NCAA Football Power Rankings - Top three remain unchanged, TCU coming on strong
The sports betting favorites for NCAA football hasn’t changed as the top three - Texas, Alabama and Florida - are still leading the way. But watch out for TCU, who are waiting for one of them to fall - but they may have to wait until the Gators and Crimson Tide meet in the SEC championship on December 5th.
1. (1) Texas (10-0): The Longhorns have won their last four by an average of 31.7 points, and it’s Jordan Shipley, not Colt McCoy, who may be the Texas online betting favorite for the Heisman.
2. (2) Alabama (10-0): The Crimson Tide handled a tricky road trip to Mississippi State, thrashing them 31-3. This week’s game against Chattanooga is little more than practice for next week’s Iron Bowl against Auburn, in which they should be sports betting favorites.
3. (3) Florida (10-0): Well, at least the Gators clinched their spot in the SEC title game against Alabama with their win at South Carolina, but they’re a trap for sports betting players: Florida 3-5-1 against the spread, including 2-3 at the “Swamp”.
4. (5) TCU (10-0): Well, there shouldn’t be many more doubters for the Horned Frogs after their 55-28 dismantling of Utah. A BCS bowl has to be waiting, provided they win their last two games.
5. (4) Cincinnati (10-0): They survived West Virginia, and now they have to be careful not to look past Illinois to their showdown with Pitt in two weeks.
6. (7) Georgia Tech (10-1): The Yellow Jackets have a week off to prepare for “Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate”, their annual battle with Georgia. Tech’s win last year broke a seven-year skid to their state rivals.
7. (8) Ohio State (9-2): The Buckeyes have a little bit of shine back now that they’ve beaten two tough ranked teams, and they head into their rivalry game with Michigan with some steam.
8. (10) Pittsburgh (9-1): The Panthers have a bye to get ready for the “Backyard Brawl”, and they have to be wary: Pitt ruined West Virginia’s BCS title hopes two years ago and have now won two straight against the Mountaineers.
9. (9) Boise State (10-0): I bet that schedule will be a lot tougher next year, providing they can find the competition or the Broncos must be willing to leave the confines of their blue-turfed fortress at Bronco Stadium.
10. (12) Oregon (8-2): The Ducks bounced back from their loss against Stanford to beat Arizona State, and if they can win out in the Pac-10, Oregon-Ohio State in the Rose Bowl will be one of the best bowls of the online betting year.
11. (6) LSU (8-2): LSU-Ole Miss is one of the more underrated rivalries in college football betting, and the Tigers better be ready when they head to Oxford this weekend.
12. (19) Oklahoma State (8-2): The Cowboys may be without starting pivot Zac Robinson, who was hurt in the Texas Tech win. At least Kendall Hunter is healthy again in the backfield.
13. (--) Stanford (7-3): The Cardinal’s three losses have been by an average of 7.3 points, and they’ve hung an average of 53 points on Oregon and USC over the last two weeks. And where did running back Toby Gerhart come from?
14. (--) Oregon State (7-3): The Beavers are also in the Pac-10 sports betting picture, and they’ve also been a hard target for their opponents. Their three losses have been by an average of seven points. Their “Civil War” meeting with Oregon in two weeks could be epic.
15. (--) Wisconsin (8-2): The Badgers are back in the bowls for back-to-back years for the first time since 1995 and 1996, and they should be able to win their last two games at Northwestern and Hawaii.
16. (18) Penn State (9-2): Well, the Nittany Lions won’t come up roses this year, but they can still get into a BCS bowl. Penn State may have to run it up at Michigan State this weekend to impress the computers, as well as sportsbook players getting ready for bowl season.
17. (--) Clemson (7-3): After a terrible start, the Tigers have won five in a row, averaging 44 points per game in that time. C.J. Spiller is a threat to score each time he touches the ball.
18. (16) Iowa (9-2): The Hawkeyes have dropped two in a row after a 9-0 start, but they should be able to get past Minnesota, who haven’t beaten a ranked opponent in 13 games.
19. (13) USC (7-3): The Trojans are at their lowest point in the Pete Carroll era, and they’ve given up at least 47 points in two of their last three games. Not even a rivalry win over UCLA will cheer up the USC fans.
20. (20) Virginia Tech (7-3): I assumed that the Hokies would be better next year with a new quarterback, then I read that Tyrod Taylor was a junior. Poor Tech.
Check out the NCAA Football Power Rankings each week to get some hot tips, then head over to the BetOnline.com sportsbook to make your picks.
