NCAA Football Betting: Florida Gators Odds
Written by Greg Waters
Thu, 1 Oct 2009
Category sportsbook
Feedback Rating - no votes
Prior to the start of the 2009 college football season, the world was the Florida Gators’ oyster.
Coming off a BCS championship the season before, the preseason NCAA Football odds unanimously declared Florida the No. 1 team in the nation and the Gators were favored to repeat the feat this year, as online sportsbook SPORTSBETTING.com had them as the odds-on favorite with odds set at +200 in late summer.
Gator QB Tim Tebow was the golden boy of college football heading into the 2009 campaign. Already boasting a Heisman Trophy, won in 2007, he was the big favorite heading in, listed at +200 to add another award to his trophy case.
Florida has looked potent this season, jumping out to a 4-0 start (4-0 SU and 2-1 ATS on lined games) and is still the consensus No. 1 team in college football, but things are looking murky in the swamp, so to speak.
Florida managed to cover the big line in a 41-7 victory over Kentucky last Saturday, but Tebow suffered a concussion during the third quarter when he took a shot to the head.
He left the field on a cart, was taken to hospital, and was released the following day.
The Gators don’t have a game this week, which means Tebow will have more time to recuperate, and it’s a good thing too because their next game is against conference rival and the current consensus No. 4 LSU Tigers on October 10. Online sportsbooks have not put a line up on that one yet, and a line has not yet been established.
Managers at sportsbook SPORTSBETTING.com said they’ll be keeping a close eye on the updates out of Florida as the “Tebow watch” will be intense. Florida head coach Urban Meyer told the Associated Press that he hopes Tebow will be ready for the crucial SEC matchup and said Tebow still had “a little bit of a headache.”
But has Tebow’s injury affected Florida’s other betting odds?
Back in early-August, the Gators were listed at -250 to win the SEC title and the odds have gotten a little steeper as they are still the betting favorite to win the conference at -300.
In terms of futures odds for the BCS title, Florida is holding steady at +200.
What about Tebow’s chances of taking another Heisman Trophy?
Despite the concussion, Tebow is still the clear favorite, currently a +175 favorite to take the accolade.
The sports betting world will have to wait until October 10 to see if Tebow plays, and if he does play, if the dinged dome has affected his play.
Good luck with your NCAA betting this week.
link: http://www.wheretobet.com/redirect/sportsbetting.com-205/all