NCAA Conference Picks: USC quarterback Miller Moss will take the field to start a regular season game for the first time since high school.
Caleb Williams had opted out of the 2023 Holiday Bowl, so Moss started in his stead to finish his redshirt sophomore season.
Before that, Moss had only played in two games as a true freshman in 2021. He graduated from in high school in the spring of 2021.
So he went from his junior year in high school, in the fall of 2019, to the 2023 Holiday Bowl without starting a single football game.
He showed absolutely no signs of rust, though, throwing six touchdown passes as the Trojans rolled, 42-28.
His next start will come as the Trojans begin life in the Big Ten.
Let’s look at the sports betting odds that the top three teams in each of the Power 4 conferences have to walk away with league titles in 2024.
Top 3 Team Odds to win Each Power 4 Conference | NCAA Conference Picks provided by Xbet Sportsbook
Big 12
- Utah Utes +320
- Kansas State Wildcats +370
- Oklahoma State Cowboys +750
When the Big 12 media picked their preseason poll, five different teams picked up first-place votes, and only six total votes separated the top three teams in the rankings.
Those three teams are Utah, Kansas State and Oklahoma State, but Kansas and Arizona are right behind them in the polling.
Kansas State had one of the best defenses in the conference last year, and over half of their starters on that side of the ball coming back.
Avery Johnson takes the reins at quarterback for the first time. Is it a problem that there weren’t any Wildcats on the preseason All-Big 12 team? We’ll know after Week 5, when they play Oklahoma State.
Cowboys tailback Ollie Gordon II is a Heisman Trophy notable, and the team brings back a number of key starters.
They start Big 12 play with a gauntlet, facing K-State, West Virginia, and Utah.
The Utes finally get quarterback Cam Rising back after he missed the whole 2023 season with a knee injury.
Will he be rusty, or not? The Utah defense is almost always elite under head coach Kyle Whittingham, but the Utes have never been able to run the table in conference play, either.
NCAA Conference Pick: Oklahoma State
^Big Ten
- Ohio State Buckeyes +149
- Oregon Ducks +206
- Penn State Nittany Lions +500
Penn State returns most of their defense, which was the stronger side of the ball for their 10-3 campaign. Given their name recognition, a two-loss season might be enough to get them into the CFP.
Their quarterback, Drew Allar, has to develop, and the Nittany Lions have to be able to stretch the field on offense.
Oregon put up 44 points and 531 yards per game in 2023, the last campaign of the Pac-12.
Dillon Gabriel has transferred in from Oklahoma to replace Bo Nix at quarterback, and the Ducks should be able to score plenty of points as long as Gabriel can maintain ball security.
There are holes on defense to fill, particularly in the front seven. Ohio State finally gets to play a conference schedule without having to face Jim Harbaugh at Michigan, and their roster is loaded with talent, including transfers Will Howard, Caleb Downs and Quinshon Judkins.
NCAA Conference Pick: Ohio State
^SEC
- Georgia Bulldogs +181
- Texas Longhorns +350
- Alabama Crimson Tide +540
Georgia returns Carson Beck at quarterback, and the O-line might be one of the best that Kirby Smart has had in Athens.
The defense reloaded after last year’s team lost key starters to the NFL. The Bulldogs have, for a change, a difficult conference schedule, with games at Alabama, Ole Miss, and Texas.
The Longhorns have always been a program heavy on talent, but the culture of the program has largely been one of entitlement.
It’s possible that this has changed, as the Longhorns lost to Oklahoma in the regular season but still won the Big 12 and made it to the CFP, where they lost to Washington.
We’ll know a lot about Texas’ mentality after Week 2, when they head to Michigan.
Alabama also has a tough slate, playing at Wisconsin, LSU, Oklahoma, and Tennessee, and hosting Georgia.
However, Jalen Milroe is back at quarterback and should thrive in Kalen DeBoer’s system. The only questions on defense are in the secondary, which is young and unproven.
NCAA Conference Pick: Georgia
^ACC
- Florida State Seminoles +275
- Clemson Tigers +350
- Miami (FL) +400
Florida State went 13-1 last year, with the loss coming to Georgia on New Year’s Day in the Orange Bowl. They had 10 players drafted into the NFL, but coach Mike Norvell worked the transfer portal masterfully, pulling out quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei.
Clemson went just 4-4 in ACC play last year, and Dabo Swinney’s refusal to utilize the transfer portal puts his team at a competitive disadvantage.
Their high school recruiting is still elite, but their inability to replace experienced players with experience is a problem. The offense has sagged the last two seasons, but Clemson’s defense is still ironclad.
Miami has the best roster on paper in the conference, including transfer quarterback Cam Ward. Coach Mario Cristobal has at times been his own worst enemy in terms of overcoaching.
Reuben Bain and Xavier Restrepo are the top returning players, and the Hurricanes have the talent to come back from last year’s 3-5 ACC record.
^🎶 Counting down the good times and staring down the clock… 🎶
— College Football Playoff (@CFBPlayoff) August 8, 2024
Once it kicks off on August 24, college football is how we’ll all get by.
16 days away!
#CFBPlayoff 🏈🏆 • @ESPNCFB • @JellyRoll615 pic.twitter.com/naPmKsIyFK
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