One of the biggest changes in college football this offseason was conference realignment. There are plenty of ways this will affect the futures market on DraftKings Sportsbook.
2024 Conference Realignment
There has been a seismic shift across college football this offseason. In addition to the expanded playoff, there has been monumental conference realignment. The Pac-12 conference no longer exists; its teams have spread nationwide. There have also been major moves across the now Power Four conferences, and even teams have joined Group of Five conferences that were previously independent or FCS teams. I will break down every team that changed conference this offseason and how it affects the bigger picture in that conference.
ACC
The ACC expanded to 17 teams by adding Stanford, Cal and SMU. Stanford and Cal migrated from the now-extinct Pac-12, while SMU jumped from the AAC to the Power Four. Despite making a big jump up in competition, SMU is projected to be in the top half of the ACC with 11/1 odds to win the conference. Cal and Stanford, however, come in towards the bottom of the pack with odds of 90/1 and 400/1, respectively, to win the ACC. SMU could be a fun team to watch and has the potential to upset a top team, but realistically, none of these teams should be a major factor in the conference this year.
Big Ten
The Big Ten was the recipient of some of the top Pac-12 programs. The conference has expanded to 18 schools by adding Oregon, Washington, USC and UCLA. Additionally, the conference decided to scrap their divisions. That means the top two teams in the conference will make the Big Ten Championship Game, rather than the East and West winners as in past years.
These are incredibly significant additions- Washington was in last year’s National Championship game, Oregon is #3 in the preseason AP Top 25, USC is #23 in the preseason AP Top 25, and UCLA is another major national brand. Oregon has the second-best odds to win the conference at 2/1, while USC has the fifth-best odds at 20-1. Washington and UCLA have much longer odds at 80/1 and 150/1, respectively.
With Oregon as a legitimate national title contender and USC as a legitimate playoff contender, the conference will certainly look different. Also, with four teams now on the West Coast, travel is a major factor when you look at teams’ schedules. For example, Washington has to travel cross-country to Rutgers the week before hosting Michigan in a national title rematch. These travel spots will be a huge factor in the handicap for Big Ten games this year.
Big 12
The Big 12 is the only Power Four conference to have lost schools this year. Both Texas and Oklahoma, the faces of the conference and winners of five of the last seven conference championships, have left for the SEC. In their place, the Big 12 is absorbing Utah, Arizona, Arizona State and Colorado from the Pac-12.
Losing Texas and Oklahoma is massive. They were unquestionably the two biggest national brands in the conference. However, this opens the door for new teams to take control of the conference. In fact, newcomer Utah is the favorite to win the Big 12 at +320. Arizona is also a contender at 11/1 to win the conference. Colorado and Arizona State have much longer odds to win the Big 12 at 28/1 and 100/1, respectively. Despite not being towards the top of the odds board, Colorado is a massive addition to the conference in terms of eyeballs. Coach Prime and the Buffaloes are among the country’s most discussed, watched, and bet-on teams, so they will bring a lot of attention to their conference games.
SEC
As previously mentioned, the SEC added Texas and Oklahoma from the Big 12 to expand the conference to 16 teams. Like the Big Ten, they have also decided to scrap their divisions and make it one big race for the SEC Championship Game. This means that some old rivals will no longer face each other every year, and some teams, particularly those from the former SEC East, will have more difficult schedules.
Texas and Oklahoma are huge additions to the SEC in terms of their national brand and how ready they are to compete this year. After last year’s playoff appearance, Texas is the preseason #4 team in the country and has the second-best odds to win the SEC at +320. Oklahoma is also expected to improve this year, and it was ranked #16 in the preseason AP Top 25. The Sooners are 30/1 to win the SEC but just +450 to make the playoff.
Pac-2
The Pac-12 is now extinct, but two teams from the former conference could not find a home and are now dubbed the “Pac-2.” Those two teams are Oregon State and Washington State. Due to many unfortunate factors, these two teams have been left in limbo. They will both be playing a Mountain West schedule on top of some matchups against former Pac-12 rivals. However, they will not be eligible to compete for the Mountain West Championship.
These teams are playing their season just to make a bowl game or, technically, the College Football Playoff, although both have incredibly long odds of doing so. Both teams will be looking to find a permanent home as soon as possible, whether in the Mountain West or a Power Four conference.
AAC
The American Athletic Conference did a one-for-one swap this offseason. SMU left the conference as the only team to make the jump from Group of Five to Power Four this summer. The AAC then added Army, previously Independent, to replace SMU. SMU would have been one of the top teams in the conference, while Army sits at 22/1 to win the conference. So, for top teams like Memphis and Tulane, this makes their path a bit easier. That being said, the way Army plays makes them a tough matchup for anyone, so don’t be surprised if they upset a top team in the conference this season.
C-USA
C-USA added Kennesaw State from the FCS ranks this offseason. This year, they are the only team to jump from FCS to FBS football. Due to NCAA rules, the Owls are not eligible to compete in the C-USA Championship Game this year, however, they are expected to struggle anyway as their win total sits at just 2.5.
The Rest
The MAC and Sun Belt will both look the same as last season. The Mountain West didn’t add or lose any teams, but as previously mentioned, Oregon State and Washington State will play many games against their teams. However, these games will not count towards their conference records as the Beavers and the Cougars are not actual conference members.
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