned themselves as one of the premier brands in the sport even with the SEC rushing past them in the talent arms race. However, with a new TV rights deal on the horizon, many are expecting Notre Dame to finally rejoin a conference for their own self-preservation. This is why Bovada has ranked them at +150 and the favorite to rejoin the Big Ten. This also makes a ton of geographical sense and would allow the Irish to restore some classic rivalries on an annual basis with the likes of Michigan, Ohio State, Michigan State, Wisconsin, just to name a few.
While Notre Dame would obviously be the crown jewel for the conference, there are a couple other notable programs that have been linked to the Big Ten as well. This includes the high-flying Oregon Ducks (+150) which Bovada ranks as the second-most likely team to make the jump. The website also has pegged another Pac-12 squad as a likely candidate to leave in the near future at the University of Washington (+600). With those three squads pretty high on the list, there are two other schools that Bovada thinks you should keep an eye on in Kansas (+1400) and Cincinnati (+1500). While it remains to be seen when the next domino will fall, you can definitely count on these dramatic changes happening sooner rather than later.
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About the Author
As a devout aficionado of sports, Chris Boline has carved a career within the athletic realm. A skilled scribe, he boasts a decade-long portfolio that encompasses coverage of the NBA G League, the Los Angeles Chargers, football in the Mountain West Conference, and basketball. Beyond his professional pursuits, Chris is deeply invested in his community and dedicates his leisure hours to serving on boards, collaborating with community organizations, and cherishing the company of loved ones.
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