LAS VEGAS (AP) — There was a time not long ago when maybe four and possibly five schools had a realistic shot at the national championship — and Indiana certainly wasn't one of them. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Associated Press.
But name, image and likeness (NIL) has changed the landscape of college football, bringing more teams into the mix.
Seven teams are, depending on the sportsbook, 11-1 odds or greater to win the national title when it's played Jan. 25 in Las Vegas.
No. 1 Ohio State, No. 4 Notre Dame and No. 5 Texas are each +650 or better to win it all at the major sportsbooks, with No. 6 Indiana, No. 2 Oregon and No. 3 Georgia not far behind. No. 7 Miami is 10-1 at DraftKings Sportsbook and Caesars Sportsbook and 11-1 at BetMGM Sportsbook.
"I think it was kind of evident even last year where it was more parity," said Joey Feazel, Caesars' head of football. "I don't think going in that everybody thought Miami and Indiana were going to be playing for the national championship, and that's spilled over into this season as well, where it's a little bit more wide open."
Sportsbooks have to keep up on player movement thanks to the transfer portal, which can seriously affect odds. There also have been a handful of court cases that have determined if some players are eligible to play and others are not.
"It's harder in this offseason," BetMGM sports trader Seamus Magee said. "If you're up to date on the news faster than — forget just us — anywhere else on the market, you can find a really good opportunity."
This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Associated Press.