NCAA Football betting was shocked by the Houston Cougars 13-1 record last season. No one was expecting Tom Herman to have such a successful debut season. Not only did he lead the Cougars to their best record since 2011, he was able to lead them to a victory over the Florida State Seminoles in the Peach Bowl. This year’s sportsbooks odds have Houston listed as the favorites to win the American Athletic Championship (ACC) but if NCAA football betting history has anything to tell us it’s that the favorites usually perform poorly. Here are the Cougars odds heading into next season:
Odds to Win American Athletic Championship
Houston Cougars +125
Odds to Win NCAA Football National Championship
Houston Cougars +10000
The Cougars are next year’s favorites in the ACC but they are far from that for the National Championship. With +10000 odds there are a plethora of teams that are ranked above them. But in order to compete for the National Title the Cougars will have to improve on last year’s performance. That means winning the ACC West and ultimately taking the Conference. They shouldn’t have too hard of a time securing the West, Memphis and Navy might be the next two contenders, but it shouldn’t be difficult for the Cougars to dominate them in the division. Sure Navy had Keenan Reynolds perform a record breaking season at quarterback, but he’s now playing wide receiver with the Baltimore Ravens. Memphis had a 9 win season last year, but they also lost a quarterback who was drafted in the first round by the Super Bowl winning Denver Broncos. With most of their competition in the West taking heavy losses at the most important position on the field it is easy to understand why the Cougars are NCAA Football betting favorites for the ACC. Taking the west might prove to be an easy task; taking the conference however, might prove to be a tad more difficult.
Last year Houston beat out Temple 24-13 in order to claim the ACC. While the Cougars are lucky enough to have last year’s quarterback, Greg Ward Jr., returning for the season they still have lost plenty of talent from last year’s roster. In fact the Cougars will have to find a way to cope without 11 of their starters from last season. Finding a way to transition from this will be the real measure of Tom Herman’s abilities as an NCAA football coach. Herman’s luck from last season has apparently spilled into this year as the Cougars have drawn a relatively easy schedule. Their first game is arguably their hardest having to open against the Oklahoma Sooners, but hey at least they play at home. If they’re able to continue on last year’s success they will more than likely face the Temple Owls once again in the ACC Championship game.
While their success in the ACC is highly favorable the Cougars are reportedly looking to hop ship. Reports have come in stating the Cougars are supposedly looking to join another division in the coming years, either the Pac-12 or the Big 12. With their recent success many fans are wondering why they might want to leave for a tougher division. Either way this move isn’t likely to happen soon and as of now the Cougars remain favorites for the ACC.
