College Football Picks: Boop's strategy on how to win money on National Championship puts longshots in play
I am not the biggest college football fan in the world, but I like a good (sports betting) bargain when I see one. That is why each week I search high-and-low for long odds on NFL players scoring two TDs (Thank you, JJ Taylor!) and almost every bet I make here from my South Jersey home or whatever eating/drinking establishment I may be in.
That is why the numbers “3” and “4” jumped out at me when I saw the first College Football Playoff Rankings released this week and started checking out the odds for various teams to win the National Championship.
Three is the number of teams that are – quite literally – odds-on favorites to win the title. Even I know that would be Georgia, Alabama and Ohio State (all 5-1 and under).
But Four is the number of teams that will be selected for the Playoff, which means that school will be within just two wins – albeit huge upset wins – of the crown.
Even just a victory by any of these schools in the semifinals would put us in position to be able to reverse on your bet in the championship game (wagering on their opponent to win) and you'd be sure to cover your original bet or make a profit no matter who wins. I always like that.
I started popping around the seven places I do my sports bet shopping for the best odds I could find on the next handful of teams and found what I consider a gold mine.
At the end of an hour or so of research I landed on eight schools with huge title odds and spread $25 among them to win it all (see below). Now, after my bets on Penn State and then Iowa to capture all the glory have gone belly up, I have some rooting interest each week as the season plays out.
Remember, it is almost a certainty that one of these teams (and possibly two) will make it to the Final Four. I am assuming these odds will stand until major play commences this weekend, so feel free to partake on any or all of them.
From lowest odds to highest, with my bet and the site:
$6 on Oklahoma (20-1 at FanDuel)
$4 on Oregon (50-1 at Golden Nugget)
$4 on Cincinnati (50-1 at FanDuel)
$4 on Michigan State (80-1 at FanDuel)
$3 on Michigan (100-1 at BetMGM)
$2 on Wake Forest (150-1 at FOXBet)
$1 on Baylor (200-1 at Golden Nugget)
$1 on Notre Dame (200-1 at FanDuel)
For the sake of the record (and my wife’s fiscal sanity), those are my actual bets on each school. Players who feel the need to play higher stakes, please do so responsibly.