Florida and Mississippi State have given oddsmakers plenty to think about after the first month of college football. The Gators have surged into the national championship conversation after opening SEC play with wins over Auburn and Ole Miss, while Jeff Lebby's Bulldogs are climbing, too, turning a promising start into a case that Mississippi State belongs among the league's contenders. Both were long shots entering the season, but their title odds now reflect what they've shown on the field.
Oregon offers a different lesson from the updated board. The Ducks' loss at Oklahoma State raised questions about their College Football Playoff path, but the experts haven't written them off after Saturday's win over USC. There's plenty of season left, and the market for national championship contenders looks a bit different than it did in August.
All odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook. The CFP title frontrunner after college football's opening four weeks of the season, Jeremiah Smith's dominance and three quarters of elite play at Texas has convinced the oddsmakers the Buckeyes are the team to beat. While it's hard to disagree, the remaining schedule is brutal, with four games left against top-15 Big Ten teams, and Matt Patricia's defense is not what it was last season up to this point.
Battle-tested and hungry, the Longhorns keep finding ways to win against elite competition. You'd be hard-pressed to find two better victories than what Texas put together during the first month against Ohio State and Saturday's win in Knoxville. Texas collected 10 sacks, including five from Colin Simmons, over the weekend and strangled the Vols before needing a stop in the final seconds.
Arch Manning hasn't been elite as a passer, but he's 4-0 and has shown grit. Perhaps the most undervalued elite with these current odds, the Bulldogs are doing what they do best under Kirby Smart — not playing with their food while refusing to look sexy doing it. The SEC's most physical team pounded Oklahoma at the line of scrimmage over the weekend and got after John Mateer, forcing multiple mistakes that led to points.
The SEC favorites have four games left against ranked teams, including a trip to Alabama on Oct. 10. Talynted Taylor 🤯 pic.twitter.com/50Gm8ZiQXj We'll know more about Marcus Freeman's team after their showdown at BYU in mid-October, but they've checked all the early, necessary boxes we assumed coming into the campaign — the Irish are dominant at the point of attack and have a quarterback who can execute the offense. A weak schedule may not help this team in the postseason when they're taking body blows against top-10 competition, but the upcoming bouts with BYU and Miami will be true tests.
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