Pac-10 Gambling Odds Changing Again As Utah Joins Conference

The Pac-10 had visions of creating a super conference in college football when it extended invitations to powerhouse programs such as Texas and Oklahoma. On Thursday, the conference added one of the under the radar football powers in Utah.

Although Texas and Oklahoma decided to stay in the Big Twelve for now, the addition of Colorado and Utah now means that the Pac-10 has enough teams to create two divisions and a championship game.

Championship games in other conferences have been a huge money-maker for sports books. The title games are usually held at a time of the year when there are only two or three other games being played on that particular Saturday. That means that all all gambling eyes will be focused on those games.

"College football conference title games have been a wonderful dynamic for sports books and gamblers," said Gaming Analyst Brad Dawkins. "They are sort of like bonus games for bettors, used to bridge the gap from the end of the regular season until the bowl games begin. A Pac-10 conference title game would certainly draw a lot of interest from gamblers."

The NCAA was one of the groups that opposed the sports betting laws in Delaware last year. Along with the NFL, the NCAA likes to portray an image that their popularity is not driven by gambling on their games, but the growing number of gamblers in the US are proving them wrong.

For Utah, like Boise State, they have been a betting favorite in most of their games in recent years. Their program has been above and beyond what other conference teams could put on the field, and odds makers have had to adjust lines to accommodate the difference in talent.

Now, Utah will go from being overwhelming favorites to underdogs in many of their conference games. The Pac-10 has traditional powers California, USC, UCLA, Oregon, and Oregon State, all of whom have spent time near the top of the college football rankings in the past.

June 17, 2010
Posted By Vincent Tapoglia III
Staff Editor, CasinoGamblingWeb.com
Submit News!

World Cup Betting Odds Favor US Over Slovenia
NBA Finals Betting Odds: Game Seven Between Lakers And Celtics
Can Tiger Woods Finally Deliver A Win For US Open Gamblers?
World Cup Shocker: Sports Books Lose Millions With Spain Loss
NBA Finals Betting Preview: Celtics Without Perkins In Game Seven