- James Madison shortened from +325 to +190 to win the Sun Belt after beating San Diego State 26-13 on the road.
- North Dakota State moved from +200 to +105 as the Mountain West favorite after a 31-10 win at Sacramento State.
- Ohio State tightened to +130 in the Big Ten after a 59-3 rout of Kent State in its non-conference finale.
- Georgia shortened to +210 for the SEC title after beating Arkansas 45-17 to open conference play at 3-0.
HARRISONBURG, Va. – James Madison’s price to win the Sun Belt Conference championship dropped from +325 to +190 after a 26-13 road win over San Diego State, one of four conference championship markets that moved after Week 3.
James Madison’s Line Cuts Almost In Half
James Madison (3-0) already held the shortest Sun Belt price before Saturday’s 26-13 win at San Diego State. The Dukes’ championship number fell from +325 to +190, and UL Lafayette now sits next on the 14-team board at +750.
That spread between first and second leaves the Sun Belt priced as James Madison against the field. Anyone holding a Dukes ticket from before Saturday owns a number the market no longer offers.
North Dakota State Nears Even Money
North Dakota State shortened from +200 to +105 to win the Mountain West after a 31-10 road win over Sacramento State, the shortest price on the conference’s board, with New Mexico next at +250. The Bison (4-0) joined the Mountain West this year as a football-only member moving up from FCS.
A June 24 NCAA ruling made programs reclassifying to FBS eligible for bowl games starting this season, ending the two-year wait that once applied to a newcomer like North Dakota State. The Bison enter league play as the team the market is shortest on in their first FBS season.
Conference Championship Odds, Before And After Week 3
Sun Belt
- Team
- James Madison
- Before Week 3
- +325
- Odds
- +190
Mountain West
- Team
- North Dakota State
- Before Week 3
- +200
- Odds
- +105
Big Ten
- Team
- Ohio State
- Before Week 3
- +170
- Odds
- +130
SEC
- Team
- Georgia
- Before Week 3
- +250
- Odds
- +210
The same four conference races are tracked on the college football futures board.
Ohio State Tightens Entering Big Ten Play
Ohio State, favored to win the Big Ten title since June, tightened from +170 to +130 after a 59-3 rout of Kent State that closed its non-conference schedule. Indiana is the only team within shouting distance at +220.
A 56-point margin over an outmatched opponent does not by itself say much about how Ohio State matches up in conference play. It is the kind of result a market reads as removing doubt rather than adding it, and the number moved accordingly heading into Big Ten games.
Georgia Shortens After A Lopsided SEC Opener
Georgia shortened from +250 to +210 to win the SEC after opening conference play with a 45-17 win at Arkansas that put the Bulldogs at 3-0 (1-0 SEC), according to Georgia’s own athletics site. Texas holds the conference’s other short price at +250, so Georgia now carries the shorter of the two numbers at the top of the board.
The moves leave James Madison and North Dakota State as the two biggest swings on the college football props board this week, with Ohio State and Georgia both tightening as national contenders opened league play.
