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The odds for this year’s college football championship were released shortly after Clemson squeaked by Alabama down in Tampa. Since January, we’ve seen some significant movement. That movement is directly tied to money coming in on certain teams and the lack of money coming in on certain teams. If that’s any indication, the public is off the Tennessee Volunteers this year.
And let’s be totally clear here — I don’t think anyone is expecting Tennessee to bring home a natty this year. This is simply a fun exercise to see where the gambling world values Tennessee. Those guys are usually pretty close.
Tennessee opened at 40-1 odds, but they have dropped to 60-1 over the Spring, per sportsline.
Tennessee (Open: 40/1, Current: 60/1): Playmaking quarterback Joshua Dobbs has moved on to the NFL, and the Volunteers have developed alarming trend under coach Butch Jones of failing reach results that meet their talent level.
Another day, another shot at Butch Jones. But the 2016 season may haunt Jones forever. Last year Tennessee fell flat in the second half of the season, largely due to injuries riddling their defense. A 5-0 start ended up netting nothing more than a Music City Bowl title.
Now with all the turnover on the roster, Vegas is understandably down on Tennessee.
For some reference, Tennessee opened at 15-1 to win the national title last season. That number actually went down to 12-1 by the end of the Summer. This year, it’s gone from 40-1, to 60-1. That’s a large difference.
Maybe the lack of hype will take the pressure off of Tennessee this year. For two years, Tennessee has been the trendy pick to win the SEC East, now you’re hard-pressed to find anyone that has them above 3rd.
The good news is that the SEC East is still down. That window to win the East is wide open, but Butch is going to have to do it with new leaders and new faces on the field. Maybe that’s just what Tennessee needs to finally overachieve.