Last season, college conference realignments really shook the landscape of college football as we know it. Now, the Boise State Broncos are in the Mountain West, the Nebraska Cornhuskers are in the Big 10, the Big 10 has 12 teams, and the Big 12 has 10 teams… not to mention that the artists formerly known as the Pac-10 are now known as the Pac-10 after taking the Colorado Buffaloes and Utah Utes. However, conference expansion certainly isn’t done yet, as there are shockwaves that are already rumbling across the country about how conference realignment might pan out.

Here’s what we already know: Next year, the ACC is going to have at least 14 teams in it. The Syracuse Orange and the Pittsburgh Panthers are heading to the ACC to make that conference have 14 teams. It is likely that the ACC is going to be looking for two more teams to add into the fold for an even 16.

We also know that the Big East is at least getting one team back in the TCU Horned Frogs, who made the commitment last year to jump from the Mountain West to the Big East once this athletic year is over.

The Texas A&M Aggies are trying to leave the Big 12 for the SEC, and though the SEC has openly welcomed the Aggies with open arms, there are still schools in the Big 12 like Kansas State, Iowa State, and Baylor that are trying to block the move. Odds have it, they won’t be successful, and in 2012, A&M will be in the SEC.

The question for the SEC though, is who the 14th team is going to be. There are some thoughts that perhaps TCU could go back on its word to the Big East and try to head to the SEC, but the West Virginia Mountaineers are trying to make the move as well. If this happens, it is clear that the Big East is just a dead conference waiting to be partitioned the rest of the way.

To make matters worse for the Big East, the ACC is also reportedly in pursuit of the Connecticut Huskies and the Rutgers Scarlet Knights for their Super Conference. This would round out the conference at 16 teams and would likely lock in the conference for the foreseeable future without any further expansion or departure… or does it???

The new realigned SEC Coference would have 14 teams with the additions of Texas A&M and West Virginia, and it would need two more schools. You just know that there won’t be small, unproven schools coming to the SEC, so the conference will do all that it can to poach from a bigger conference. Remember how the ACC thought it was set? Not so fast. Don’t be shocked if Florida State and Clemson headed to their instate rivals Florida and South Carolina and joins the SEC.

And that would leave the ACC with two open slots again to fill…

And that’s only the half of it. The Pac-12 is in talks with the Texas Longhorns and the Oklahoma Sooners about coming to their conference, and if that happens, the Oklahoma State Cowboys and the Texas Tech Red Raiders will almost certainly be on the move to make that conference the Pac-16 as well.

That being said, the Big 12 would only be left with Baylor, Kansas State, Iowa State, Kansas, and Missouri. Kansas State and Kansas seem to be a package deal, and they could be headed to the Big 10, and that is the preferred conference for the Tigers as well. Iowa State and Baylor would be hung out to dry and might have to join lesser conferences. The 16th team for the Big 10? You’d like to think since this is probably going to ultimately signal the dawn of a college football playoff down the line, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish are probably going to have to join, and this is the conference that makes the most sense.

And if you’re keeping score at home, the Big East could only be left with TCU, South Florida, Cincinnati, and Louisville, with the prospects of Villanova joining the FBS ranks for football in the coming years.

So let’s go back to the ACC, which has two slots to fill. Louisville and Cincinnati make relatively close travel partners, and the conference location does fit those schools, and though really any of the holdovers, or the possibility of South Florida and UCF coming into the ACC together exists, we tend to think that it would be the Bearcats and the Cardinals that enter into the ACC.

Thus, the dawn of the college football super conferences that we’ve been hearing all about… And right now, this is what we really could end up seeing when this alignment is said and done…

Proposed College Football Realignment & New Super Conferences
(College Footall Teams in Italics Designate New Teams Entering Conferences)

ACC “Super Conference”: Wake Forest, Maryland, NC State, Boston College, North Carolina, Duke, Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech, Virginia, Miami, Syracuse, Pittsburgh, Connecticut, Rutgers, Cincinnati, Louisville

Pac-16 “Super Conference” (the old Pac 10): California, Stanford, Oregon, Washington, Washington State, Oregon State, USC, Arizona State, UCLA, Utah, Arizona, Colorado, Texas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech

Big 10 “Super Conference”: Illinois, Wisconsin, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue, Indiana, Michigan, Nebraska, Iowa, Michigan State, Northwestern, Minnesota, Notre Dame, Kansas State, Kansas, Missouri

SEC “Super Conference”: Florida, South Carolina, Vanderbilt, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, LSU, Alabama, Auburn, Arkansas, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Texas A&M, West Virginia, Florida State, Clemson

Still, that leaves a lot of questions to be answered… Baylor, TCU, South Florida, and Iowa State all wouldn’t have places to go, though they could all come together in Conference USA. BYU is another team that is basically left out in the cold for all of this, and save for going to the WAC and hoping that eventually the WAC and the MWC combine, it could end up as an independent for the foreseeable future without a conference, and potentially without a spot in college football’s prospective playoff.

And then of course, there’s Boise State, the team that thought it was going to a conference in the MWC that could have been a powerhouse… until BYU opted for independence, TCU left for the Big East (or did they???), and Utah went to the Pac-12. There are going to be very, very unhappy teams in all of this, and in all likelihood, these are going to be the unhappy campers that are left out of the super conferences of college football.

The other question is what is left to do with the rest of the Big East Conference in basketball. Teams like Georgetown, Marquette, DePaul, and Villanova could be headed to the Atlantic 10, while that conference might have to eliminate some of its members at the bottom of the totem poll to try to get all of these teams under the same conference umbrella.

With Boise State leaving the WAC, things have definitely opened up for the other teams in this conference. Of course, what we have to remember most about last season is that it wasn’t the boys from the Blue Turf that won the conference: the Nevada Wolf Pack (Current WAC Odds: 2.15 to 1 at 5Dimes Sportsbook) did. Sure, Nevada has its own problems this year replacing a stud signal caller in Colin Kaepernick, who felt like he was playing in Reno for at least seven years, and the likes of Vai Taua and Luke Lippincott are gone from the backfield, but Head Coach Chris Ault almost always fields a competent side. After dealing with four straight hellacious road games to start off the season (including a trip to Boise), Nevada plays six of its last eight games at home with those two roadies at New Mexico State and Utah State. There’s no excuse for the Wolf Pack not to win this conference.

Head Coach Pat Hill always has his Fresno State Bulldogs (2011 WAC Lines: 3.50 to 1 at 5Dimes Sportsbook) ready to take on anyone in the country, and this season, he gets to face Cal, Nebraska, Ole Miss, and Boise State out of conference play. The problem here is that this team just plays too many games on the road (seven to be exact), and it’s stuck with the extra road game in conference this year. Games at Nevada, Idaho, and Hawaii won’t be fun to say the least, and unless Hill’s defense can rank a whole heck of a lot better than No. 83 in the nation in scoring like it did last year, the Dogs are in trouble.

The media has selected the Hawaii Warriors (Current WAC Odds: 2.50 to 1 at 5Dimes Sportsbook) as the favorites for the WAC this year, but we just aren’t so sure that it is justified. WRs Greg Salas and Kealoha Pilares were both 1,500+ yard receivers a year ago, and RB Alex Green rumbled for nearly 1,200 yards and accounted for 19 scores. QB Bryant Moniz is back in the saddle, and he is surely going to throw for over 5,000 yards once again this year, but this Hawaii defense is just woeful at times. Parlay all of that with the newcomers that have to slot in on offense and the road trips to Nevada, Idaho, Louisiana Tech, and San Jose State, and the makings are there for a 5-2 or 4-3 mark in conference play.

2011 Odds To Win The WAC @ 5Dimes Sportsbook (as of 8/28/11):
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Nevada Wolf Pack 2.15 to 1
Hawaii Warriors 2.50 to 1
Fresno State Bulldogs 3.50 to 1
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs 7 to 1
Idaho Vandals 17.50 to 1
San Jose State Spartans 19 to 1
Utah State Aggies 22 to 1
New Mexico State Aggies 36 to 1

The Sun Belt is one of the more open conferences in America this year, but the teams in this division are definitely up and coming. This is no longer just the doormat for the rest of college football. Case in point: The Florida International Golden Panthers (Current Sun Belt Odds: 2.40 to 1 at 5Dimes Sportsbook). FIU didn’t exactly come out of nowhere last season, but it did end up winning the conference crown and winning its bowl game against Toledo. Getting both Troy and Florida Atlantic at home this year is a big plus, but there are definitely some challenges coming if this offense can’t put up anywhere near the 28.8 points per game that it did a year ago.

You know that the perennial powers of the Sun Belt, the Troy Trojans (2011 Sun Belt Lines: 2.40 to 1 at 5Dimes Sportsbook) are bound and determined to get their conference title back this season, especially after losing it at home against FIU in bad form last season. Even though WR Jerrel Jernigan has moved on to the next level, QB Corey Robinson still has the potential to be the best player in this conference. He threw for 3,726 yards as a true freshman, and he should easily eclipse the 4,000 yard barrier this year in this offense as long as he stays healthy.

The team to watch out for as the up and coming bunch is the third favorite in the conference, the Arkansas State Red Wolves (Current Sun Belt Odds: 6.25 to 1 at 5Dimes Sportsbook). Both FIU and Troy are paying visits to Jonesboro this year, and that bodes well for a team which was a lot better than its 4-8 record indicated last season. ASU lost five games by a TD or fewer last season, and its 52-26 loss at eventual National Champions Auburn Tigers turned out to look not all that bad, all things considered. QB Ryan Aplin was good for right at 30.0 PPG last season, but the key for the Red Wolves will be establishing a defense after allowing a miserable 440.5 YPG on the campaign in 2010.

2011 Odds To Win The Sun Belt @ 5Dimes Sportsbook (as of 8/28/11):
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Florida International Golden Panthers 2.40 to 1
Troy Trojans 2.40 to 1
Arkansas State Red Wolves 6.25 to 1
Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks 6.75 to 1
Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders 8.50 to 1
North Texas Mean Green 11 to 1
Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns 15 to 1
Western Kentucky Hilltoppers 16 to 1
Florida Atlantic Owls 19 to 1

The SEC is always one of the roughest conferences to try to handicap, as the National Champions usually end up coming from this conference. This year, could we be saying the same thing? The favorites to take down the conference crown are the Alabama Crimson Tide (Current SEC Odds: 2.05 to 1 at 5Dimes Sportsbook). The Tide are losing a ton from last year’s offense, but when you look past the fact that QB Greg McIlroy, WR Julio Jones, and RB Mark Ingram are gone, you see that there is still a heck of a lot of talent coming back for Head Coach Nick Saban. It’s not like Saban hasn’t been able to figure out how to recruit in the past and then get the most out of what he brought into town. QB AJ McCarron should be fine, and so should the Alabama ‘D’. The biggest problem game on the slate is at home, a date with LSU.

Speaking of the LSU Tigers (2011 SEC Lines: 4.75 to 1 at 5Dimes Sportsbook), they’re the next in a hoard of teams in the conference that are lined in the +475ish range to win this conference crown. We know that it is likely going to take a win against Alabama on the road to win the SEC, something that definitely won’t come easily. We’ll find out quite a bit right away this year when the Bayou Bengals take on the Oregon Ducks at Dallas Cowboys Stadium, and it’ll be clear if QB Jordan Jefferson and company can’t keep up with the Quack Attack, they won’t be able to win this conference either.

The team that really could be there for the watching this season is the Georgia Bulldogs (Current SEC Odds: 4.75 to 1 at 5Dimes Sportsbook). We don’t really think that Head Coach Mark Richt and company have assembled the best team in the SEC East this season, but we don’t think that there is another team out there that can say that they have as easy of a road as UGA does. This is the year that the team gets the extra conference home game thanks to the fact that the annual Cocktail Party against Florida was originally slated as a road game, and to top it all off, both Alabama and LSU are dodged on the slate. Whereas South Carolina, another one of the favorites in the SEC East doesn’t get a real good look at some heavy duty competition until these two teams meet “Between the Hedges” in Week 2, Georgia gets to start off with a stern test against Boise State. With a lot on the line for Richt and the growth of QB Aaron Murray expected in his sophomore season, we wouldn’t be shocked to see the Dawgs right there when it’s said and done with playing for the SEC title.

2011 Odds To Win The SEC @ 5Dimes Sportsbook (as of 8/24/11):
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Alabama Crimson Tide 2.05 to 1
Florida Gators 4.60 to 1
Georgia Bulldogs 4.75 to 1
LSU Tigers 4.75 to 1
South Carolina Gamecocks 6.25 to 1
Arkansas Razorbacks 17.50 to 1
Mississippi State Bulldogs 22 to 1
Tennessee Volunteers 22 to 1
Auburn Tigers 37 to 1
Kentucky Wildcats 85 to 1
Mississippi Rebels 85 to 1
Vanderbilt Commodores 185 to 1

2011 Odds To Win The SEC East Division @ 5Dimes Sportsbook (as of 8/24/11):
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Georgia Bulldogs 1.80 to 1
Florida Gators 1.90 to 1
South Carolina Gamecocks 2 to 1
Tennessee Volunteers 9 to 1
Kentucky Wildcats 33 to 1
Vanderbilt Commodores 75 to 1

2011 Odds To Win The SEC West Division @ 5Dimes Sportsbook (as of 8/24/11):
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Alabama Crimson Tide 1 to 1.40
LSU Tigers 2.75 to 1
Arkansas Razorbacks 9.15 to 1
Mississippi State Bulldogs 13 to 1
Auburn Tigers 18 to 1
Mississippi Rebels 33 to 1

It’s going to be a mighty interesting season this year in the Pac-12, knowing that there are two legitimate National Championship contenders, an up and coming newcomer, a dark horse club, and the USC Trojans, who are ineligible for the conference title. We’ll start at the top with the Oregon Ducks (Current Pac 12 Odds: 2.30 to 1 at 5Dimes Sportsbook). The Quack Attack came up just shy of the National Championship last season, losing out at the death to the Auburn Tigers. Now, QB Darron Thomas, RB LaMichael James, and a ton of others are coming back from a team that used to routinely drop 50+ points on opponents.

There’s only one problem this year. Whereas last year, the Stanford Cardinal (2011 Pac 12 Lines: 3 to 1 at 5Dimes Sportsbook) came to Autzen Stadium, this year, the U of O has to make the trip down to “The Farm.” Considering the fact that these two share the same side of the newly formed Pac-12, it is clear that the game between the two of them is going to be for a spot in the conference championship game, knowing that neither one is likely to end up getting beaten by two other teams in conference play. QB Andrew Luck is the real deal, and had he come out of school last year, he’d have $22M in the bank and would be the starting QB for the Carolina Panthers this upcoming season. In all likelihood, Luck will once again be Top 5 NFL Draft material, and he and RB Stepfan Taylor have a great chance of leading the Cardinal to the Pac-12 crown.

There are 20 returning starters and 53 returning lettermen to this year’s Arizona State Sun Devils (Current Pac 12 Odds: 5.50 to 1 at 5Dimes Sportsbook) team, which definitely makes it the up and coming team in this conference. Head Coach Dennis Erickson has promised that this is the year that ASU gets it all figured out. QB Brock Osweiler has high hopes after leading this offense to 427.1 yards per game last season. We just don’t know if this team is surviving a road test at the new kids on the block, the Utah Utes, especially knowing that the road trip to Oregon is on tap the next week. The rest of the big boys are coming to Tempe though, and Stanford is dodged, so getting to the Pac-12 Championship Game is definitely not out of the question.

2011 Odds To Win The Pac 12 @ 5Dimes Sportsbook (as of 7/31/11):
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Oregon Ducks 2.30 to 1
Stanford Cardinal 3 to 1
Arizona State Sun Devils 5.50 to 1
Utah Utes 7.75 to 1
Arizona Wildcats 8.50 to 1
UCLA Bruins 18 to 1
Oregon State Beavers 19 to 1
Washington Huskies 19 to 1
Colorado Buffaloes 23 to 1
California Golden Bears 29 to 1
Washington State Cougars 125 to 1

2011 Odds To Win The Pac 12 North Division @ 5Dimes Sportsbook (as of 7/31/11):
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Oregon Ducks 1.30 to 1
Stanford Cardinal 1.75 to 1
Oregon State Beavers 8 to 1
Washington Huskies 8 to 1
California Golden Bears 12.50 to 1
Washington State Cougars 47 to 1

2011 Odds To Win The Pac 12 South Division @ 5Dimes Sportsbook (as of 7/31/11):
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USC Trojans 1.40 to 1 (not eligible to play in Pac-10 Championship Game)
Arizona State Sun Devils 3.60 to 1
Utah Utes 4.20 to 1
Arizona Wildcats 4.85 to 1
UCLA Bruins 10.15 to 1
Colorado Buffaloes 13 to 1

This year, there is definitely a new sheriff in charge of the Mountain West in the form of the Boise State Broncos (Current Mountain West Odds: 1 to 2.80 at 5Dimes Sportsbook). Simply put, the Broncos have the best team in this conference, and the only game that really should have any chance of tripping them up is the home date with TCU late in the season. Of course, Boise State’s eyes aren’t on winning the MWC. They’re on winning the National Championship. Many forget that the Broncos did not win their last season in the WAC last year; Nevada did. That being said, there is definitely some unfinished business for QB Kellen Moore and company, and though the team might take a bit of a step back in terms of talent from a year ago when it was a one-loss team, there’s no doubt that Head Coach Chris Peterson and company have themselves a legitimate shot at an undefeated season this year.

The bad news here is that the TCU Horned Frogs (2011 Mountain West Lines: 4.50 to 1 at 5Dimes Sportsbook) probably aren’t going to be contending for anything but perhaps an MWC title in their final season in this conference before heading to the Big East. Head Coach Gary Patterson knows that this is a very, very important season for recruiting purposes for next year’s jump to the big time, but after last year’s Rose Bowl performance, the team this season has a ton of hurdles to climb. We know that TCU is going to have a tremendous defense, something that has become a staple of a Gary Patterson team. However, missing QB Andy Dalton, the winningest signal caller in TCU history, is going to be a bit of a problem.

About the only other team that we could see making any noise out of this conference is the San Diego State Aztecs (Current Mountain West Odds: 12.25 to 1 at 5Dimes Sportsbook). Head Coach Brady Hoke has moved on to the Michigan Wolverines, but he definitely hasn’t left the cupboard dry. QB Ryan Lindley is going to be on the short list for conference player of the year honors after throwing for 3,830 yards and 28 TDs last year, and RB Ronnie Hillman is coming off of a freshman campaign in which he rushed for 1,532 yards. Both TCU and Boise State are home games, but the Aztecs are going to be major underdogs in both outings.

2011 Odds To Win The Mountain West @ 5Dimes Sportsbook (as of 7/31/11):
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Boise State Broncos 1 to 2.80
TCU Horned Frogs 4.50 to 1
San Diego State Aztecs 12.25 to 1
Air Force Falcons 16 to 1
Colorado State Rams 26 to 1
Wyoming Cowboys 36 to 1
UNLV Runnin’ Rebels 81 to 1
New Mexico Lobos 165 to 1

It feels like the MAC is one of the toughest conferences in America to handicap on the NCAA football odds each and every season. This year, the favorite of the bunch is the Toledo Rockets (Current MAC Odds: 3.65 to 1 at 5Dimes Sportsbook), but we’re really not all that sure that it’s justified. THe team went 7-1 last season in conference play, but in total, it was outscored by eight points. Nine starters are back from a defense that was one of the better ones in the MAC at 365.5 yards per game. However, we have a real question as to whether QB Austin Dantin is really going to be able to get the job done or not. The only godsend is that Northern Illinois is coming to the Glass Bowl this year, and the only other potentially difficult games are at home, save for the duel at Temple on October 1st.

Speaking of the Temple Owls (2011 MAC Lines: 6.25 to 1 at 5Dimes Sportsbook)… What better way for new Head Coach Steve Adazio to take over his program than to win the MAC? Temple showed a lot of promise last year, and it was absolutely unjustly left out of a bowl game. This defense is legit, and the offense has some budding stars like RB Bernard Pierce that can do some real damage. Northern Illinois is dodged on the slate, and Toledo comes to the City of Brotherly Love, while the only tough game in the East Division is a home date with Ohio.

The team of the hour though, very well could be the Northern Illinois Huskies (Current MAC Odds: 4.25 to 1 at 5Dimes Sportsbook). Losing Head Coach Jerry Kill could be a problem, but the return of QB Chandler Harnish and eight others on offense will inevitably make anyone’s trip to DeKalb a nightmare this season. Replacing RB Chad Spann might be difficult, but this is definitely a team with some unfinished business after making it to the MAC Championship Game last season after going 8-0, only to lose in the finale to Miami. As long as the roadie to Toledo turns out to be a good one, there should be no one else getting in NIU’s way this year on the road to Ford Field for the MAC Championship Game again.

2011 Odds To Win The MAC @ 5Dimes Sportsbook (as of 7/23/11):
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Toledo Rockets 3.65 to 1
Northern Illinois Huskies 4.25 to 1
Ohio Bobcats 4.95 to 1
Temple Owls 6.25 to 1
Miami Redhawks 6.80 to 1
Western Michigan Broncos 7.50 to 1
Central Michigan Chippewas 22.50 to 1
Kent State Golden Flashes 23.50 to 1
Ball State Cardinals 36 to 1
Bowling Green Falcons 37 to 1
Buffalo Bulls 41 to 1
Eastern Michigan Eagles 42 to 1
Akron Zips 46 to 1

2011 Odds To Win The MAC East Division @ 5Dimes Sportsbook (as of 7/23/11):
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Ohio Bobcats 2 to 1
Temple Owls 2.65 to 1
Miami Redhawks 3.10 to 1
Kent State Golden Flashes 9.50 to 1
Bowling Green Falcons 15 to 1
Buffalo Bulls 16 to 1
Akron Zips 18 to 1

2011 Odds To Win The MAC West Division @ 5Dimes Sportsbook (as of 7/23/11):
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Toledo Rockets 1.75 to 1
Northern Illinois Huskies 2.10 to 1
Western Michigan Broncos 3.90 to 1
Central Michigan Chippewas 9 to 1
Ball State Cardinals 14 to 1
Eastern Michigan Eagles 16.50 to 1