A new college football season, featuring widespread conference realignment and an expanded playoff, has a familiar look to it at sportsbooks, with perennial powers from the SEC and Big Ten sitting atop the odds to win the national championship.

Georgia and Ohio State have separated themselves from the pack as the consensus national title favorites ahead of the season. The Bulldogs are +300 at ESPN BET, followed closely by the Buckeyes at +325. Oregon (+700) and Texas (+900) are the only other teams with odds shorter than +1000.

Georgia and Ohio State account for nearly 50% of the bets that have been placed on ESPN BET’s title odds and are among eight teams that are odds-on favorites to qualify for this season’s 12-team playoff. Oregon (-350), Texas (-240), Notre Dame (-170), Penn State (-150), Ole Miss (-140) and Alabama (-115) also are odds-on favorites to reach the playoff at ESPN BET.

“All of our most popular teams to make the playoffs are pretty much exclusively in the SEC,” John Murray, executive director of the Westgate SuperBook in Las Vegas, told ESPN.

Ole Miss, Alabama, Tennessee and Texas A&M were among the teams that have attracted the most interest from bettors to make the playoffs, Murray added.

Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel (+600) is the favorite to win the Heisman Trophy. Gabriel moved ahead of Georgia quarterback Carson Beck (+850) and into the role of Heisman favorite in July. In the last 15 years, the preseason Heisman Trophy favorite has won only once (Marcus Mariota in 2014), according to ESPN Stats & Information.

“We definitely don’t want to see Dillon Gabriel win the Heisman Trophy,” Murray said. “That’s a concern.”

Partnership Realizes a Historic Moment for Eagles Athletics

Statesboro, GA (Aug. 29, 2024) — A groundbreaking partnership between Georgia Southern University, the Sack Company and Learfield’s Georgia Southern Sports Properties was announced today, making it one of the first college athletics programs to feature an on-field logo during regular-season football games. This collaboration highlights Georgia Southern’s commitment to excellence while providing its new partner, the Sack Company, a unique opportunity to connect with Eagles fans. The Sack Company logo will be featured on both 25-yard lines on Evans Family Field at Allen E. Paulson Stadium starting August 31^st when the Eagles kick off their football season at home against Boise State.

“We are ecstatic to partner with the Sack Company on this first-of-its-kind opportunity. As a new partner, they are supporting Eagles Athletics and leaning into the community in an incredible way,” said Jared Benko, Director of Athletics at Georgia Southern. “Our partnership demonstrates an innovative way to deliver high impact branding and value for the Sack Company while ensuring an incredible environment for our fans.”

In addition to on-field visibility and other in-venue signage, the Sack Company will benefit from extensive exposure through television broadcasts, social and digital platforms. The Sack Company will also engage the community year-round through a wide variety of sponsorship programs including additional branding at Allen E. Paulson Stadium, as the presenting sponsor of men’s basketball, and as the presenting sponsor of baseball with branding on the home team dugout.

“We are proud to build upon our partnership with Georgia Southern and have a longstanding tradition of growth by helping to build over 15 different buildings on campus over the years. This is an exciting evolution of our commitment to the university, and we are thrilled to support Georgia Southern Athletics and be part of this historic opportunity to feature the Sack Company logos on the field at Paulson Stadium,” said Paul Roesel, President and Chairman of the Sack Company.

“We are thrilled to be at the forefront of the changing landscape of college athletics with our partners at Georgia Southern,” said Kim Damron, President of Learfield Sports Properties. “Jared and his team have shown exemplary leadership throughout this process and are dedicated to achieving long-lasting success for their athletics programs and the community.”

Georgia Southern Sports Properties, the locally based team of Learfield—the media and technology company powering college sports – is the exclusive multimedia rights holder for Georgia Southern Athletics and handles all sponsorships, in-venue signage, and advertising on behalf of the Georgia Southern.

About Georgia Southern University
Georgia Southern University, a public Carnegie Doctoral/R2 institution founded in 1906, offers approximately 155 degree programs serving more than 28,000 students through 10 colleges on three campuses in Statesboro, Savannah, Hinesville and online instruction. Georgia Southern is a member of the Sun Belt Conference for athletics and sponsors 17 NCAA Division varsity sports with over 450 student-athletes competing for the Eagles. Visit GSEagles.com for more information on the department and GSEagles.com/tickets to purchase tickets.

About The Sack Company
Sack has built their company primarily on heavy commercial and industrial construction and has the in-house ability to perform electrical, electrical controls and instrumentation, mechanical, piping, plumbing, HVAC work, fire sprinkler, machinery placement and millwright work. They provide construction services for a variety of General Contractors throughout the southeastern U.S., and will travel more extensively around the U.S. and abroad for our industrial customers.

About Learfield
Learfield is the leading media and technology company powering college athletics. Through its digital and physical platforms, Learfield owns and leverages a deep data set and relationships in the industry to drive revenue, growth, brand awareness, and fan engagement for brands, sports, and entertainment properties. With ties to over 1,200 collegiate institutions and over 12,000 local and national brand partners, Learfield’s presence in college sports and live events delivers influence and maximizes reach to target audiences. With solutions for a 365-day, 24/7 fan experience, Learfield enables schools and brands to connect with fans through licensed merchandise, game ticketing, donor identification for athletic programs, exclusive custom content, innovative marketing initiatives, NIL solutions, and advanced digital platforms. Since 2008, it has served as title sponsor for the acclaimed Learfield Directors’ Cup, supporting athletic departments across all divisions.

Two foreign nationals from Serbia and Romania are behind bars in what federal authorities say is a years-long conspiracy to carry out swatting attacks and bomb threats targeting American citizens, including a handful of Georgia lawmakers.