Odds To Win 2011 Conference USA Championship

Future Betting Odds

Conference-USA is not only one of the largest Mid-Major conferences in college football; it is rapidly becoming one of the most competitive ones as well. Teams such as Houston, Southern Miss, UCF, and Tulsa have helped raise the overall perception of Conference-USA with the betting public, as legitimate top 25 programs. The 2011 season should be no different as these teams will not only be a factor in the conference title race, but could very easily factor into the BCS standings as well.

The Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles have been opened as the favorites to win the East Division at 5/4 and the second favorites at 3/1 to win the conference at bodog. They return eight starters on offense from last year’s team that ended up 8-5 overall and a 5-3 in conference play. QB Austin Davis will once again lead a squad that was ranked 15th in the nation in scoring with an average of 36.8 points a game. He is coming off a year where he completed 63 percent of his attempts for 2,898 yards and 18 touchdowns. The Golden Eagles biggest problem could be on the defensive side of the ball after giving 30 points a game last season. Dan Disch, formally with Illinois, was brought in as the new coordinator in effort to improve upon this performance.

Central Florida is the second-favorite at 7/4 to win the East and third-favorite to win the conference at 4/1. The Knights open the season as defending Conference-USA champions after compiling a 7-1 record in conference play (11-3 overall). UCF returns seven starters on offense and will be led by last season’s ‘Freshman Player of the Year’ QB Jeff Godfrey. He established himself as a duel threat with 2,042 passing yards and 546 yards on the ground. An area of concern for the Knights is that only four starters are back from a defense that was ranked eighth in the nation in points allowed (17.1).

The odds to win the division for the other teams in the East have Alabama-Birmingham at 6/1, East Carolina at 7/1, Marshall at 10/1, and Memphis at 25/1.

The West appears to be a one-horse race with the Houston Cougars a prohibitive favorite at 4/5 to win the division. The Cougars are also the favorites to win the conference at 7/4. They are coming off a disappointing 5-7 record in 2010, but are more than optimistic for a reversal of fortunes with the anticipated return of QB Case Keenum, who was granted another year of eligibility after missing the majority of last season with a knee injury. Keenum led the Cougars to a 10-2 record in the 2009 regular season, with a loss to East Carolina in the conference title game being the team’s only major setback. They will also have WR Patrick Edwards, who led the team with 71 receptions for 1,100 yards and 13 TD’s in 2010. The possibilities for Houston this season are endless with this kind of talent hooking up for a game of pitch and catch.

The next two favorites to win the West are the Southern Methodist Mustangs and the Tulsa Golden Hurricanes at 33/10. These two are also listed as fourth-favorites along with Alabama-Birmingham at 8/1 to win the conference. The Mustangs return a total of 18 starters, including 10 on offense, from last year’s team that ended-up 6-2 in conference play. The key to their success this season will revolve around the play of QB Kyle Padron. Last season, this gun-slinger threw for 3,526 yards and 29 TD’s. SMU will also have RB Zach Line back after leading the team last season with 1,391 yards rushing and 10 TD’s.

Tulsa struggled a bit out of the gate in 2010 with a 4-3 record its first seven games, but was able to use a 28-27 upset of Notre Dame as a spring-board to run off six straight wins to finish 10-3 on the year. The Golden Hurricanes have a good chance to pick up where they left off with 10 starters returning to an offense that averaged 41.4 points a game. Two of the players largely responsible for a good chunk of this production were QB G.J. Kinne and WR Damaris Johnson, who remain in place for 2011. If this team can improve upon a defense that gave up over 30 points a game last season, the current odds on the Golden Hurricanes could be the best value in the conference.

The odd to win the division for the rest of the teams in the West have Rice at 10/1, Tulane at 20/1, and UTEP at 25/1.

Note: The Conference USA future lines listed above were current odds at the time the article was written. Please click here!! to get the up to the minute odds to win the 2011 Conference USA title.