College Football Odds: Will anyone challenge Alabama in the SEC?
Will any team challenge Alabama for the SEC title next season? Let’s take a look at the odds.
The Favorite: Alabama Crimson Tide
According to oddsmakers, Nick Saban’s program is the clear favorite to win the SEC conference this upcoming season. No other team in the conference has comparable odds to the Tide, which is 5/9 to win the SEC crown in 2017. Given Alabama’s history under Saban, it’s no wonder the Tide is the hands-down favorite to win it again this year.
‘Bama has won the conference three consecutive years and in four of the past five seasons. Since 2012, the only year the Tide did not win the conference was in 2013. That was when the Auburn Tigers routed Missouri 59-42 in the conference title game after shocking Alabama on the “Kick Six.”
The Challenger: LSU Tigers
The only team that is even remotely on Alabama’s radar is LSU. The Tigers are 11/2 to win the conference title next year and pose as the Tide’s biggest threat. That said, LSU hasn’t beaten Alabama since November of 2011. ‘Bama has beaten its biggest rival six consecutive times. LSU often has great defenses, but poor quarterback play has often been the Tigers’ downfall.
The Rest of the Field
Auburn is 7/1 to win the SEC title next season, followed by Georgia at 15/2. Florida has played (and lost) to Alabama in the last two SEC championship games and is 10/1 to win the conference in 2017. Tennessee, meanwhile, is 15/1.
The odds really drop off from there. Texas A&M is a 40/1 long-shot to win the SEC this upcoming season, followed by Arkansas at 50/1 and Mississippi State at 60/1. Kentucky and South Carolina are both 80/1, respectively, while Missouri and Vanderbilt have the longest odds to win the conference at 150/1, respectively.
