Every year, we learn that the AP poll doesn’t have much bearing on the betting odds for a particular collegiate sporting event. Last weekend, No. 8 — and unbeaten — Georgia Tech was just a 4.5-point favorite on the road at 4-4 NC State. The Wolfpack hung 48 on the Yellow Jackets and won the game in convincing fashion.
In Phil Steele’s humble opinion, the College Football Playoff rankings could be even more misleading. While the CFP committee has BYU at No. 7 and Texas Tech at No. 8, his Vegas Power Rankings have Texas Tech at No. 8 and BYU all the way down at No. 22.
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The Vegas ratings reflect who would be favored in a particular matchup on a neutral field. So, when you consider Texas Tech’s rating (128.11) is roughly 7 points higher than BYU’s (120.65) and that the 2 schools are facing off in Lubbock this weekend — home field is worth roughly 3 points — you get the Red Raiders as a 10-point favorite. If you open up DraftKings Sportsbook right now, you’ll see Texas Tech is, indeed, a 10-point favorite.
SEC teams claimed 4 of the top 6 CFP slots in the initial rankings. In Vegas, the conference is home to 8 of the country’s top 14 squads. If Texas is able to fight its way into the CFP with a 9-3 record, it’ll have the SEC’s depth and strength to thank. Here are the SEC’s Week 11 Vegas Power Rankings:
- No. 3 – Alabama (131.80)
- No. 5 – Georgia (129.87)
- No. 7 – Texas A&M (129.22)
- No. 9 – Ole Miss (127.78)
- No. 10 – Texas (126.87)
- No. 12 – Oklahoma (125.80)
- No. 13 – Vanderbilt (125.72)
- No. 14 – Tennessee (125.43)
- No. 18 – Missouri (122.93)
- No. 19 – Florida (122.48)
- No. 20 – LSU (121.13)
- No. 21 – Auburn (120.78)
- No. 34 – Mississippi State (116.29)
- No. 37 – Arkansas (116.15)
- No. 38 – South Carolina (115.96)
- No. 47 – Kentucky (113.22)
