Major sportsbooks have not released divisional odds yet, but the odds to win the Southeastern Conference football title 2015 are posted.
The SEC West preview is forthcoming, but here are the odds and some bullet points for the SEC East:
Though the top two contenders are from the West: the state of Alabama in fact, Georgia is given the best chance from the inferior division at 5/1.
Put a checkmark next to the Dawgs to be an UNDER team among other likely betting tendencies.
Tennessee is next insofar as divisional contenders at 10/1. The Vols go from hunter to hunted. Can QB Joshua Dobbs, who went from third in depth chart to star of rising SEC contender, show he is no fluke? It is a watershed year for Butch Davis’ squad with 17 starters back from 7-6 straight up team. Because they are everyone’s chic dark horse, look for them to be “predictably unpredictable.”
As far as linemakers are concerned, five of the six biggest long shots to win the SEC are from the East.
Will Missouri surprise for the third straight season? Oddsmakers give them minimal respect again at 18/1. They lost three starting WRs in consecutive years, leaving just 10 career catches among returnees. They have an unproven OL, however their LBs are very good. Pro gamblers see a regression to the mean, but HC Gary Pinkel has proven experts wrong, so keep an eye on them as money line underdogs.
The Will Muschamp experiment at Florida is over. The second coming of Ron Zook’s “defense wins” philosophy, the Gators were stout when the other team had the ball, but again we find out winning with defense requires a great offense. Of course Joe Duffy’s Picks clients will miss one of our favorite head coaches to fade.
The talent is still much stronger on defense, but the coaching upgrade alone will improve offensive production. Tough to get a handle on O/U but coaching upgrade means the Gators will be sounder. At 30/1, despite the brand name, the Gators will be undervalued.
South Carolina is also 30/1. USC lost QB Dylan Thompson, all-time single season passing leader topping many question marks on offense. Jon Hoke was brought in to improve defense as DC. It was a disaster last year, but not as bad as numbers indicate. Hence we look for the Cocks to often offer great value on the UNDER.
While Kentucky at 100/1 and Vanderbilt at 300/1 may offer little interest to the average fan, they present splendid value for top sports services.
Written by Joe Duffy of 10StarPicks.com
10StarPicks Expert Sports Blog 