Need some help with your college football bets? Well, our college football power rankings are back to help you make the tough decisions and find some added betting value this season — not to mention bragging rights for your favorite school.
Check back each week for Andrew Caley’s updated power rankings, where he lists his Top 25 teams in college football, highlighting the risers and fallers while also identifying some betting value in the college football futures market.
We are one week into the season and surprise, surprise, Alabama and Georgia look like the best two teams in the country and remain the betting favorites to win the College Football National Championship. Meanwhile, fellow SEC team Florida got the biggest win of Week 1 with an upset win over Utah. How far did the Gators rise?
Andrew Caley's college football power rankings
| Rank (Last Week) | Team | AP Rank | National Title Odds |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 (1, -) | Alabama | 1 | +160 |
| 2 (3, ↑ 1) | Georgia | 2 | +300 |
| 3 (2, ↓ 1) | Ohio State | 3 | +320 |
| 4 (8, ↑ 4) | Oklahoma | 7 | +4,500 |
| 5 (9, ↑ 4) | Michigan | 4 | +3,500 |
| 6 (10, ↑ 4) | Baylor | 9 | +10,000 |
| 7 (12, ↑ 5) | Wisconsin | 19 | +8,000 |
| 8 (7, ↓ 1) | Clemson | 5 | +1,000 |
| 9 (5, ↓ 4) | Texas A&M | 6 | +2,500 |
| 10 (6, ↓ 4) | Notre Dame | 8 | +6,000 |
| 11 (NR) | Florida | 12 | +6,000 |
| 12 (4, ↓ 8) | Utah | 13 | +12,000 |
| 13 (13, -) | Miami | 15 | +9,000 |
| 14 (15, ↑ 1) | USC | 10 | +2,000 |
| 15 (14, ↓ 1) | Mississippi | 22 | +12,000 |
| 16 (17, ↑ 1) | Penn State | NR | +8,000 |
| 17 (23, ↑ 6) | Arkansas | 16 | +12,000 |
| 18 (20, ↑ 2) | Kentucky | 20 | +12,000 |
| 19 (19, -) | Michigan State | 14 | +12,000 |
| 20 (NR) | Mississippi State | NR | +20,000 |
| 21 (21, -) | Pittsburgh | 17 | +12,000 |
| 22 (11, ↓11) | NC State | 18 | +10,000 |
| 23 (18, ↓ 5) | Oklahoma State | 11 | +12,000 |
| 24 (NR) | Tennessee | 24 | +10,000 |
| 25 (25, -) | BYU | 25 | +20,000 |
Dropped out: Oregon, Cincinnati, Houston
Odds courtesy of DraftKings. Compare updated national championship futures before betting to ensure you get the best number.
A cold-blooded climb: Florida (No. 11)
Billy Napier, Anthony Richardson, and the Florida Gators announced their presence on national television last Saturday night with a thrilling 29-26 win over a Utah Utes team that I had ranked at No. 4 in my initial power rankings.
Now, it wasn’t a huge upset, as the Gators were just 2.5-point underdogs and were playing at home. So, even though Florida was unranked in last week’s rankings, they were just on the outside looking in. And with the big win over a Top-5 team, the jump all the way to No. 11 isn’t all that crazy.
But Florida won’t have long to enjoy this win as rival Kentucky comes to the swamp. After the Gators dominated this matchup for years, the Wildcats have won two of the last four meetings, including a 20-13 victory in Lexington last year.
But if Richardson can lead the Gators to another big win, this time over another top quarterback in Will Levis, you probably won’t find Florida at +3,500 to win the SEC and +6,000 to win the national title for much longer.
Licking their wounds: NC State (No. 22)
North Carolina State was (and still is) a contender in the ACC this season thanks to quarterback Devin Leary and a strong defense. But you weren’t able to tell that in the Wolfpack's season opener against East Carolina.
NC State was only a moderate 7.5-point road favorite in this matchup, but the Wolfpack were lucky to escape with a 21-20 victory. Leary had an inefficient day at the office, completing just 17 of 33 passes for a measly 211 yards with one touchdown and one pick. And with the way all the teams played around them, NC State saw the biggest drop in the power rankings this week (outside Oregon).
But the Wolfpack will have some time to lick their wounds and work out the kinks with their next two games coming against FCS Charleston Southern and UConn before a big matchup with Clemson. This defense is still solid, and Leary is better than he showed in this game. If you like NC State to still win the ACC, the number won’t get better than +900 prior to that matchup with the Tigers.
ACC Opportunity
Clemson may have beaten Georgia Tech 41-10 on Monday night, but it sure didn’t feel like a dominating win through three quarters. The Tigers defense was great as expected but the quarterback play from DJ Uiagalelei left something to be desired. And if Clemson doesn’t figure out the QB position, the ACC could be surprisingly up for grabs.
Miami took care of business against FCS Bethune Cookman, putting up 70 points in the process, and are +450 to win the conference in the latest ACC odds. Pittsburgh gutted out a win over West Virginia and is at +1,100. And it might have been Florida State with the biggest win in the ACC this weekend, upsetting LSU in New Orleans, and can be got at +2,000. Long story short: the ACC is wide open and has the most value when it comes to conference championship betting.
