Table of Contents
By Alex Lauzon from the “Course of Life” podcast
Last Season Before Armageddon
In what feels like the calm before a gargantuan storm of college football realignment, we have one last season of reasonably familiar power conferences before the shake up intensifies. Starting next season we’ll have the craziness of Oklahoma and Texas in the SEC, a completely facelifted Big 10 and a possibly non-existent Pac 12. But before all of that mess hits us, the season upcoming will feel somewhat sentimental as matchups in the power five conferences of college football are played for what is likely the last time in years to come.
The power five structure as we know it is changing right before our eyes, but there’s still one more season ahead where the forecast will look normal to college football fans. Let’s break in to the Power Five odds to win conferences in 2023 and see who may have a backdoor path to the CFB Playoff:
SEC
Quite predictably the two time defending champs from Athens, GA are not only the favorite to three peat nationally, but they are a commanding -110 favorite to win the SEC yet again. Stetson Bennett has moved on to the NFL but who says Carson Beck can’t be the next in line to produce similar numbers in that system? Not I. Alabama at +300 and LSU at +450 are your only other outs to win, and that will take an epic performance in Atlanta to derail the Bulldogs from a three peat. I’ve already penciled the Bulldogs from Georgia in the CFB Playoff, so Georgia -110 is a strong play for them Dawgs to take care of business in the SEC this season.
Big 10
A tried and true talking point of August college football banter – Buckeyes or Wolverines in the Big 10? In what is unquestionably the most competitive power five rivalry in recent years, Michigan is now delivering the beating to OSU behind J.J. McCarthy. As the Buckeyes now move on from C.J. Stroud at QB and boast an outstanding recruiting class, it’s hard to imagine Michigan taming their rival to the south for a third straight year. This conference futures pick is likely reliant on the result of the OSU/Michigan clash on Thanksgiving weekend, and my gut is telling me this is the year the script flips again. Ohio State (+160) possesses a slight edge over Michigan (+180) in odds to win, and that’s my early lean in the Big Ten.
Big 12
Here we go again with the Texas hype. In my 13 years living in Austin it ceases to amaze how consistently the hype machine gets revved up in August for the Longhorns, and every year the letdown follows. The Horns are EVEN money to win the Big 12 and are on to year two with Steve Sarkisian at the helm. Questions still linger as to who will play the most at QB between Quinn Ewers and Arch Manning, so I have a hard time placing them as a favorite here. If you’re looking for a value play in power five futures beyond Texas’ rival Oklahoma at +350 to win the Big 12, there’s bomb opportunities for a team like Kansas State (+500) who people forget WON the Big 12 last year, or even Texas Tech (+1200) to steal one more trophy from their in-state rivals before Texas leaves for the SEC.
ACC
The sexiest future in the ACC this season is undoubtedly Florida State (+160), who are the favorites to win the conference off a red hot six game winning streak to end last season. In theory, Jordan Travis should continue the charge and spring into Heisman contention by October, but with September matchups against LSU and Clemson I’m thinking they’ll be behind the 8 ball to start. That’s why I’m likely placing a safety play on Clemson (also +160) to do their usual 10-11 win thing…but I also have a bomb play from the back of the pack. Louisville’s new QB Jack Plummer is transferring from California and reuniting with Louisville Coach Jeff Brohm who he’s played under before, and it could be electric on offense. A sprinkle pick of Louisville +1000 to sneak into the ACC Championship could hold great value if Clemson or Florida State are teetering by December.
Pac 12
Enjoy the board on the PAC 12, cause you’ll never see it look like this again. The conference is currently all the way down to just four teams staying put, and there’s questions about the future of the conference all together. That’s what makes these west coast PAC 12 after dark contests all the more sentimental this season. As has been the case in recent years, it’s a wide open board between USC (+200) behind Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams, Oregon at +300 and Washington at +320 to win the conference for maybe the last time. Ironically the 2022 champion in Utah spoiled USC’s playoff party and was given little love by oddsmakers at +620 odds to win, mainly due to key losses on both sides of the ball. I’m laying it down on Michael Penix Jr. and the UW Huskies (+320) to surprise here, as their QB now possesses the experience to get them far before they depart the conference.
No matter which direction you lean this season, take a good mental snapshot of the beautiful conferences we knew and loved for so many years before Alignment Armageddon in 2024.
CFB FAQs
How are college football bowl games determined?
Only bowl-eligible teams are selected for College Football Bowls. At the NCAA Division I FBS level, the standard by which teams become available for selection in bowl games varies. For example, in 2018-19 season, the team had to have at least as many wins as overall losses. Wins against non-Division I teams do not count toward the number of wins.
How do you play college football pick'em pools?
Simply pick winners from the games each week selected by the Pool Commissioner, either straight up or against the spread. Whichever member has the most points at the end of the season wins
What is a football pool?
"Football Pool" is a broad term for a group of people competitively guessing the outcome of one or more football games. There are many types of formats, each assigning winners differently. They can be played informally between friends or through a more formalized system. They are often considered a great alternative to fantasy football given the ease of playing, although there are fantasy football pools as well.
How to run a football pool?
How you decide to run a football pool varies greatly depending on the game type. In each case, however, you'll want to determine the rules and settings before you begin inviting members to join you. You'll want to clearly establish how score will be kept, how tiebreakers work, and how winners are decided before anything else.
How to play squares football pools?
Football squares are played by creating a grid, in which Team 1 takes the column and Team 2 the rows. In some cases, participants may claim as many squares as they like. In others, commissioners limit them to one. At the quarter times and end of the game, the winner is decided at the point the scores final digit intersect.
How do you setup a college football bowl pool?
To set up a college football bowl pool, you'll need to first choose if you will include all the games or specific ones. Then, you'll need to set the ground rules. As commissioner, you'll implement rules to ensure everything runs smoothly during the bowl games. Many use pool sites like RunYourPool to make the process easier.
What is a college football squares pool?
In a college football squares pool, a commissioner starts with a 10x10 grid of 100 squares (though commissioners decide to use smaller 5x5 pools). Members pick one or more squares in that grid. Winners are determined based on the score of each team after each quarter and at the end of the game.
How many squares in a football pool?
In a traditional football squares pool, a grid is sectioned off into 100 squares with 10 columns and 10 rows. This accounts for a direct relationship between each possible digit from 0 to 9 on both the X and Y axis. For smaller square grids like 5x5, multiple numbers can be assigned to each column and row.
How to read a football squares pool sheet?
In Squares formats, football pool sheets include a grid, where one team is the column and one is the row. Winners are determined at the end of each quarter when the last number in the team’s score (on each side) is matched to the numbers on the grid, and the intersecting square wins.
How do you setup a college football bowl pool?
To set up a college football bowl pool, you'll need to first choose if you will include all the games or specific ones. Then, you'll need to set the ground rules. As commissioner, you'll implement rules to ensure everything runs smoothly during the bowl games. Many use pool sites like RunYourPool to make the process easier.
How do you win college football confidence bowl pool?
The winner of a college bowl confidence pool is the member with the most points after all games have ended. Members rank each game based on how confident they are in their pick (44 points = most confident, 1 point = least confident). For each game picked correctly, members receive the number of points they assigned.
What is a college football bowl confidence pool?
Players try to pick the winner of every bowl game, assigning a point value to each game. Picks are made "straight up," not using a point spread system. Members rank each game based on how confident they are (44 points = most confident, 1 point = least confident). A winner is determined by totalling the point values assigned to correctly picked games.
How do you setup a college football bowl pool?
To set up a college football bowl pool, you'll need to first choose if you will include all the games or specific ones. Then, you'll need to set the ground rules. As commissioner, you'll implement rules to ensure everything runs smoothly during the bowl games. Many use pool sites like RunYourPool to make the process easier.
How do you win college football bowl pick'em pool?
As you might expect, the player who selects the most bowl winners will win their pick'em pool. You can win your college football bowl pick'em pool by choosing winners wisely, based on past performance, player starting status and other "intangibles."
What is a college football bowl pick'em pool?
In a College Bowl Pick'em pool members attempt to pick the winner of every College Bowl game (or a subset of games determined by the Pool Commissioner). Picks are made using the point spread system or "straight up", as assigned by the Pool Commissioner.
