It’s June. Now’s the time for peak offseason content and arguing over whether or not a team is overrated. It’s also a great time to start placing bets on College Football futures. Fox Bet put out some National Championship Odds on June 3 and they are…interesting.
The University of Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles have +1100 Odds to win it all in a very real, very still-up article. Tied for sixth-best in the nation. They have better odds than the defending champs, the entire ACC, the entire Big 12, and a host of pseudo-bluebloods.
Southern Miss Has INCREDIBLE Odds to Win the 2024-25 College Football Playoff According to Fox
It’s been well-documented that the College Football Playoff will be expanding from four teams to twelve this year. The top five ranked conference champions will receive automatic bids and then the next seven highest-ranked teams will be at-large.
It’s expected that only one Group of 5 team will get the call. Unless, of course, two G5 champions end up ranked higher than one of the P4 champions. While it would be incredibly fun to watch the champions of, say, the Sun Belt and Conference USA earn automatic bids, it’s incredibly unlikely.
Southern Miss and the Fun Belt
It is of this writer’s opinion that the Sun Belt is the best of the Group of 5. The champion of the Sun Belt should certainly be in the conversation for the College Football Playoff’s G5 bid. However, betting on Southern Miss, while completely your prerogative, seems odd.
To date, only four teams have played in the Sun Belt championship across the five years it has existed. Appalachian State (2-2) and Louisiana (1-2) lead the way with two division titles. Troy (2-0) and Coastal Carolina (0-1) are the only others to make it. The 2020 edition that was supposed to pit Coastal Carolina and Louisiana against one another was canceled due to COVID-19.
The Golden Eagles are certainly on the up and up. But are they honestly supposed to be one of the elites? Fanduel has their win total for 2024 at 4.5. That’s tied with Old Dominion and Georgia State for second-worst in the conference. Only Louisiana-Monroe is expected to win fewer games (1.5).
James Madison and Texas State have the highest win total at 8.5.
Peak Offseason Content
Is this list AI-generated? Data Scrive is a company for hire that boasts that “generative-AI is [their] co-pilot.” At the top of their homepage, it’s all about “fan engagement.”
Was this engagement bait? Did we all fall for it? Or did their AI model accidentally swap Mississippi State and/or Southern Miss for Ole Miss, which isn’t even on the list?
Again using FanDuel, their oddsmakers have Liberty (+600) as the best bet among the Group of 5, tied with Memphis and slightly ahead of Boise State.
Could the Southern Miss Golden Eagles prove Fox’s potentially-AI partner correct and shock the world? Perhaps! But while we are not in the business of telling people what to do with their money, perhaps you should re-invest in another long shot. Perhaps Mizzou (+3500) or Utah (+6600) would be a better use of your cash?
