As I explained in the 2013 look ahead posted very early this morning, there was no way I could justify anyone but Alabama at the top of a way-too-early Top Five for the 2013 season after they took Notre Dame to the woodshed.
Not so unexpectedly, one wagering website agrees.
In the first odds for the upcoming season released by Bovada.lv, Alabama at 5/1 is the prohibitive favorite to claim the 2013 BCS championship. For reference sake, Oklahoma was the early favorite at 7/2 last January for the 2012 BCS title, followed by the Tide at 15/2.
This year, it’s Oregon next in line behind the back-to-back BCS champs at 8/1 and Ohio State, coming off an unbeaten season mitigated by a one-year bowl ban, hot on the heels of the Ducks at 17/2.
As expected, the first set of 2013 odds is littered with teams from the SEC. Both LSU (too high) and Texas A&M (too low) are at 12/1, while Florida, along with the ACC’s Florida State, is at 14/1. South Carolina and Georgia, winner of the past two SEC East titles, are at 25/1 and 28/1, respectively.
One of the bigger surprises in the early odds release -- and one that if I were a gambling man you can bet I’d be all over -- concerns Stanford. The Pac-12 champions, winners of 12 games in 2012 including the Rose Bowl, inexplicably came in at 30/1, behind the likes of Miami (25/1) and Nebraska (28/1).
If you are looking for really deep dark horses that could reap a tremendous return, Boston College, Cal and USF are each at 300/1. Get in while the gettin’ is good!
Anyway, below is the complete set of odds, again provided by Bovada.lv:
Alabama 5/1
Oregon 8/1
Ohio State 17/2
LSU 12/1
Texas A&M 12/1
Florida 14/1
Florida State 14/1
Clemson 22/1
Louisville 22/1
Notre Dame 22/1
Miami 25/1
Oklahoma 25/1
South Carolina 25/1
Georgia 28/1
Nebraska 28/1
Stanford 30/1
Texas 30/1
Michigan 33/1
USC 33/1
Oklahoma State 40/1
UCLA 40/1
Mississippi State 50/1
Wisconsin 50/1
TCU 66/1
Virginia Tech 66/1
Boise State 75/1
Michigan State 75/1
North Carolina 75/1
Oregon State 75/1
Arkansas 100/1
Arizona 100/1
Kansas State 100/1
Rutgers 100/1
Tennessee 100/1
Washington 100/1
Cincinnati 125/1
BYU 150/1
Pittsburgh 150/1
West Virginia 150/1
Auburn 200/1
Georgia Tech 200/1
Iowa 200/1
Missouri 250/1
Boston College 300/1
California 300/1
South Florida 300/1