It’s been a long and eventful spring and summer, and now the 2024 college football season is upon us. The battle for a spot in the brand new 12-team College Football Playoff begins on August 24 and won’t slow down until a champion is crowned next January. Last season’s National Championship game saw Michigan knock off Washington to claim its first national title in 27 years. Who will reach the pinnacle of the sport in this new playoff format this season? It’s almost time to find out.
With the offseason chaos in the rearview mirror and the new season on the horizon, it’s time to delve into the futures market for each conference. With my Mountain West Conference predictions already in the books, I’ll be taking a look at the 4 remaining Group of 5 conferences in this piece, as each of these leagues should have at least one contender for that coveted Group of 5 spot in the 12-team playoff this fall. However, there are sure to be upsets abound in some of these conferences, so don’t expect a straightforward path for the favorites in each league. Without any further ado, let's take a look at the latest'college football odds for each of the Group of 5 conferences, along with our NCAAF picks and best bets within the Sun Belt, MAC, AAC and Conference USA.'
Sun Belt Conference Odds
- Appalachian State (+275)
- Texas State (+400)
- Louisiana (+600)
- James Madison (+750)
- South Alabama (+1200)
- Troy (+1600)
- Arkansas State (+1600)
- Marshall (+1600)
- Coastal Carolina (+2000)
- Georgia Southern (+2500)
- Old Dominion (+3000)
The Sun Belt has long been one of my favorite conferences in the land and this year’s version of the “Fun Belt” should produce a team with a pretty decent chance of making the College Football Playoff. At the top, Appalachian State is loaded for bear-on offense while Texas State should also rack up a ton of points this season under head coach G.J. Kinne. However, the team with the best schedule in the conference is James Madison, as the Dukes have a very favorable road schedule in Bob Chesney’s first year at the helm. Further down the board, I fully expect Troy to take a major step back after losing its head coach and a ton of production a season ago, while Arkansas State’s electric offense and favorable schedule of opposing defenses make it a decent longshot bet to win the conference.