2015-16 CFP Odds Watch Entering Week 7

Posted by Daniel Strum on Thursday,October 15, 2015 11:26, EDT in

Week 6 of the 2015-16 college football season saw top-ranked playoff contenders such as TCU and Alabama flirt with disaster and near-upsets, but in the end, quality and class prevailed for them. Other ranked contenders like Oklahoma and Georgia weren’t so lucky, suffering upsets to unranked opponents in Texas and Tennessee, respectively. Following all that NCAA Football betting lines drama in the eventful Week 6, here is a brief look at how the top teams stack up in the playoff contention ahead of the Week 7 college football games and the possible online sportsbook betting options in hand:

Taking a Sneak Peak at the 2015-16 CFP Odds Watch Entering Week 7

Best of the Best

Baylor Bears (5-0)

Yes, the Bears haven’t been that tested so far this season, but they’ve handled everything thrown at them meticulously and with expertly precision. Getting ranked as the top team in the nation by both FPI and Kenneth Massey is particularly a big statement for this Baylor team that recorded a 66-7 blowout win over Kansas in Week 6. Notably, the win helped Baylor to tie a school record for their fourth consecutive game with at least 60 point, while the 321 points they’ve scored through their five games this season are the most by an FBS team over a five-game stretch since major classification started in 1937.

Utah Utes (5-0)

As Pac-12’s lone undefeated team, it would be blasphemous to rank this Utes team anywhere lower than second in this list. Paced by a monster performance from tailback Devontae Booker, the Utes outlasted the stubborn California team to win their Week 6 encounter, 30-24. Not to mention, Utah’s defense managed to take away the sting from Cal’s explosive offense by picking off QB Jared Goff five times. Questions will be asked about why they allowed 24 points to the “lowly” Bears, but having seen what Cal’s offense has been doing to teams this year, I believe many will agree that Utah did a very commendable job.

TCU Horned Frogs (6-0)

Once again, Trevone Boykin and QB Josh Doctson proved to be the main difference for TCU, allowing the frogs to record a nervy 52-45 win at Kansas State. Like Cal, giving up that many points is never good for one’s playoff résumé. But then again, TCU certainly showed the kind of grit that is required from a big team. After surrendering 35 points in the first half and falling behind Kansas State by 18 points at halftime, the Frogs leaped with an all-rounded second half performance and secured the crucial win. The defense, which allowed just 10 points in the last two quarters, opened the second half by returning an interception for a touchdown, and then forced K-State to punt the ball on four of its next five possessions, before finally snuffing out the Wildcats’ attempt to make a comeback by forcing (and recovering) a game-clinching fumble. Meanwhile, the offense wiped out the 18-point (mind you, on the road) and littered the board with scores to give the Frogs the important win, along with an unbeaten record. If that is not a playoff-worthy performance, then I donno what is.

Clemson Tigers (5-0)

Lest Dabo Swinney and his team start of complaining about us “Clemsoning” his team, let’s dignify the Tigers’ run so far by slotting them fourth in this list. Plus, recording 43-24 win over Georgia Tech, who were one of the hottest teams at the start of the season, is not an easy feat. By the way, the win over the Yellow Jackets was Clemson’s 33rd-straight win over an unranked opponent, underlining the Tigers’ ferocity against weaker prey. So when Clemson host the Boston College Eagles, a team that suffered an embarrassing 3-0 loss (yes, 3-0 as the final scores) in an unwatchable game against Wake Forest, I bet you know why you should pound freaking hard on Clemson for both the win and cover in Week 7’s NCAAF odds.

Best of the Rest

Ohio State Buckeyes (6-0)

After getting massacred about their poor offense and the lack of a quality win so far in the season, the Buckeyes encouragingly responded with a 49-28 win over Maryland. The critics are probably not going to shut up, but after Cardale Jones threw for two touchdowns and J.T. Barrett scored three times in that victory, there’ll probably be fewer complaints this week about Ohio State’s apparent two-quarterback system.

LSU Tigers (6-0)

For the first time this season, the Tigers finished the game with a top rushing performance from a running back NOT named Leonard Fournette. Up-and-rising talent Derrius Guice led the Tigers with 161 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries, trailed by Fournette, who had 158 yards and a touchdown on 28 carries. Though as you probably know, Fournette left the game after the third quarter and could have easily led the rushing in the 45-24 win at South Carolina on Saturday. Notably, LSU has made it to the 6-0 mark only three times in the 10 years of Les Miles’ tutelage, and in two of the three occasions, they went all the way to the national championship game. So if Fournette and the Tigers can take care of the unbeaten Gators in Baton Rouge this Week, you can be sure that we’ll have LSU in our top-4 next week.

Florida Gators (6-0)

After blasting their way to a big win over Ole Miss two weeks ago, the Gators understandably looked a bit drained offensively, but that did not stop them from collecting a routine 21-3 win over the Missouri Tigers in Columbia. That said, the Gators have a monster test against LSU in Week 7, and if they can kill the Tigers in the Death Valley, there’s no way Florida will stay this low in our playoff-contention list.

Texas A&M (5-0)

I am yet to be convinced by the Aggies and their potential to run for the playoffs, especially because they’ll be facing Alabama in the course of this week, which loosely translates to a blemish on their unbeaten record. But if the Aggies somehow manage to beat the Tide, I promise to do a comprehensive piece on the Aggies praising their efforts and supporting them as the best pick to top the SEC this season.

Florida State Seminoles (5-0)

The Noles haven’t been making that much noise in regards to the playoffs, but they’ve silently maintained their unbeaten record this season, which is really praiseworthy, given the manner at which other contenders are picking up losses every other week. Still, with the biggest tests for FSU featuring later in the team’s calendar, including the November 7 blockbuster at Clemson, I wouldn’t be too quick to say the Seminoles are the real deal, considering they are yet to give an all-rounded statement win against a marquee top-ranked team.

Alabama Crimson Tide (5-1)

Despite trailing 7-3 at the half against Arkansas last week, the Crimson Tide made enough plays in the second half to beat the upset-minded Razorbacks 27-14. It was not the same kind of fluency we saw from Alabama in their trouncing win over Georgia in Week 5, but it was good enough to maintain their unbeaten run since recording that VERY COSTLY home loss to Ole Miss a couple of weeks ago. Oh, and on a commendable note, five-star freshman Calvin Ridley looked really good against Arkansas. After impressing against Georgia, he was superb against the Razorbacks, finishing with nine catches for 140 yards, including this highlight reel 81-yard, go-ahead dagger in the third quarter. I guess it’s safe to say that Amari Cooper won’t be missed that much in Alabama if Ridley continues with this surging play.