College Football Betting Preview 2022: Best future bets, regular season win totals

Week Zero is officially here, and that means it’s time to dwell on future college football betting before the season begins. Although these markets have been trending up for several months, there are still some worthwhile betting opportunities that deserve your attention. Will Georgia (+425) repeat itself as National Champion or will another school crash their party?

Below we look at a few of our favorite futures bets across the entire season and regular season outrights that still offer some betting value.

All odds courtesy of Caesars Sportsbook

Best bets to win the 2022-23 College Football National Championship

Ohio State Buckeyes +300 (implicit probability 25.00 percent)

While avoiding the chalk path would be a bit more intriguing given the lack of parity we’ve seen throughout the college football playoff era, it’s hard not to. Alabama (+180) is the legitimate favorite to win the National Championship, but its odds are accurately priced, so top contender Ohio State is a bet at its current price.

Ohio State has a real shot at running through the Big Ten en route to its fifth playoff appearance. Ohio State could very well break into the No. 1 CFP rankings, and if the Buckeyes were to advance to the National Championship against Alabama, their moneyline prize that game would most likely be less than +300.

Michigan is once again the biggest threat to the Buckeyes in the Big Ten, and while attacking numbers improve, defense is likely to take a step back after several key personnel losses linked to DC Mike MacDonald’s move to the Ravens. At +300, betting on the Buckeyes to win the 2023 National Championship is worth a look.

Clemson Tigers +1000 (implied probability 9.09 percent)

Clemson is less likely to win the 2023 national championship compared to Ohio State, but there’s a good chance Dabo and the Tigers will make it back to the college football playoffs in 23. With Clemson back in the college football playoffs, a bet on the Tigers winning the National Championship at +1000 isn’t a bad way to approach betting on a bounce back season.

The offensive is the only unit that could hold the Tigers back, but their defense is good enough to carry them back to the CFP. Add in a very manageable schedule and the Tigers have a chance to plow through the ACC en route to their seventh playoff appearance.

Best bets to reach the 2022-23 College Football Playoffs

Utah Utes +400 (implicit probability 20.00 percent)

The Utes are a true CFP contender from the Pac-12, and with Utah likely to be favored in all 12 games, an undefeated regular season leading to a Pac-12 championship win will be too good an overall review for them to skip the finals. QB Cam Rising is the man you’d want to lead an offense as his 20-5 TD-to-INT rate in 2021-22 speaks to his potential now that he’s the undisputed starting quarterback, going into the season. The Utes might also be worth looking at to win the National Championship at +4000, but making the CFP is a slightly more realistic proposition for Kyle Whittingham and his program.

Oklahoma Sooners +500 (implicit probability 16.67 percent)

Oklahoma looks like the most playoff-ready roster in the Big 12 (sorry Texas), and even in Brent Venables’ first season, the Sooners have a real chance of making it back to the CFP. Starting QB Dillon Gabriel should thrive in Jeff Lebby’s system and has a talented receiving corps around him. The Oklahoma defense may take some time adjusting to the Venables’ scheme, but the schedule is manageable enough to envision an 11-1 finish to the regular season. While there’s always a chance the SEC will bring in two teams (Alabama and Georgia), we’ll likely see a Pac-12/Big 12 team back in the CFP in 2022.

The best bets to win a 2022 conference championship

Alabama wins SEC -140 (implied probability 58.33 percent)

It’s better to bet on the Crimson Tide to win the SEC than win the National Championship as Alabama is poised to run through the SEC West again. A rematch with Georgia for the SEC title is possible, but in this potential SEC championship, the tide will likely be north of a -140 favorite on the money line. You can also redeem your winning ticket a month earlier than waiting to see if the Crimson Tide can win the national title. While their receiver group isn’t as strong as in previous seasons, Bryce Young is better protected by his offensive line and newly acquired RB Jahmyr Gibbs can make Young’s life easier with his elite early loss skills.

Utah wins the Pac-12 +210 (implied probability 32.26 percent)

If the Utes want to get to the CFP, they must first win the Pac-12 championship. The two best teams in this year’s Pac-12 championship meet with the Pac-12 scrapping divisions. A matchup between Utah and USC is highly likely to occur, and even on a neutral field, the Utes would likely be a slight favorite, giving them some value at +210.

Best college football regular season win overall over/under 2022

Cincinnati Bearcats OVER 9.5 wins (-115)

Although this team is not as strong as last season, the Bearcats are undervalued in the betting market. QB Desmond Ridder’s relegation to Evan Prater or Ben Bryant isn’t as big as some might think given the reasonable chance of Cincinnati recording double-digit wins for the fourth time in five seasons. BetQL’s model agrees with us here as well, as the Bearcats are one of their biggest preseason assets.

MORE BETQL: Betting with the best price per conference

Kansas Jayhawks OVER 2.5 wins (-155)

As mentioned in our Big 12 betting preview, the Jayhawks ended last season with their best football, which was a step in the right direction for Lance Leipold in his first season as head coach. One of the reasons Kansas later played better football was when they switched to QB Jaylon Daniels. Daniels will go into the season as QB1, giving Kansas an opportunity to eclipse 2.5 wins.

California Golden Bears OVER 5.5 wins (-115)

Cal was another team we’ve broken down in our Pac-12 betting preview that is expected to have better luck in 2022-23. The Golden Bears suffered numerous narrow losses last season, and with a solid offensive line and new QB Jack Plummer, a six-win-plus season isn’t out of the question.

Florida Gators UNDER 7.0 wins (+105)

Florida has a rough schedule in the first year of the Billy Napier era as the Gators may end the season with fewer than seven wins. The defensive line is an area of ​​concern and a Week 1 matchup against Utah could shed some light on that.