Tick. Tock.
That’s the sound of the clock as a new college football season continues its march toward the opening kickoff. Depending on which camp one falls into among their fellow bettors, it’s a sound that could generate either welcomed anticipation or uneasy panic.
For those who have been diligent in keeping up with everything from depth chart battles to line movements to what Lee Corso had for breakfast this morning, their excitement is tempered with a level of relaxation knowing they have a good handle on Week 1 contests and the season ahead.
For the rest of you who have been frittering your summer away trolling social media sites for the news on the Hawk Tuah gal, well, you have plenty of catching up to do before making your Week 1 wagers at the NCAAF betting sites.
Expanded Playoffs Will Change Everything
Everyone needs to prepare for a college football season like no other. Yeah, I know, you’ve heard that before in network promos that are jazzed up with sound bites, video snippets of scowling coaches stomping the sidelines, and buxom beauties shaking their pompoms.
But it’s really true this time, and in a season boiling over with big changes, none is bigger than the expansion of the College Football Playoffs. The move from a 4-team bracket to a 12-team playoff bracket is the latest modification to what began as the BCS back in the 90s, and it will affect everything about college football betting.
That’s especially true when it comes to NCAAF futures. Georgia and Ohio State top that chart entering Week 1, with Texas and Oregon lurking close behind. But there are 20+ teams behind that quartet with a legitimate shot at a 10-2, even 9-3 season to get into the CFP.
This will lead to ‘bubble matchups’ for the length of the 2024 fixture, including a dandy Week 1 collision in College Station between Texas A&M and Notre Dame.
Trust me, there will be 3-4 teams moaning and crying about being left out with their 9-3 records come December 7th. Hell, an 8-4 could eventually worm into the mix…especially if that 8-4 team would be good for television.
Quirky Schedules & Conference Realignment
We’ve known the expanded playoffs were coming for a few years now. And we knew there was going to be a continuation of conference realignment in some form or fashion.
What none of us could have foreseen a little more than 12 short months ago was that form or fashion would include the demise of a Power 5 conference. It’s not officially dead, and maybe Oregon State and Washington State can eventually bring it back, but the Pac 12 will never be what it was.
The end product is a Power 4 that really is more like a Power 2 consisting of the SEC and Big Ten, plus the ACC in the role of the stepsister while the Big 12 acts as the cousin on the gridiron. The Big 12 will be a force and leader on the hardwood, but it’s at least one rung down with the other three in football.
The most immediate impact is scheduling, as we’ll see some new conference rivalries starting, as well as some old rivalries being renewed.
It should lead to increased action at top sportsbooks, with newbies to college football betting being spurred to play some of the marquee games on the slate. The top 4 favorites lead the way in those head-to-head battles as Ohio State is at Oregon in Week 7 and Georgia visits Texas the following week.
A New Era For Coaches
Love him or hate him, Nick Saban’s retirement marked the official end of an era in college football coaching.
The role of head football coach is continually evolving, same as the sport itself, and Saban was the last of his generation’s old guard, much like watching Bear Bryant, Darrell Royal, and Woody Hayes bow out in the late 70s and early 80s.
Tasked with replacing Saban is Kalen DeBoer, formerly of Washington, not an enviable position to be in by at least he’s got company as Michigan, UCLA, Texas A&M, Michigan State, Mississippi State, Houston and Boise State will also be breaking in new head coaches.
The spotlight is definitely on DeBoer, however, and it will be interesting to see how oddsmakers adjust lines for the Crimson Tide in 2024…and how John Q. Public will react.
2-Minute Warning Comes To College Football
With all of the other changes, the new 2-minute warning is easy to overlook. It’s important for bettors to not overlook the rule change, however, since it means extra time now at the end of the second and fourth quarters.
Sidelines may look a little more crowded with the allowance of as many ‘assistant coaches’ as a school or head coach wants. Don’t know about you, but I am looking forward to seeing who Deion Sanders gives a sideline pass to. Maybe Matthew McConaughey will get the title ‘Morale Coach’ down in Austin.
The season begins with a 9-day Opening Week, and Florida State gets the early spotlight by playing in the first game (Aug. 24) in Ireland against Georgia Tech and then hosting another ACC foe in Boston College in the final game on Labor Day evening (Sep. 2).
Tick. Tock.
