Alabama Favorites After 2021 Schedule Released

June 7, 2021 by Staff

Schedule releases for NCAAF are always highly anticipated so teams and fans alike can now look ahead to the 2021 campaign knowing exactly what they are up against. The fixtures for next season were confirmed at the end of May and now the countdown is firmly on for the 152nd edition of College Football.

The strongest teams across recent history are always highly fancied to do well but the nature of the college game can always throw us some curveballs. With many of the best players graduating, there is a reset on all colleges involved so who is set for the biggest prizes when the postseason finishes on January 10, 2022?

Early Frontrunners

The sportsbooks have already had their say on the matter and they are pointing at another year of success for Alabama. According to sbo.net who provide odds from a wide panel of bookmakers, Alabama are clear at general figures of around +250.

The favorites for 2021 certainly came to the fore last season and were eventually crowned overall champions in Miami at the start of the New Year. Alabama also ranked strongly throughout the regular season and they were number one in both the AP Poll and the Coaches Poll. To round off a stunning campaign, wide receiver DeVonta Smith picked up the Heisman Trophy as the most outstanding individual player.

Smith has left for a career in the NFL with Philadelphia Eagles but there is a strong roster coming through to take his place. Meanwhile, there are several weeks left until the start of the new NCAAF season and those outright markets have time to adjust to any breaking news.

To keep in touch with those updates, stay tuned to sbo.net who will continue to supply figures right through 2021 and into 2022. News and opinion pieces are situated in the web pages while a range of sportsbooks with offers and promotions can be accessed for those who are happy to proceed further.

The Chasing Pack

Alabama may be in the clear but there are plenty of challenges from within the chasers. Just behind in the NCAAF markets are Clemson at +350, followed by Georgia at +450 and Ohio State at +550.

We might possibly see some clues to the final outcome in the separate market for the 2021 Heisman Trophy winner. Here, the Clemson Tigers Quarterback DJ Uiagalelei is the clear favorite and the Sophomore is going to have a big say if his college are to claim the ultimate prize.

Colleges to Watch

If we’re using that Heisman Trophy market as an indicator as to which college will emerge as the outright winners, it may be worth considering Oklahoma. Another quarterback, Spencer Rattler, is highly rated and Rattler could just drive his Alma Mater to a surprise victory.

Oklahoma are ranked as one of the outsiders for glory in 2021 while other colleges with similar odds include Iowa State, Texas A&M, Florida and Ohio. Of those establishments, there’s a lot of interest in Florida following news that the Gators have just made Dan Mullen one of the highest paid coaches in the game.

Florida could be the team to emerge from the chasing pack and they have all the hallmarks of a ‘surprise package’. In his time with the Gators, Mullen’s record currently stands at 29-9 and he’s led the college to three consecutive New Year’s Six Bowls.

The team won the SEC in 2020 and had Kyle Trask listed in the roster of finalists for the Heisman Trophy. Trask has since departed to take on the unenviable role of back up quarterback to Tom Brady at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers but Mullen retains a strong squad at Florida state.

The verdict from the sportsbooks is in and it’s going to be tough for any college to wrestle the trophy away from defending champions Alabama. Like all colleges, they have lost key players, most notably DeVonta Smith, but they have a solid core as the new campaign approaches.

If there is to be a shock from within the chasing colleges, Florida Gators may be best placed to rise through the ranks and cause an upset. With coach Mullen at the helm, anything looks possible for the Gators in 2021.