The long five month lull between the end of the National Championship and the start of college football is underway, so for college sports fans, it's time to occupy yourself with season previews, recruiting reports, or (heaven forbid) spending time outside with family and friends.
But that's not all bad. It could mean a trip to Vegas. It could mean a chance to stop by your local sportsbook, which will allow you the opportunity to put in a little side bet on your favorite team and their probably long odds to capture a BCS National Championship.
In fact, MGM Grand will allow you that taste right now. They've released some of their odds. Find out who some of the favorites are after the jump!
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Oklahoma Sooners, currently at 3 to 1. Not a terrible bet, considering how weak their conference is and how many players return, including Landry Jones.
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Alabama Crimson Tide, 6 to 1. Despite losing Greg McElroy, Mark Ingram, Marcell Dareus and Julius Jones, the Tide have 17 starters returning and should be the SEC West favorites.
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Florida St. Seminoles, 8 to 1. Eighteen returning starters on what could be the best defense in the country (and the offense shouldn't be too shabby either).
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Oregon Ducks, 8 to 1. The Ducks lose three of their offensive linemen, their starting two receivers, and five starters along their front seven. But Darron Thomas, LaMichael James and Kenjon Barner are all back, so it's hard to see Oregon's rush attack stopping anytime soon.
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Florida Gators, 10 to 1. A fairly high number for a team with a new head coach and John Brantley at quarterback. Wouldn't touch this one.
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LSU Tigers, 10 to 1. Probably worth making this bet, just to add another extra dimension to appreciating the Les Miles Experience.
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Texas Longhorns, 12 to 1. This line is a joke, right? No team has ever gone from a losing season to a BCS national championship game (I'm not even sure a team has gone from a losing season to a BCS game, period). There might be a drastic turnaround, but I'm pretty sure Texas will not end up in New Orleans next January.
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Ohio St. Buckeyes, 12 to 1. Not as bad as the Texas line, but with the issues surrounding the program right now, I'd be highly amused if anyone took this line.
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Boise St. Broncos, 15 to 1. As good a bet as any on this board. Boise should run through the Mountain West this game, and if they can beat Georgia opening weekend ...
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Stanford Cardinal, 15 to 1. You'd better really like Andrew Luck if you want to take this bet. The Cardinal lose three of their starting offensive linemen, the valuable Owen Marecic, his two biggest receiving targets in Ryan Whalen and Doug Baldwin, and (more critically) five defensive starters. It's going to be a hard fight for the boys from Palo Alto to get to a title game, but hey, it's not like having the best quarterback in college football can't hurt.
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Wisconsin Badgers, 15 to 1. No Scott Tolzien in the backfield. No Lance Kendricks to throw to. Other than that, this Badger team is fairly young, and might not be the worst favorite to hitch your wagons to in the Big 10.
So if you're impatient and want to stop by the MGM, check out those odds and place your bets!