2011-2012 BCS National Championship Predictions, Tips and Expert Picks – Two Favorites to Avoid Betting On: The college football season is still a few months away, but championship odds are already posted. In a sport where one loss can be the difference between playing for a title and playing in a bowl game sponsored by a company most people didn’t know existed, nothing is a sure thing. That being said, there are already two teams being considered among the favorites to win it all by oddsmakers that have some serious flaws – serious enough that bettors may want to avoid both teams when it comes time to place their bets.
Topping the list are the Ohio State Buckeyes (+3000 odds). If the resignation of Jim Tressel wasn’t enough to bury their national title chances, the decision by quarterback Terrelle Pryor to leave the team is the final nail in the coffin. It was one scenario when Pryor and a handful of other players were scheduled to miss the first five games of the season – a stretch when the only tough contest figured to come from Michigan State. It is an entirely different story when the Buckeyes must play the whole season without their star QB.
Granted, the always stout Ohio State defense will remain relatively intact, and there is never a shortage of talent waiting in the wings in Columbus. That being said, Pryor was the one player on the offensive side of the ball that could make a play in a do-or-die situation. The Buckeyes lose to the Iowa Hawkeyes last season if Pryor isn’t around to complete a miracle fourth down scramble. He won’t be around this season, and there will one or two moments this year when his absence is the reason Ohio State goes down. The ship is sinking in Columbus, and although the program is too good to be down for long, bettors should want no part of the Buckeyes this coming season.
The second team bettors need to think twice about backing is the Florida State Seminoles(+1200 odds). Too much is being made of the fact that 18 starters are returning, and not enough is being made about the fact that the Seminoles need a quarterback. Christian Ponder is a Minnesota Viking, and even with nine returning starters, an offense can take quite a blow when a first round-caliber signal caller is taken out of the equation.
Dodging Virginia Tech during conference play is a definite plus for Florida State, but it’s not like the Seminoles were on the verge of winning the national title last season. FSU finished the 2010-2011 season at 9-4. Another year of experience and an elite recruiting class are both recipes for improvement, but going from a four-loss team to an undefeated national title winning team with a first-year starter at quarterback is asking a lot of any team.
Even if the Seminoles manage to overcome the lack of experience at the quarterback position, they still have one major roadblock that will likely prevent them from having as shot at the title. While Florida State’s conference schedule may be easy, they face a daunting out of conference matchup early in the year against the Oklahoma Sooners. At +1200, only two teams have better odds of winning it all this coming season than the Seminoles. One of those teams is the Sooners. Led by Heisman hopeful quarterback Landry Jones, Oklahoma is the favorite to win the national title. Facing the high-powered Sooners offense, Florida State’s title chances could come to an end in September.
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