College football odds can be determined by the strength of a team’s schedule. What should be remembered though is that determining strength of schedule in college football is not nearly as cut and dried as it is in the NFL. Turnover in college football is high and the college football odds are always changing. College football odds will probably favor Alabama in every one of their games this season as they look to defend their national title. Some teams this season will benefit from an easier schedule than they had last season while others will suffer because their slate is tougher. Let’s look at a few of both.
Teams that could benefit this season from an easier schedule include Kansas, Georgia, Oregon, Virginia Tech and Purdue. The Hokies face Boise State in their opener and if they win that game they could be a surprise team in the national title picture because their schedule is favorable. Georgia is another team that could be a factor because their schedule is easier than a year ago. That is somewhat relative though since no schedule in the SEC is easy as it is the toughest conference in the country. A team like Oregon who plays a weak schedule in a weak conference could do well. The Ducks three non-conference games are against New Mexico, Portland State and a depleted Tennessee team. They should win those games and then they face a watered down Pac-10 schedule.
It is also important to consider teams that could struggle because of a tough schedule. Penn State is right at the top of that list. The Nittany Lions are overrated with head coach Joe Paterno. He hasn’t really won anything for years and his teams are overrated. This year the Nittany Lions face a difficult slate of games and could fall down this season. The Nittany Lions are unlikely to win at Alabama, Iowa or Ohio State. Iowa State is another team who could struggle because their schedule is much tougher this year than a year ago. The Cyclones have tough out of conference games against Utah and Iowa.
Take a look at the schedule for each team and how it has changed before you make your wagers in college football this season.