Tony Ding / Associated Press
Michigan running back Hassan Haskins (25) leaps over Ohio State defenders for a touchdown in the second quarter of an NCAA college football game in Ann Arbor, Mich., Saturday, Nov. 27, 2021.
Thursday, Dec. 16, 2021 | 2 a.m.
It’s awards season in college football with our annual (well, typically annual) gambling version ready to jump back in the fray.
The College Football Betting Awards took a year off in 2020 because of the uneven schedules and altogether disjointed nature of the mid-pandemic season. But things were almost entirely back to normal on the field this year, making it appropriate to present the sixth edition of the awards.
Here are the teams that stood out the most at sportsbooks in our six traditional categories heading into bowl season.
Team of the Year: Michigan (team with the nation’s best record against the spread)
The Wolverines’ stock could hardly have been any lower coming into the season, with complaints over coach Jim Harbaugh returning for a seventh season far outnumbering bets of any kind written on his team. But Harbaugh finally built a reliable offense, led by quarterback Cade McNamara, to go with his usual strong defense, led by Heisman Trophy finalist Aidan Hutchinson, to not only reach the College Football Playoff but crush betting lines. The Wolverines sit at 11-2 against the spread going into a semifinal game against Georgia on New Year’s Eve as 7.5-point underdogs. 2019 winner: Clemson
Achievement Award: Utah State (team that furthest eclipsed its over/under preseason win total)
The Aggies were pegged to be one of the worst teams in the Mountain West in coach Blake Anderson’s first year but ended up winning the conference. Their over/under win total was set at three victories, which they matched in the first three weeks, part of a 9-3 regular season. They added a 10th victory in the conference championship game against San Diego State. Anderson brought some of his own players from Arkansas State, including quarterback Logan Bonner, but many holdovers also made key impacts, including local Centennial High graduate wide receiver/returner Savon Scarver. 2019 winner: Louisiana-Lafayette
Covering Streak of Excellence: North Texas (team with the longest winning streak against the spread)
The Mean Green caught fire over the final month and a half of the season, covering five straight and winning their last four, including a regular season-closing 45-23 blowout win against Conference USA champion UTSA as 10-point underdogs. The run improbably led North Texas to bowl eligibility, and it will now have a chance to extend the nation’s longest covering streak to six games against Miami (Ohio) in the Frisco Classic. It also saved the job of coach Seth Littrell, who was considered a lock to be fired midseason. 2019 winner: Baylor
The final three awards are more subjective but were chosen after careful consideration from closely monitoring the betting market all season.
Bettors’ Choice: Michigan State (team that made the most money for gamblers through point-spread victories)
The Spartans were also runners-up in the achievement award, going 10-2 on the season after their win total was set at 4.5. Bettors caught on to Michigan State being better than anticipated faster than bookmakers. The Spartans didn’t lose against the spread for their first eight games (though they did have two pushes), including popularly bet spots like a 20-15 win against Indiana as 3.5-point favorites. They finished the year 8-2-2 against the spread heading into a pick’em Peach Bowl against Pittsburgh on December 30. 2019 winner: Ohio State
Bookmakers’ Choice: Arkansas (team that made the most money for the house through point-spread victories)
The Razorbacks had a knack for covering as underdogs in high-profile spots, like Week 2 against Texas (a 40-21 win at +6), Week 6 at Ole Miss (a 52-51 loss at +5) and Week 12 at Alabama (a 42-35 loss at +20.5). Arkansas’ worst performance of the year was a 37-0 loss to Georgia as a 17-point underdog, but the Razorbacks were actually a popular bet, with the line moving in their direction ahead of that Week 5 showdown. In other words, Arkansas’ games usually ended with a lot of bettors crumbling up tickets and bookmakers raking in cash. 2019 winner: Auburn
Underdog of the Year: Baylor (team that performed best with the odds stacked against it)
Even in a year with long-shot power-conference champions like Pittsburgh in the ACC and Utah in the Pac-12, Baylor stood alone as the biggest surprise after coming into the season 80-to-1 to win the Big 12. The Bears largely did it by beating teams they weren’t supposed to, going 4-1 both straight-up and against the spread as underdogs. And they avenged the one loss in both categories, to Oklahoma State, by beating the Cowboys 21-16 as 7-point underdogs in the conference championship game. 2019 winner: Kansas State
This story appeared in Las Vegas Weekly.
