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March 28, 2024

Sports Betting Awards: Which college football teams were best to bet on this year?

UNLV Defeats Wyoming Football

L.E. Baskow

Wyoming’s Brian Hill is caught by UNLV defenders during their game at Sam Boyd Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 12, 2016.

For the second consecutive year, we’re jumping into the college football awards-show fray with our own set of honors.

Here are our most valuable teams in six categories.

Overachievement Award: Wyoming Cowboys

The Cowboys notched eight victories for only the second time since 1998.

for the team that furthest eclipsed its over/under season win total

The Cowboys opened 60-to-1 to win the Mountain West Conference but fell just short of becoming one of the longest shots ever to win a league title (San Diego State edged Wyoming, 27-24, in the conference championship game). They still made this a season to remember, more than doubling the 3.5 wins sports books slotted for them in the preseason.

Team of the Year: Temple Owls

Temple actually has the longest betting winning streak, but since it claimed the main honor, Penn State deserves its own recognition.

for the team with the best record against the spread

On the second night of the college football season, Temple suffered a 28-13 upset loss to Army as 14.5-point favorites at home. The Owls didn’t lose a game against the spread for the rest of the season, reeling off 12 consecutive covers en route to winning their first conference championship outright since 1967. They covered by double digits in each of their final six games, including a 34-10 victory over Navy as 2-point underdogs in the American Athletic Conference championship game.

Covering Streak of Excellence: Penn State Nittany Lions

One of the more memorable upsets of the year was a 24-21 Penn State victory against Ohio State as 17.5-point underdogs that many felt entitled the Nittany Lions to a playoff berth.

for the team with the longest against-the-spread winning streak

The Big Ten Champion Nittany Lions were narrowly left out of the College Football Playoff, in large part because of a blowout 49-10 loss at Michigan as 16-point underdogs in September. But they didn’t lose another game against the spread for the rest of the year. Penn State pushed against Minnesota the next week, winning 29-26 as 3-point favorites, before recording eight consecutive wins and covers.

Bettors' choice: USC Trojans

Expect the Trojans to be one of the most popularly bet teams early next season.

for the team that most consistently made money for gamblers over the course of the season

By the end of the season, bettors perhaps backed no team as emphatically as the Trojans. It was perfect timing, as USC covered its last six games behind the emergence of redshirt freshman quarterback Sam Darnold. Gamblers also wisely bet against USC early in the season when it started 1-3 straight-up and against the spread, including a season-opening 52-6 loss to Alabama. The betting market was in sync with the Trojans more than any other team.

Underdog of the Year: Wisconsin Badgers

The Buffaloes failed to cover in their final two games, but that was only after starting 9-1 against the spread.

team that performed the best with the odds stacked against it

Houston, Vanderbilt and South Alabama were among the finalists here, but none of them covered in four high-profile spots as underdogs like Wisconsin. The Badgers were 4-0 against the spread when taking points, beating LSU and Michigan State outright while losing to Michigan and Ohio State by just a touchdown each. Wisconsin finished the season 9-3-1 against the spread, fattening the wallets of sharp sports bettors who backed the Badgers.

Bookmaker's Choice: Colorado Buffaloes

The Buffaloes failed to cover in their final two games, but that was only after starting 9-1 against the spread.

team that most consistently made money for the house over the course of the season

The majority of bettors never bought into the Buffaloes. That was to the benefit of the sports books, which raked in cash nearly every week with gamblers calling for Colorado’s demise. The run included point-spread wins against USC, Michigan, Washington State and Oregon — all games where at least two of every three tickets came in on the other side. Colorado was a candidate for every award, but no one appreciated its season quite like bookmakers.

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