Unveiling the Hidden Gems Beyond the Betting College Football Odds Hype

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We are still a few months away from the start of the 2024 college football season, but with spring games now taking place, it’s tough to not get a little excited about the upcoming season.

And at this point, it’s good to be looking at which teams could be the surprise, and here are 4 for you to consider in your NCAAF betting Odds: Clemson, Penn State, Ole Miss and Utah.

My Analysis

2024 is the beginning of a new era in the college game, with teams hopping to new conferences and the playoffs expanding to 12 teams from the 4 that we have been used to. This change is going to open the door for teams that might otherwise not have had a shot at the postseason, while also making the season as a whole a little more forgiving. It will now be possible for 1- and 2-loss teams to find their way into the playoffs, where anything can happen. We know the favorites to win it all this coming season, but let’s look at 4 teams that might sneak in and make some noise.

Clemson Tigers Betting Line +2500

The Tigers were one of the dominant teams in the early years of the playoff era, but they have fallen off since seeing Trevor Lawrence head to the NFL. There are still some who will suggest that their current QB, Cade Klubnik, is not at the level of Lawrence, which is probably true, but given how things ended last year, the Tigers might be ready to return to the postseason. Clemson finished 2023 with 5 straight wins and Klubnik now looks a whole lot more comfortable. Combine that with an ACC Conference that is there for the taking and you have a potential return to form.

Penn State Nittany Lions Betting Line +2200

Sometimes, all it takes is a change in the coaching staff to create a turnaround in a college football program. On paper, the Lions have a solid QB in Drew Allar, as well as a very good running back duo, all of whom will be back in the fold for the 2024 season. The Nittany Lions have faith in those players, which is why they pulled the trigger and made a change to the OC position in hopes of getting the best out of their offensive weapons. I think that Penn State has a shot to finish in the top 10 this season.

Ole Miss Rebels Betting Line +1400

While not totally underrated, the Ole Miss Rebels have lived in the shadow of the Alabama Crimson Tide in the SEC West for a few years now, most notably in the Lane Kiffin era. With Nick Saban retiring, we may be looking at a transitional period for Alabama, which may well open the door for another team to take control of the West. If that indeed proves to be true, then Ole Miss looks to be the team most likely to do it. I believe they will be a part of the playoff picture this season.

Utah Utes Betting Line +6600

It should be noted that we are not in any way suggesting that any of these teams will go on and win the National Championship, as I don’t believe any of this group will. That said, we are looking at teams that could find their way into the top 12. For me, the Utes have a chance to do that. They went 8-5 last season despite losing their starting QB for the season. Jake Rising is ser to return this year and the Utes will now be in the Big 12, which looks to be very much up for grabs. They have a great shot at being a playoff team in 2024.

Every college football season delivers a surprise tea or two, and fans have a real opportunity to cash in on those teams if they can identify them early on. The latest college football lines show the same old face listed as the favorites to win a National Championship, but there are a few dark horse teams sitting just underneath those teams that may well make a surprise run to the playoffs. In this list you will find programs that have a new head coach and philosophy in place, as well as some teams that look set to take a leap forward after a promising season in 2015. There are a few programs that I think fall into the underrated category, and I am going to share those teams with you now.

Underrated Teams that May Surprise College Football Bettors

100 Days. #CommitToTheG pic.twitter.com/dNKxu6viXq

— Coach Kirby Smart (@KirbySmartUGA) May 26, 2016

Georgia Bulldogs (+3000)

Depending on who you ask, the Bulldogs are a team that are currently straddling the fence between overrated and underrated. I put them into the latter category simply because I believe they have a lot to overcome from last season. Is Nick Chubb going to be the same RB after undergoing major knee surgery? Is new head coach Kirby Smart going to build a defense as dominating as what he had in Alabama? Is Jacob Eason really the answer to Georgia’s QB woes.? If Eason and Chubb can deliver, Coach Smart may not have to pull out any defensive miracles.

Nebraska Cornhuskers (+9000)

Nebraska have finished in the Top 25 in the past 5 seasons, and while their record from last year may look a little disappointing, it’s worth remembering that a number of those losses came in the dying seconds of the game. This could easily have been a 10-win team last year, and with QB Tommy Armstrong Jr. returning to the fold, the Cornhuskers have a chance to make amends for those late slip-ups in 2015.

Washington Huskies (+4200)

This team ended the year with an improbable 7-6 winning record, which is all he more astonishing when you realize that they played the entire 2015 season with true freshmen at the QB and RB positions. Jake Browning and Myles Gaskin will have learned a lot during their first year in college ball, and look set to take a big step forward this year. This is a team that could make a lot of noise in the PAC-12, where they had some nice upset wins last season. A definite dark horse.

Iowa Hawkeyes (+9000)

The ironic thing about having this team in the underrated list this season is that many pundits had them as being overrated last year. Iowa more than loved up to their expectations in 2015, yet they are not getting very much love heading into the 2016 season. The Hawkeyes have an exceptional defensive unit, and that is good news for a team that may not be as explosive on offense as some of their other Big Ten rivals. I think this team will do better than they did last season, and that makes them dangerous.