College Football Odds: Games of the Year Draw Underdog Action
College football odds for Games of the Year have attracted bettors to sportsbooks throughout the summer. But that doesn't mean all the value is gone from such games.
South Point sportsbook just posted its odds on college football Games of the Year, with a robust 100-game menu. And sharp bettors found plenty of attractive numbers, almost entirely on underdogs.
Here’s what you need to know about 2024-25 college football odds for Games of the Year: which matchups saw sharp action and movement, along with betting trends in this popular market.
College Football Odds
Sort of High on the Hogs
At 10:30 a.m. PT Friday, South Point released its college football games of the year odds. Most bettors were content to bet those numbers via the mobile app, with limits ranging from $500 to $1,000.
But Texas-based professional bettor Paul Stone traveled to Las Vegas and showed up in person at the sportsbook counter, which offered a $2,000-per-bet limit.
It took mere seconds for Stone to find a likable number.
"The first one I bet was Arkansas at home, getting 21 points against Texas," Stone said of a Nov. 16 contest. "Sometimes, when I come into bet these games, I have a buy price. A couple other operators put up a price, I think it was 16.5. I was gonna take 17.5 or more if I could get it."
South Point sportsbook director Chris Andrews said sharp play landed on Arkansas +21 and +20, so he moved down to Arkansas +18.
Texas-Arkansas was a Southwest Conference rivalry decades ago. But in the 1990s, Arkansas moved to the SEC and later Texas to the Big 12. So they've met only a few times since. Now, both are in the SEC.
"Texas is gonna be a top-four team in the preseason poll. Arkansas is almost certain to finish in the bottom half of the SEC," Stone said. "But as Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said about Arkansas at SEC media days: 'They hate Texas more than they like themselves.'
"It'll be a Game of the Year on Arkansas' schedule. And 21 is a lot of points."
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Bigger Rivalry Renewed
With Texas now entering the SEC, its rivalry with Texas A&M is back on the table. For Stone, it's another game in which he likes the underdog against the Longhorns.
"I'm not low on Texas at all. I have them fourth in my power ranking, one of the better teams in the nation. But I took Texas A&M +6 on Thanksgiving Saturday," Stone said of the Nov. 30 game. "Other operators show that game from 4.5 to 5.5. Six was the buy price for me. It was exactly 6, so I took the Aggies in another rivalry game."
A&M had a changing of the guard at coach, firing Jimbo Fisher late last season.
"It's coach Mike Elko's first season at A&M. By Game 12, I think the Aggies will have some things ironed out," Stone said. "It's a night game in College Station against a hated rival."
Andrews quickly backed up Texas from -6 to -4.5 in South Point's college football odds Games of the Year market.
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Another Rivalry, Another 'Dog
With the Pac-12 now dissolved, Utah moves into the Big 12, where BYU just finished its first season. The heated in-state rivals meet Nov. 9, with the Utes a big home favorite.
"It's all about the number," Stone said. "Utah is pretty much everybody's Big 12 favorite, deservedly so. And BYU is certainly gonna be predicted by everyone to finish near the bottom of the Big 12."
But Stone noted that incoming quarterback Gerry Bohannon could be a big difference maker. Bohannon played previously at Baylor and South Florida, but he hasn't seen action since suffering a torn labrum at USF in October 2022.
"He's said to be healthy. When healthy, Bohannon is a tremendous athlete, a dual-threat quarterback who will add another dimension to BYU's offense," Stone said.
That's enough to persuade Stone to take BYU +21. Even with Bohannon currently behind Jake Retzlaff on the Cougars' depth chart.
"I thought the correct number was closer to 17, maybe 17.5 or 18. So the 21 jumped out at me," he said.
South Point is now down to Utah -18.5, and Andrews was fine taking the sharp action.
"I think BYU is gonna be horrible this year," Andrews said.
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Underdogs Have Their Day
Andrews pointed out 20 games or so that saw notable movement on South Point's college football odds Games of the Year board. The overriding theme was sharp play on underdogs.
He noted only two favorites: USC moving from -3 to -3.5 at Washington on Nov. 2; and Penn State from -15 to -16.5 vs. Washington on Nov. 9.
"I'm gonna go through all my power ratings and readjust them. I'll look at where I maybe overrated some teams," Andrews said. "I respect the hell out of these guys putting up their money months in advance.
"But you have to remember that these guys betting right now tend to be 'dog players. Most wiseguys bet 'dogs."
Two hours after Andrews posted numbers, action began to settle down. He was generally pleased with by what he saw.
"It was pretty busy. It's been busier in other years, though. I think part of it is that we did a better job," Andrews said. "The numbers were really much better this year. But we got banged around a little bit."
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