Odds to Win the 2011-12 NCAA Football BCS National Championship

We took a look at the early odds for Super Bowl XLI (46), and considering the college football season actually begins prior to the NFL, we thought we would take a look at the odds to win the 2011-12 BCS National Championship.

Oklahoma... 9/2
Alabama... 11/2
Florida State... 10/1
Oregon... 12/1
Boise State... 14/1
LSU... 14/1
Florida... 16/1
Stanford... 16/1
Wisconsin... 20/1
Nebraska... 25/1
Ohio State... 25/1
Texas... 25/1
West Virginia... 25/1
Notre Dame... 28/1
South Carolina... 28/1
Arkansas... 30/1
Oklahoma State... 30/1
Penn State... 30/1
TCU... 30/1
Virginia Tech... 35/1
Texas A&M... 40/1
Georgia... 50/1
Michigan State... 50/1
Miami ... 60/1
Mississippi State... 60/1
Iowa... 65/1
Arizona State... 75/1
Michigan... 75/1
Mississippi... 75/1
Missouri... 80/1
North Carolina... 80/1
Tennessee... 80/1
Auburn... 100/1
California... 100/1
Cincinnati... 100/1
Clemson... 100/1
Kansas State... 125/1
Oregon State... 125/1
Arizona... 150/1
BYU... 150/1
Georgia Tech... 150/1
Pittsburgh... 150/1
South Florida... 150/1
Texas Tech... 150/1
UCLA... 150/1
Utah... 150/1
Washington... 150/1
Boston College... 175/1

Our thoughts: While we like Oklahoma (9/2) and Alabama (11/2) as much as anyone, the return on investment just isn't all that enticing for those two powerhouses. You're better off re-distributing that money in other bets for the Sooners or Tide throughout the year rather than having to sit on it all season, if you truly believe one of the favorites will come out on top in 2012.

We think, however, a wild card will emerge to win this year's National Championship. Our favorite odds on the board in terms of value are Stanford (16/1), Wisconsin (20/1), South Carolina (28/1), and if you really want a darkhorse, Texas A&M (40/1).

Either way, here are the odds, but as a public service announcement we are not huge on betting on these futures to win it all. It's hard enough for most folks to pick winners week-in and week-out, but it really is a crapshoot to pick the champion before the season begins--and if you bet a heavy favorite it rarely is even worth it if it pans out.

You might even say, it takes a lot of Luck. See if you geniuses can decipher our 2012 championship pick based on the previous sentence (and the above picture; and the fact that we already listed them above; Ok, we'll tell you, it's Andrew Luck and Stanford).

Stock Orange: 83% Free NCAA Football Bowl Picks Hit the Orange Bowl

Our 83% Free NCAA Football Bowl Picks look to continue with the postseason success with a pick in our favorite bowl of the year: the Lemon Bowl.

Or, the Orange Bowl, close enough. A citrus fruit is a citrus fruit.

Stanford -3 1/2 over Virginia Tech

Andrew Luck and the Cardinal should prove the better team, with the better pro prospect at the helm. The best, actually. Early reports have Luck as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft to the hapless Carolina Panthers, so this might be his last game with a winning team in five years. Look for him to take advantage.

Your 2010 Heisman Trophy Winner Will Be...

Scam Newton!

Oh, relax. The best things in life are always scams.

In actuality, we do think Cam Newton should win the Heisman Trophy on Saturday. Make no mistake, he will. If you can find a book that still is taking bets on Newton to win it, he should throw your life savings, first born, right arm and a pack of Skittles on that bet. He was clearly the best player and, let's be honest, he probably isn't even the highest paid player in NCAA Football.

But while most books don't have odds on the Heisman winner anymore, you can still find odds on who will finish second. And this, to us, is almost as much of a no-brainer.

Here are the current odds for second place:

Andrew Luck -140

LaMichael James +110

Kellen Moore +1000

If not for Newton absolutely dominating the game of football for the last couple months, more and more people would be gushing over Andrew Luck. While Newton may be the best of the college ranks, we think Luck will be the better pro (this is a good time to get those super early NFL Draft bets in). Luck is almost a shoe-in for the first overall pick of the draft, much like Newton is a shoe-in to win the Heisman.

To summarize: It would take a lot of bad Luck if Andrew isn't the runner-up for the Heisman, and if you can still put money on Cam Newton winning the thing, do it. We all know his dad already did.